Liberian women living in the Kortu community of Montserrado County say their lives have changed for the better after undertaking a three-month vocational training course sponsored by UNMIL Quick Impact Projects and managed by a Liberian non-governmental organization known as DAM Opera     (Dissemination of Accurate Messages.)

The group of 31 women ranging in age from 21 to 51, said prior to the training they had been economically dependent on family members to survive. Some of them, also known as “Zoes”, used to carry out traditional practices including Female Genital Mutilation, recognized globally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women, as a means of earning income.

“I tell God ‘thank you’ for teaching me tie and dye because I was not doing anything just sitting at home,” said 41 year old Miatta Beng. Her words were echoed by Marion Boakai, 51, who said, “I came from nowhere and they have put me somewhere.” Boakai now looks forward to earning a steady income from tailoring.

Princess Louis, a seventh grade student, said she dropped out of school this year because she could not afford to pay the fees. The 22 year-old said: “Now I can support myself through school with the money I get from making soap.”
“This project is all about empowering women because when a woman is empowered she is not overlooked in society. Because when we are able to use our hands our men don’t overlook us,” said Rose Gaye, Field Supervisor of DAM Opera, the organization which managed the training course.

Tabitha Mbugua, Head of UNMIL’s Montserrado Field Office, said the initiative emerged from interactions and discussions between the “Zoes”, their national leadership, DAM Opera, and the UNMIL Montserrado Field Office including Human Rights Officers. These discussions sought to find out what help the traditional women needed to be able to give up the harmful practice of FGM.

Mbugua said the “Zoes” themselves suggested training in alternative income generating activities.

As a result of those discussions, the Alternative Livelihood Project for Traditional Women and Zoes was launched in August this year with US$ 25,000 funding from UNMIL QIP. The women learned tailoring, tie and dye, weaving and soap making as well as book-keeping and marketing. They were given the tools such as sewing machines and weaving looms on graduation day. The project included the construction of a community centre where the women can continue to practice their newly acquired skills.

“The importance of this project is getting our women involved in using their own hands through the skill training they have acquired to make their own money and thus forgetting about the practice of FGM,” said Ndomah Ngebla of DAM Opera.
A recent United Nations report shows that almost 2,000 communities across Africa abandoned female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) last year. “These encouraging findings show that social norms and cultural practices are changing, and communities are uniting to protect the rights of girls and women,” said UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin, on the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM/C, which was observed on 6 February.

To mark the Day, Dr. Osotimehin and UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake issued a joint statement renewing their commitment to put an end to the practice. “We call on the global community to join us in this critical effort. Together, we can abolish FGM/C in one generation and help millions of girls and women to live healthier, fuller lives,” they stated. FGM/C refers to a number of practices which involve cutting away part or all of a girl’s external genitalia. It has no health benefits, causes severe pain and has several immediate and long-term health consequences, according to UN agencies.

Guests of honour at the graduation ceremony of the women trainees in Montserrado county included Mama Tomah, the leader of “Zoes” in Liberia, UNMIL’s Senior Gender Advisor Comfort Lamptey, who officially handed over the newly constructed centre to the Kortu Community, and the Superintendant of Montserrado County, who urged the community as a whole to focus on educating their girl children.