“When women are in action…”

1-30-13

Yesterday Nicole and I visited several communities outside of Foya, tagging along with some SP directors who were checking on some projects. While we sat in on a savings and loans meeting in the town of Botemba, a director asked the local women in the meeting about how their savings and loans program worked. They sat with shy smiles on their faces, a bit afraid to answer. When a local man began to answer, a female director named Elizabeth hushed him and called out to the room. “When women are in action, great things happen!” The women started smiling and laughing. “When women are in action…” “...Great things happen!” They all answered her call in unison.

In Liberia men are usually heads of household and hold more power in general. Elizabeth had to coax the women to speak up about what they do. But, this is the first African country to have a female president, and lot of the development programs here aim to empower women through education, literacy, and business skills. Pretty cool!

Making palm oil in a community outside of Foya