Nation Building

The Hope of Our Nation

Liberia, situated on the West Coast of Africa, was the continent’s first republic. Though endowed with tremendous natural resources capable of making the nation and its people prosperous and happy, corrupt dictatorial political leaders have relegated the 157-year-old country to among the poorest in the world. A recent UNDP development index failed even to list Liberia.

Reconstruction efforts in Liberia start with the most fundamental human needs – water and electricity, dilapidated bridges, among others.

More than two decades of political turmoil and physical upheaval have driven Liberia further into social and economic backwardness. The first major crisis erupted in 1980, when non-commissioned officers of the Armed Forces of Liberia overthrew an oligarchic regime. This brought an end to 133 years of “settler hegemony,” or rule by predominantly resettled Africans, descendents of former slaves from the plantations of the Americas and the Caribbean who had shaped the country’s political and economic scene based on a policy of excluding and repressing the native people.

During the period of conflict that began in 1980, Liberians, particularly the impoverished majority, found themselves attacked, maimed and murdered by various armed factions. They lived in fear and subjugation, as their life was constantly disrupted. Many fled the country, while others became internally displaced.