Women Non-Governmental Organization Secretariat of Liberia(WONGOSOL) has high lighted Plights confronting Civil Society Organizations(CSO) in Liberia.
According to the Executive Director of WONGOSOL, Esther Davis Yango, they expressed sincere appreciation to ActionAid Liberia for convening this important meeting with women led movements and grassroots organizations in Liberia.
” We are particularly honored to welcome colleagues from ActionAid International to Liberia at the time when solidarity, collective action, and movement building are more important than ever” Director Yango added.
She pointed out that for decades, women led organizations have been strategic actors in shaping Liberia’s democratic , governance and peace building landscape.
“We have organized, mobilized, advocated, mediated conflict, promoted accountability, strengthened social cohesion and worked relentlessly to ensure that Liberia remains an enabling environment where rights are protected, communities are heard, and government remain accountable to citizens” She asserted.
Director Yango stated that women’s movement have never waited for perfect conditions before acting, whether during conflict, public health emergencies, political transitions or community crises, noting that women have consistently stepped in where systems have failed.
She revealed that many women leaders and womwn-led organizations are literally using their personal resources to sustain interventions that should ordinarily receive institutional support.
She noted that across communities, women are using their money to transport survivors of gender-based violence to hospitals, police stations, safe homes, and courts.
“Women are paying out of their pocket for medications, food support, emergency transportation, psychosocial assistance, and referral because they cannot abandon survivors in the moments of crisis” Director Yango cited.
She disclosed that the global aid landscape is shifting rapidly, such as the closure of the USAID-supported opportunities and the ending of many programs previously supported through SIDA have created serious disruptions for women-led organizations and feminist movement in Liberia.
She maintained that many organizations are now struggling to maintain staff to sustain community programming, support survivors or even keep their doors open.
” When women-led organizations weaken, community suffer, survivors lose access to support, local mediation mechanisms collapse, grassroots accountability diminishes, community trust erodes, civic engagement shrinks” Director explained.
She stressed that development partners should recognized that women’s organizations are not merely implementers of projects but they are architects of peace, defenders of democracy, first responders in times of crisis, and custodians of community resilience.
She underscored the need for Action Aid International and Action Aid Liberia to encourage continued solidarity with local women-led movements and stronger investment in locally led responses.
Director Yango said the sustainability of civic action in Liberia depends significantly on whether women-led organizations are able to survive and thrive during this difficult period.
” As we reflect on movement building today, let us remember movements are strongest not when times are easy, but when communities choose solidarity over silence, courage over fear, and collective action over fragmentation” She narrated.
She made the disclosure Tuesday at a CSO meeting with the Secretary General of Action Aid International Arthur Larok has commerce week long working visit in Liberia held talks with CSO leaders at a local hotel in Sinkor.
