IOM has signed a comprehensive agreement with the German government
to provide sustainable socio-economic reintegration assistance to
conflict-affected women and girls who live in the northern Lofa
County, which borders Guinea and Sierra Leone.

The nine-month programme will promote sustainable livelihood
opportunities for female victims of the conflict who continue to
bear the mental and physical scars of war and who often struggle to
make a living in the districts of Voinjama, Kolahun and
Foya. 

Working with the National Commission for Disarmament,
Demobilization, Reintegration and Resettlement (NCDDRR), the
Liberian Government, the UN and non-governmental partners, IOM will
provide beneficiaries with on-the-job vocational training, small
business start-up grants, reinsertion kits and livelihood tools
such as hand tractors, sewing machines, and starter kits for bakery
or trading supplies for kiosks.    

Priority will be given beneficiaries who choose to work together
on common income-generating projects, particularly in the
agriculture sector.

"Providing sustainable reintegration assistance to vulnerable
women and girls who have not received the full attention and
assistance they deserve is essential to anchor peace and promote
development in Liberia," says Ferdinand Paredes, IOM's Head of
Office in Monrovia.  

The 14-year conflict has taken a heavy toll on Liberian women,
many of whom continue to suffer from long-term physical and mental
ailments. A recent survey of conflict-affected women and girls
showed that 63 per cent of them suffered from rape and other forms
of physical and mental abuse.

For further information, please contact:

Ferdinand Paredes

IOM Monrovia

Tel: +231 666 5950 or +231 570 35 84

E-mail: "mailto:fparedes@iom.int">fparedes@iom.int