Toward Healing Youth in Post-Conflict Liberia: Seizing Opportunities, Overcoming Challenges,

Making the Future Now

Jarius Andrew Greaves

Liberia, West Africa

Liberia’s National Flag

Village of Vahnwroln is 140 miles southeast of Monrovia

Views of the City of Monrovia, Liberia

My Vision for the Youth of Liberia

I envision to empower fellow young Liberians and street children who have had limited or no opportunities to live well, to heal from the effects of the civil wars, to pursue their dreams, and to become independent men and women.

I

Youth Network for Reform (YONER-LIBERIA)

Our Vision

To have a more just and developed society where all children and youth will live freely and receive supports and opportunities to realize their full potential without any form of discrimination.

Our mission

To undertake actions that nurture and build honest and able leaders to become self-reliant and agents of positive change within their communities.

Projects We Have Implemented

#1: Youth Sustainable Waste Management Business Assistance Program (YSWMBAP)

Project Goal

To provide income for less fortunate youth

To deal with the problem of improper waste disposal and

environmental protection

Projects We Have Implemented Cont.

#2: Local Scholarship Program (LSP)

Project Goal

To buttress the Liberian government’s effort to reduce the

high rate of illiteracy in Liberia, to enable qualified youth and

street children to pursue their dreams, and to give them a

stable source of income.

#2: Local Scholarship Project Cont.

Each year, LSP grants 25 scholarships, which cost on

average:

US$75.00 to support one elementary student

US$100.00 to support one middle (Jr. High) student

US$125.00 to support one high school student

US$75.00 to support one vocational/technical student, and

US$150 to support one university student.

Challenges

It is difficult to secure funding to sustain the Local

Scholarship program

We lack technical skills to professionally design, implement,

monitor, and evaluate new and even existing projects.

We lack skills and knowledge to write stronger grant

proposals to compete with other applicants for the same

funding.

Financial support is limited and those that we receive are

infrequent.

Our Success Story

YSWMBAP project has educated residents about solid waste

disposal and they now dispose their domestic solid wastes

properly

Mountain of garbage piles that once stood along roadsides in

the Paynesville community have disappeared and the air even

smells fresher

Some residents now support our local scholarship program

We collaborate with institutions and individuals to sustain the

LSP program.

Our Partners

In Liberia, we partner with:

Members of the Board of Directors of YONER-LIBERIA The Ministry of Youth & Sports The Liberia Civil Service Agency The Paynesville City Corporation The Federation of Liberian Youth The Liberia YMCA and the Global Communities

Our Partners Cont.

Abroad, we partner with:

The World Youth Alliance The German Marshall Fund of the United States The OPC Policy Centre of the Kingdom of Morocco

Invitation for Partnership

We will like to invite you to become one of our partners to help us:

Financially to support our Local Scholarship Program to sponsor a child

Remotely provide technical support to proof read our documents and to advise us on how to strengthen them

Write grant proposals to compete in appropriate grant competitions

Invitation for Partnership Cont.

Or you can help us financially to purchase modern waste collection equipment, to buy metal garbage containers that we supply in our subscribers’ homes, and to pay better wages to youth workers.

O

Our Contact

Email: yonerliberia2008@gmail.com

Cellphone: +231-886-577742

Thank you!