Projects in Liberia

Education

To assist Liberia in building its primary and secondary education sectors in literacy, math and science, Peace Corps Volunteers teach in communities across Liberia. Volunteers strengthen capacity and develop resources through such activities as administration mentoring and support; counterpart teacher training; library, science lab, and computer lab development; and career counseling for students. The purpose of the project is to assist Liberia in building its next generation of leaders by helping students gain access to personal, professional, and academic opportunities.

The Peace Corps provides support through classroom teaching and strengthening the capacity of teachers. Volunteers are placed at government primary, junior, and senior secondary schools where they have an opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of Liberian youth by providing educational instruction and opportunities for extracurricular activities. Volunteers collaborate with principals, teachers, and parent groups to improve school management, introduce innovative teaching techniques, facilitate the use of school libraries, encourage student organizations, promote career opportunities, and participate in summer academic programs.

Peace Corps Response Volunteers serve in the Education sector, helping to prepare future teachers who will be placed in rural areas.

Health

To assist Liberia in building its public health sector, Peace Corps Volunteers collaborate with Community Health Workers program in 4 counties. These Volunteers provide health education with a focus on child and maternal health, promoting under-five nutrition, advocating and supporting pre- and post-natal well-woman check-ups, and developing capacity-strengthening activities for community and health post coordination, among others.

In August 2017, Peace Corps Liberia began a Community Health project piloted by a group of 6 Peace Corps Response Volunteers. In September 2018, Peace Corps Liberia expanded the program in more counties across Liberia. The project is linked with the National Community Health Assistant Program which is transitioning from being run by locally engaged NGOs to Liberia’s Ministry of Health. This program provides life-saving services and education to communities located more than 5 kilometers from local clinics.

Cross-sector supplementary activities

In addition to the primary focal areas of Education and Community Health, all Volunteers are encouraged to supplement their primary activities in areas that support other community needs and interests. These supplemental activity areas are malaria prevention, COVID-19 prevention, youth leadership development, school-based agricultural education, and school-based nutrition education.

Peace Corps Response

Peace Corps Response Volunteers are mid- to late-career professionals with specialized skills and expertise. Response Volunteers focus on activities that support post-secondary institutions such as medical colleges and teaching hospitals, the Ministry of Health, Catholic Diocese educational systems, and coordinate activities related to malaria and science labs.

Virtual Service Pilot

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Peace Corps initiated a Virtual Service Pilot, enabling Participants to engage remotely with host partners. Through the use of Zoom, WhatsApp, email, and other digital platforms, Peace Corps Liberia Virtual Service Participants engage with and strengthen the capacity of Liberian partners in medical colleges, teaching hospitals, schools, and local NGOs.