Last week, we discussed in detail the need to talk with our youth and educate them about sex to afford them the opportunity to make better choices concerning their future. Clearly, the prescription of Sex Education (Sex Ed) for youth may have high prospects for the future. But ensuring the future means understanding our past and harnessing hope for the journey ahead. It must be acknowledged that there must have been something to be achieved by parents not talking to their children about sex.
Publish GBV Issues Every Day
Published: 26 August, 2008
MONROVIA, An Associate Professor from the Northeastern University in Boston, United States of America, Dr Robin Chandler, who is visiting the country, has advised the management of the Daily Observer newspaper to publish stories on Gender-based Violence that are taking place in all parts of the country every day.
MONROVIA, When it comes to sex education or talking about sex, a subject that seems so delicate in most African societies, parents usually shy away for traditional, dogmatic or plain old superstitious reasons. Lots of them, especially mothers, are of the notion that discussing sexual matters with their teenagers is a 'big taboo'.
ABOVE: Some of the women working on the field as W&F Fatoumata Fofana engaged them in separate interviews BELOW: Others actively working on the BRE Rubber Plantation
Liberian Women in Agriculture
Published: 13 August, 2008
MONROVIA, They feed us by growing what we eat. They grow the cassava, plantains, okra, bitters ball, which we buy on our local market for our daily meals. Day in day out, Liberian women, especially those in the rural parts of the country, are immensely contributing to the socio-cultural and economic development of their households, communities and societies at large. Our women must be commended and, their energetic, tremendous and tireless efforts acknowledged.
Market Women and Micro Loans
Published: 06 August, 2008
Dr. Thelma Awori: '….Market women deserve to have a good place to work in'
Well, let's find out. Many women, especially our rural/market women around the country have constantly asked as to whether micro loans or credits were the answer to their problems. “Can micro credit actually help in reducing poverty?” they always ask rhetorically.
Gender Advocate Abhors Exploitation in Schools
Published: 30 July, 2008
Mrs. Howard
A gender advocate working on girls' education in the country has decried the alarming rate of sexual and other exploitations as well as lowering standards in Liberian schools.
Patricia Wesley: ‘My poetry writing happens by inspiration’ Photo by Wyne Jabbeh
Liberian Women and the Issue of Time
Published: 30 July, 2008
A philosopher once said, “time waits for no man.” Others consider time as 'man's worst enemy' because it is just not an easy task to turn back the clock of time. And this is where the sayings, “if I knew; had I known”, begin to step in.
Dr. Lily Sanvee: A Seasoned Medical Doctor
Published: 23 July, 2008
A professional Liberian medical doctor, Dr. Lily M. Sanvee
A professional Liberian medical doctor, Dr. Lily M. Sanvee, has to her credit several years of experience in general surgery at both domestic and international levels.
African Women in Their Societies
Published: 16 July, 2008
Among the majority of rural and low-income urban dwellers, women perform all domestic tasks, while many also farm and trade. They are responsible for the care of children, the sick and the elderly, in addition to performing essential social functions within their communities. They seek to manage the environment, although their struggle for survival often results in environmental damage from activities such as fuel-wood collection.
Mrs. Shana Swiss, (l) Director of Women's Rights International speaks to repoters
Women's Groups Host Sensitization Program
Published: 15 July, 2008
MONROVIA, Women's Rights International (USA) and Voices in Empowering Women in Liberia, under the auspices of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia (TRC), at a program held at the Centennial Pavilion, depicted the suffering and maltreatment of Liberian women during the civil conflict.
Liberian Diaspora Women Hold Development Confab
Published: 25 June, 2008
Liberian Diaspora women's active participation in peace-building and developments in their country cannot be overemphasized, speakers agreed recently at a conference held in the Dutch city of Delft.
Female student pregnancy is a cancer which is fast eating into the fabric of the Liberian society arising from many factors, among them the exploitation and abuse of female students by teachers and school administrators.
Massa Cousli and Lusu Sloan, Liberian market women represented their industry at the celebration in New York City
SMWF “Friend-raiser”: A Celebration of Liberian Market Women
Published: 11 June, 2008
A multicultural crowd clad in both Western and African attire gathered with one philanthropic spirit, on June 4, to join President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in her campaign to support Liberia's market women, through President Sirleaf's Market Women's Fund (SMWF), to rebuild their lives after 14 years of war.
Women and Security Identify Major Challenges
Published: 10 June, 2008
Women leaders and security officials in Grand Gedeh and Nimba Counties have identified major challenges in the counties as seductive dress code of girls and women in their communities.
Ellen Honors Liberian Market Women in the US
Published: 04 June, 2008
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will today, arrive in New York City, United States of America, from Tokyo, Japan, to pay tribute to Liberian market women and the extraordinary role African women play in economic development by launching the Sirleaf Market Women's Fund's (SMWF) Adopt-a-Market Campaign.
Teenage pregnancy can be defined as 'babies having babies', referring to the existence of a fertilized fetus in girls aged between 13 and 17. Globally established norms have an age threshold at 18 years, at which time young people enter adulthood. In this connection, though females aged 18 and 19 are still technically teenagers, they are yet considered adults by international convention, with a statutory level of responsibility for themselves, their actions and their legal attachments.
LIHEDE Proposes a Resource Center for Liberian Women
Published: 03 June, 2008
Dr. Somah, LIHEDE Executive Director Photo by Alaskai Moore Johnson
MONROVIA, The executive director for the Liberian History, Education and Development (LIHEDE), Dr. Syrulwa Somah, has proposed to the Liberia Government and other women groups the opening of a National Center for Women Studies in the country.
Massa Cousli and Lusu Sloan will represent the Liberian market women at the SMWF fundraiser
New York Fund Raiser for Liberian Market Women
Published: 03 June, 2008
MONROVIA, A team of Liberian market women left the country yesterday to attend a fund-raising rally in New York, USA, aimed at mobilizing additional funds for the implementation of the Sirleaf Market Women Fund (SMWF). Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, are expected to be special guests at the fund launching.
Mabel Flomo, Gender and Education Officer of FAWE lecturing at the LET/FAWE workshop as participants listen attentively
Female Students End Career Workshop
Published: 02 June, 2008
A two-day workshop on career development for female students on the scholarship program for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) has ended at the conference room of the Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) in oldest Congo Town outside Monrovia.
A Win for the Women of Liberia
Published: 30 May, 2008
Since the successful prosecution of a rapist in Kakata, Margibi County, at the end of March 2008, the number of rape cases brought to the police and ARC Liberia in Kakata has noticeably declined. The case, which involved a 52-year-old perpetrator and a 12-year-old survivor, was successfully prosecuted thanks to a partnership between the local law enforcement and justice systems, the American Refugee Committee (ARC), and FIND, with the support of the American government.
President Sirleaf presented a gift by organizers of the Symposium
Ellen Addresses Girl's Education Symposium
Published: 28 May, 2008
On the eve of the formal opening of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says the achievement of gender equality and parity must start with the girl child, who has been left behind in receiving the education that is required for competing and contributing to Africa's development.
Women and Security Groups Emphasize Training on Dialogue
Published: 23 May, 2008
ANPPCAN Manager Winford
Women groups from Grand Gedeh and Nimba counties will join security officers in two counties to be part of a one-week training program aimed at finding strategies on how to dialogue and settle issues that are related to Sexual Gender-based Violence (SGBV) in those counties.
Spain-Africa Int'l Roundtable on ‘Women for a Better World’
Published: 21 May, 2008
Women groups and accredited representatives in the areas of politics, education, culture, provision of basic social services, the economy, the media, international relations and social movements, on May 12 to 13, 2008, gathered in Niamey (Niger) to deliberate on key issues affecting the socio-economic and political advancement of women.
Pres. Sirleaf received by Pres. Tandja upon arrival
3rd Spain-Africa Int'l Confab Held
Published: 15 May, 2008
NIGER, Women members and accredited representatives in the areas of politics, education, among many others, in May 12 and 13, 2008, gathered at the Third Meeting of African and Spanish Women conference held in Niamey with the sole aim of giving continuity and adherence to the commitments and advances arising from the Mozambique and Madrid Declarations on Women and Development.
Rape Awareness Campaign Launched in Buchanan
Published: 08 May, 2008
Madam Ellen M. Löj
The Head of United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), Madam Ellen M. Löj, has pledged UN support to the Government of Liberia (GOL) and people in the fight against all forms of Sexual Gender-based Violence (SGBV), especially rape.
Marriage, Household & Women's Welfare…
Published: 07 May, 2008
Studies have shown that about 75 per cent of young women and girls in Africa are married by ages 15 to 18 and one in three women is in a polygamous marriage.
Vice-President Joseph N. Boakai Photo by Alaskai Moore Johnson
MONROVIA, Vice-President Joseph N. Boakai has stated that the pains and agony women experience on a daily basis, be it domestic or gender-based violence, call for the most urgent need to protect them, adding: “Their need is safety”.
US$19,000 Earmarked for Women Confab
Published: 05 May, 2008
MONROVIA, Madam Varbah K. Gayflor, Liberia's Gender and Development Minister, says the United Nations Development program (UNDP) in Liberia, other major partners and support groups and all stakeholders have earmarked about US$19,000 for the National Women Conference slated for Monday, May 5 to Friday, May 9, 2008.
African Women Must Redefine Their Rights
Published: 01 May, 2008
Deputy Minister Elizabeth Hoff
Media women across the continent of Africa have been challenged to redefine the rights and problems of educated and uneducated women who are experiencing all forms of marginalization when it comes to governance, leadership and decision-making.
Big National Women's Conference Slated for Monday
Published: 01 May, 2008
Gender and Development Minister Varbah Gayflor
MONROVIA, Women from all sectors of the Liberian society, including women in trade and agriculture, among many others, will from Monday, May 5 to Friday, May 9, convene at the Monrovia City Hall, to voice out what their challenges are and recommend a way forward in addressing them.
Empower Yourselves by Empowering Your Children
Published: 30 April, 2008
KY Best: 'I urge you also to know our responsibilities' Photo by Alaskai Moore Johnson
As the old saying goes, “when a child is good, he/she becomes both parents' (especially the father's) but if he/she is bad, the burden comes to the mother.”
Liberia Becomes MDG3 Model
Published: 23 April, 2008
Liberia has been appointed as a 'model' country for the third Millennium Development Goal (MDG3) on women's empowerment and economic advancement by the Danish Government through its Prime Minister, Mr. Andres Fogh Rasmussen.
Maternal and Child Health Care: A National Concern
Published: 16 April, 2008
Every minute, every day a woman dies from complications related to childbirth, pregnancy, or unsafe abortion. Nearly 99 percent of these deaths occur in developing countries. And for every woman who dies in childbirth another 20 to 50 survive, but suffer from devastating injuries such as obstetric fistula.
Rural/Market Women In Economic Activities
Published: 09 April, 2008
It has been established by experts that women, especially rural/market women, serve as the backbone of the rural as well as national economies in much of sub-Saharan Africa. According to experts, about 80 per cent of the economically active female labor force is employed in agriculture and women comprise about 47 per cent of the total agricultural labor force.
African Women Push for Advancement
Published: 02 April, 2008
Day-in-day-out, women from across the African continent, are immensely contributing to the socio-cultural, economic and political development of their household, communities, and societies at large. Our women must be commended and their energetic, tremendous and tireless efforts acknowledged.
Women, Musicians to Honor Mary Brownell
Published: 02 April, 2008
Julie Endee of Crusaders for Peace
MONROVIA, Musicians under the auspices of Crusaders for Peace, in collaboration with the women of Liberia, said Tuesday they would honor acclaimed female activist Mary Brownell along with some musicians killed by small arms and light weapons during an upcoming program at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium on April 15.
Women Concerned about Roaming Perpetrators
Published: 31 March, 2008
MONROVIA, Scores of women groups and others in the country have raised serious concern about the security protection of witnesses giving testimonies before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Liberia.
The group of concerned women and children at the Temple of Justice
For Delay in Angel's Murder Case:
Published: 28 March, 2008
MONROVIA, Hundreds of women and children under the banner of the Center for Liberian Assistance (CLA) yesterday stormed the Temple of Justice building on Capitol Hill in Monrovia to demand a speedy prosecution of Hans Williams and his fiancée Mardeah Williams.
ABOVE: 2006- President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberia, 2004- Prime Minister Luísa Días Diogo, Moçambique, 2006- 2. Vice-President Marina Barampama, Burundi, 2004- Vice-President Joyce Mujuru, Zimbabwe 1870s Regent Princess Mnkabayi of the Zulu Kingdom (South Africa) BELOW: 2007- Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Zainab Hawa Bangura, Sierra Leone, 2005-06 Minister of Foreign Affairs Sidibé Fatoumata Kaba, Guinea 2001- Temporary Regent HM Queen Karabo Mohato Bereng Seeiso of Lesotho 2004- Chieftainess Nana Ekua Bri II of Apraponso (Ghana) 2005-06 2. Vice-President Alice Nzomukunda, Burundi 2005- Prime Minister Maria do Carmo Silveira, São Tomé e Princípe
Powerful, Influential and Prominent African Women Leaders since 1623
Published: 26 March, 2008
Today, the Daily Observer's Women and Family Desk will like to take you down the path of history again by giving you the opportunity to know and be enlightened about pivotal roles played by some great and influential African women across the continent including our own 'Iron Lady', President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
Women, Girls to Be Self-sufficient in Post-war Reconstruction
Published: 19 March, 2008
A workshop to empower rural women to improve their literacy skills and be more independent and self-sufficient within their environment was held in Lofa County recently.
Born October 29, 1938, Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is the first woman ever elected head of an African state. She was sworn in as President of the Republic of Liberia on January 16, 2006.
Celebrating International Women's Day
Published: 19 March, 2008
Hundreds of women from every sector of the Liberian society, on Saturday, March 8, 2008, convened at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) in partnership with their colleagues across the globe in observance of International Women's Day.
Profile of Ganta City Mayor: Nohn Tensonnon
Published: 27 February, 2008
Ganta City Mayor Nohn Tensonnon
Ganta City Mayor Nohn Tensonnon was born on September 23, 1967, at the Ganta Hospital onto the blessed union of Saye Tensonnon and Yah Zenneh. Ganta is the capital of Nimba County.
Above: Queen Nzinga M'Bandi of N'Dongo and Matamba (Angola and Congo), Regent Queen Mother Regnant Njapdungke of Bamum (Cameroon), Anti-Apartheid Leader Nomzano Winnie Mandela in South Africa and Acting Chief Executive Angie Elizabeth Brooks-Randolph, Liberia; MIDDLE: Sultan Fatimah of North, Zanzibar (Tanzania), Edwesohemaa Nana Yaa Asantewaa of Edweso (Ghana), Politically Influential Menem Asfaw of Ethiopia, Politically Influential Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings in Ghana; BELOW: Ret Abudok nya Bwoc of Shilluk (Sudan), Politically Active Empress Uelete Rufael of Ethiopia and Queen Mother Ndlorukazi Nandi of the Zulu Kingdom (South Africa)
Powerful, Influential and Prominent African Women Leaders from 1623
Published: 20 February, 2008
Today, the Daily Observer's Women and Family Desk will like to take you down the path of history by giving you the opportunity to know and be enlightened about pivotal roles played by some great and influential African women across the continent including our own 'Iron Lady', President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
The Forum for African Women Education (FAWE)-Liberia, in partnership with the Children in Crisis (CiC) UK, yesterday launched its project entitled 'Education of Girls and Young Women'.
Above L-R: Rosa Parks, Alice Malsenior Walker and Condoleezza Rice Below L-r: Patricia Roberts Harris, Debi Thomas' Ice Skating Career and Mary Violet Leontyne Price
Women in Black History
Published: 13 February, 2008
Black History Month is a remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African Diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in the month of February, while in the UK it is held in the month of October.
The Saturday Hair-Do In Downtown Monrovia
Published: 06 February, 2008
Hmmm…check the various beauty salons in and around the city of Monrovia on Saturdays (from morning till mid-night) and see the multiplying number of elegantly attired and beautiful young girls/women who visit these sprouting stylish business establishments (salons), ready to change the looks on their faces, legs, eyelids, toes and finger nails, hair, and eye lashes.
Ora Gibson-Richards: A Professional Personal Development Coach
Published: 30 January, 2008
Mrs. Richards: ‘Nobody has control over you unless you allow them to do so’
A renowned professional and seasoned intellectual, Mrs. Ora Gibson-Richards, has for several years empowered individuals to discover and achieve their self-esteem, self-awareness, image and style at both domestic and international levels.
President Johnson-Sirleaf and UNICEF Report Released
State of the World's Children Report Released
Published: 23 January, 2008
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has released its 2008 report on the State of the World's Children, a report that calls for good data to inform policy and programs; a shift to combine disease-specific and nutrition interventions in integrated packages to ensure a continuum of care; the mainstreaming of maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition into national strategic planning processes to scale up and strengthen health systems, among many others.
Members of the US and Liberia board of the Sirleaf Market Women’s Fund posing with President Sirleaf
Market Women: Engine of the Informal Sector
Published: 17 January, 2008
MONROVIA, Dr. Thelma Awori, Chair of the United States board of the Sirleaf Market Women's Fund, has stressed the need to improve market facilities across the country, thus creating a conducive atmosphere for market women to transact their businesses, as “they are the engine of the informal sector”.
MONROVIA, Wednesday, January 16, 2008, marked the second inaugural anniversary of Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to the Presidency of Liberia, making her the first female to head a state on the African continent.
A little boy sucking an alcoholic drink and Under-aged children taking in alcohol
Social Vices on the Increase: Children Become Addicted to Alcohol
Published: 16 January, 2008
The aftermath of the country's 14-year civil war has given rise to all sorts of vices such as juvenile delinquency, prostitution, armed robbery, drugs abuse, as well as children, believed to be the future leaders of this nation, getting accustomed to alcoholic drinks.
Program of Int'l Colloquium Officially Opens
Published: 15 January, 2008
MONROVIA, The 3rd Session of the 52nd National Legislature resumed on Capitol Hill yesterday with House Speaker Jenekai Alex Tyler experiencing a temporary blackout. The Speaker nearly fell out as members of the joint National Legislature marched into the renovated Capitol Building to commence the 3rd session of the 52nd Legislature.
MONROVIA, Plans are afoot by Liberian women to mark the second anniversary of the successful election of Liberia and Africa's first democratically-elected woman President, Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, by hosting in Liberia an international colloquium on Women's Empowerment and Leadership in February of 2009.
Bhutto's Death and Its Implications To Women's Progress in Politics
Published: 09 January, 2008
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
MONROVIA, Ex-Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, a legendary woman who has symbolized how far women can ascend in terms of political leadership, was on December 27, 2007, preyed on by some unidentified men, thus sinking the hopes and aspirations of lots of women across the globe who became inspired by her ascendancy and decided to follow her indelible footsteps as a global role model.
