Joan Weah
Liberia

“Where was her security, other than with the next man and yet another? Where would she end up? How long would she live?”

Dechris Geekor (pictured) is a 20-year-old woman who lived with two of her friends as squatters in an abandoned house. She was forced to trade her body for money to feed herself and her son. What were her options for a happy, productive, and purposeful life? Where was her security, other than with the next man and yet another? Where would she end up? How long would she live?

I founded Working With Our Girls and Women (WWOG) for Dechris and girls like her, who were growing into women with no future. Now she is learning tie and dye to support herself and her son.

Fourteen years of civil war left Liberia morally, socially, and economically bankrupt. Young girls lost their innocence and drive. They have been molested, raped, abused, exploited, abandoned, marginalized, forced to become street kids and left to fend for themselves with no direction, support, guidance or hope. They are not educated and lack the skills to succeed in life. In addition, due to extreme poverty, the family unit has fallen apart. Parents have been robbed of their ability to provide for their families and have become broken and without hope, with nothing to pass on to their children. Parents who are expected to provide and protect their children are sending them out to the street to use their bodies as meal tickets. As a result the moral authority of parents has diminished, creating a generation of children without direction and guidance. Hence, the children are forced to make choices that further increase their vulnerability.

Recognizing the critical role that women play in Liberian society by providing social stability and skills for the generation of resources toward economic development, the goal of Working With Our Girls and Women is to enable young women to become productive, contributing citizens of Liberia. The future of these young women is filled with unlimited opportunities that are not determined by their past. Educated and empowered women will not only have more choices, but will make better and healthier choices for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Working With Our Girls and Women has ongoing community outreach in neighborhoods most adversely impacted by the war, those where the target populations of girls/young women are most likely to be found. Bi-monthly sessions are held to gather additional information about their needs and to provide skill training. The counselor and program coordinator hold individual meetings with each candidate based on these interactions, their verification of the life situation, and their assessment of her needs. A selection committee consisting of the Program coordinator, Education specialist and Board members decides whether a candidate will be accepted to the program.

The skill training includes cooking, baking, homemaking, tie and dye, quilting, soap making, and computers. We also provide housing, education, counseling, and entrepreneurial job training.

A system of accountability has been developed to ensure financial and material oversight by the Board of Directors. The Board makes an annual report to all major donors. Funds obtained from donors are used to pay for expenses (rent, furniture, books, and other supplies) and staff salaries.

The goal of this pilot program is to impact the lives of war-affected girls and young women in Monrovia, Liberia, through the following objectives:

• To enable the young girls/women to develop the sense of self-importance, self-respect, and confidence in their abilities to achieve successful futures.

• To provide income-generating and job placement opportunities to prevent the girls from returning to prostitution as a means of livelihood and to allow them to maximize their potential and dignity.

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This story first appeared on our site on January 10, 2010. To contact Joan: workingwithourgirls@yahoo.com.