Peace Huts: Building a sustainable and peaceful future for Liberia
Gbarnga, Bong County, April 5, 2019 - It’s a hot but beautiful morning in Gbarnga town, Bong County where over 43 participants are gathered for a validation workshop on the Women of the National Peace Huts of Liberia.
The women and one man are gathered together to discuss the future of their Peace Huts - which have been active in Liberia since 2006, acting as safe spaces for women to address different issues affecting them in their communities. Over the years, the Peace Huts have become powerful platforms for female inclusion, leadership and economic empowerment in various parts of Liberia.
The meeting starts with praise and worship followed by a hearty prayer for God’s blessing and guidance in the next two days. Annie Nushann, the Chair of the Totota Peace Hut and one of the pioneers of Peace Huts in Liberia, opens the meeting with a testimony about how the Huts have changed women’s lives.
“The idea of Peace Huts begun in 2006. Women were coming to us with their problems which we would listen to and give advice on what to do. Sometimes we would mediate disputes between families and others we would record and report to the Police,” Ms. Nushann shares, adding that some of the issues reported included rape, teenage pregnancy and child neglect.
She further adds that since UN Women started supporting them in 2009, they have been able to provide more support to the women through the Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs).
“Peace Huts have helped a lot of women and their families because they provide an avenue to report and record cases before they are taken to police or the courts. Now they are also helping us with our income generating activities,” Ms. Nushann says.
The concept of VSLAs is used in many parts of Africa to encourage saving among rural and peri-urban communities. Its no different in Liberia, where they are being used to empower women to save and engage in several entrepreneurial activities. The VSLAs have made the Peace Huts women more independent economically.
“When the men know you have some money of your own, they are more respectful,” Mama Jah, a member of the Bopoplu Peace Hut in Gbarpolu County shares. Her friend and Chair of the same Peace hut, Mamie Kollie adds that; “the Peace Huts have also changed us on a personal level. I am more confident, I can speak up, I can mediate conflicts in the community, I can counsel, and I can also train. Through the VSLA I can support my family.”
In most of the Peace Hut VSLAs, the women save 50 - 500 Liberian dollars every week. These savings are loaned out to members at a small interest ranging from 5% -10% depending on the need. Embedded in the VSLA is a 20% social fund, which is used to support members in difficult times such as sickness or bereavement.
While the Peace Huts have encouraged saving and entrepreneurship, they have not been well utilized for investing, a financial assessment done by UN Women revealed. The validation workshop was therefore intended to address this and help the women develop strategies and business plans for their Peace Huts.
“We intend to use the findings of the financial assessment to help the members of the Peace Huts find new sources of income and investment for their VSLAs. These, we hope, will enable them to become sustainable, needing little or no financial support from other partners,’ Cristina Fernandez of UN Women said during the meeting.
The financial assessment was made possible through funding from the Liberia Multi-Partner Trust Fund (LMPTF)/Peace Building Fund (PBF) and the Government of Sweden. In addition to the assessment, PBF has supported the construction of six more Peace Huts which will be launched in mid - 2019. These include; Barrenken Peace Hut, Maryland County, Yeala Peace Hut, Lofa County, Bo-waterside Peace Hut, Grand Bassa County, Ganta border Peace Hut , Nimba County, Konia Peace Hut, Lofa County, Tiappa Peace Hut, Nimba County.
Many of the Peace Huts have taken the recommendations on improving their financial sustainability in earnest and are engaged in various economic activities to increase their income. The Tiama Peace Hut in Bissa, Grand Gedeh is one such Peace Hut. Its members are actively engaged in cassava and rice farming which is bringing extra income for their VSLA.
“We now plan to expand our agricultural operations by offering our services in the community to clear and plant gardens at a small cost. This we believe, will bring in more income,” Evon Gbarduo (pictured left), the Chairperson of the group shared.
With strategic planning focusing on profit making activities and improved financial management, the Peace Huts of Liberia are anticipated to become a vital player in Liberia’s journey to sustainable development.
Text & Photos by: Doreen Kansiime, Reporting and Communications Officer, Secretariat for Liberia Multi-Partner Trust Fund / Peacebuilding Fund- UN Resident Coordinator’s Office. See more photos here.
UN Liberia is comprised of 17 Agencies, Funds and Programmes, including the World Bank and African Development Bank. Delivering as One to support the Government and the people of Liberia to achieve sustainable development. To learn more about us, please visit: http://lr.one.un.org/
