Liberia: Red Cross, ECOWAS Launch RRBA ECOWAS Project

The Liberian Red Cross has launched the Recovery and Resilience Building Assistance (RRBA) project to provide support to families affected by floods in vulnerable communities in Liberia.

The project aims to empower flood-affected communities by helping them build back stronger. The launch ceremony took place in the Shoe Factory Community along the Japan Freeway on Thursday, November 30, and it was attended by officials from the National Disaster Management Agency and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), among others.

The project originated in July 2022, following a major flood that affected Liberia and other West African states, resulting in over 60,000 people being impacted in Liberia. The project aligns with ECOWAS’ humanitarian policy and aims to build resilient communities capable of managing and reducing the risks associated with disasters.

Abraham Paasewe, a top official from the National Disaster Management Agency, said the project started in July 2022 after the country experienced one of the worst flooding incidents in recent history.

“We took tours of the affected communities, and we documented over 60,000 people that were affected,” he said. “We made a report on this situation in Lomé, Togo, in April 2023, after ECOWAS invited member states to go to present their cases. We were present, and we made the case for our people.”

Liberia attended a meeting in Lomé, Togo, where ECOWAS announced a funding package of US$8 million for member states affected by flooding. Liberia secured funding for the project during this meeting.

At that meeting, he recalled, it was announced by the Director of Humanitarian Affairs, Madam Sintiki Tarfa Ugbe of ECOWAS, that the regional bloc was keeping a package for member states that were affected by flooding.

The project is a collaboration between the Liberian government and the Liberian Red Cross, guided by the policy of finding a credible implementing partner. It will benefit communities in Montserrado and Margibi Counties, specifically targeting individuals affected by the floods.

ECOWAS Resident Representative to Liberia, Josephine Nkrumah, said the project is in line with the ECOWAS policy on humanitarian grounds. She stressed the need for the building of good communities so that residents learn how to manage or reduce the risk associated with disaster.

The Secretary General of the Liberian Red Cross, Gregory Blamo, lauded ECOWAS for its continued support for the Liberian Red Cross and the Government of Liberia.

Mr. Blamo said the project is to benefit the individuals who are affected, adding that the money is not going to the community leaders or volunteers but to individuals who are affected.