Quick Facts About Liberia

Before I head off, I want to do two things.  The first is to give a shout out to my husband for not only supporting me in taking this trip, but for encouraging me to act on the opportunity under such short notice.  If you see any of our children standing on the side of the road, rest assured, super dad is on his way.

The second is, I want to give some quick facts on Liberia to set the stage:

• Founded by freed American slaves in 1822, Liberia is a unique African nation because it was never ruled by a European nation.

• Ironically, these freed slaves created an elite society practically enslaving the native Liberians using the plantation model they learned in America.

• The inequity between the classes and corruption of the government eventually lead to two civil wars.  The most recent war lasted 15 years and ended in 2003.

• In large part due to canvasing efforts by Liberian women, in 2008, Liberia elected the first and only female head of an African nation, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

• The years of civil war completely devastated Liberia's  infrastructure, commercial sector, and health and education systems.  For the first year of the war the GDP dropped 90%, the highest drop of any country ever, and an entire generation has spent more time fighting war than attending school.

• During this time, there was no public running water or electricity and both are only beginning to be available in some parts of the country.

• It is considered one of the poorest countries in the world with about 85% of it's population living on less than $1.25 per day.

The good news is that there are also amazing efforts going on in Liberia by the government, NGO's, and local entrepreneurial leaders to restore it's economy and to reduce extreme poverty.  More detail on those projects throughout the trip.