International Rescue Committee (IRC)
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Liberia

the International Rescue Committee (IRC) works to end domestic violence
Many women in West Africa face violent from their spouse on a daily basis
Women face domestic violence if they do not complete their daily chores
The IRC helps women use their voices and make change in their communities
<p>There are different paths to justice, but they rarely lead to any consequences for the man or resolution for the survivor. Many times a woman faces further violence or isolation for coming forward. But as a woman in Monrovia, Liberia said, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t need an eye for an eye; I need something to stop what&rsquo;s happening to me once and for all.&rdquo;</p>
IRC helps women find work, economic opportunities to take control of their lives
IRC helps women end domestic violence in their communities
IRC cals attention to domestic violence, an often ignored issue during conflict

Domestic violence

Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone
05.18.2012

Violence against women is one of the most widespread of human rights abuses.  In war-torn regions where destruction, displacement and lawlessness breed yet more violence, women increasingly face abuse in their homes.  Around the world, the IRC helps survivors heal and works with communities and institutions to break the cycle of violence.

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Children play on a dirty beach; the IRC helps improve health and sanitation
A mother bathes her child as part of health care, child protection programs
A health worker examines a child at a clinic; the IRC gives training, supplies
Children sit in school; the IRC supports teachers, provides educational material
A woman stands outside; the IRC supports survivors of sexual assualt, abuse
A woman stands near the auto shop where she works as a mechanic
A woman farms her land; the IRC helps farmers grow more to eat and sell
A boy waits to receive an immunization, part of IRC emergency response

Inside our work in Liberia

Liberia
05.06.2011

Years of civil war and unrest have left Liberia in a state of disrepair, but the IRC has been there to help Liberians restore education, health care and safety.

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Saywon Tarlesson braids a customer's hair in her salon in a Monrovia suburb.
Boy stands next to a burning garbage dump near some homes in a Monrovia slum.
Joezel Mompleh sells fish to a local woman from her stall in a Monrovia market.
Annie Grant in her market stall in a Monrovia, Liberia suburb.
Ruth Famah arranges greens at her produce stand in a Liberian market.
Laurina Tokpah behind the counter in her shop in Monrovia, Liberia.
Christine Jacobs in her drink shop in Monrovia, Liberia

Learning to succeed

Liberia
04.04.2011

The IRC is helping disadvantaged girls and young women in Liberia learn a trade or start their own business.  So far, all the program's graduates have gone on to build successful businesses, an achievement that is all the more remarkable given the country’s dire poverty and the lack of opportunity for women. 

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A midwife feeding a malnourished infant at a pediatric facility in Monrovia.
Two boys who are being treated for acute malnutrition at a Monrovia hospital
A mother feeds her infant daughter milk at an IRC-supported hospital.
A young girl recovering from surgery in a Monrovia, Liberia hospital.
The IRC's Dr. Jude Senkungu examines a malnourished child.
Dr. Jude Senkungu with young patients at an IRC-supported hospital
A mother tends to her newborn baby in a Monrovia, Liberia hospital.
The IRC's Celia Kohn operates on a woman suffering from internal injuries
The IRC's Celia Kohn (right), one of only three gynecologists working in Liberia
A malnourished baby in a hospital in Monrovia, Liberia
The IRC's Celia Kohn examines a young patient at a Monrovia hospital
Mothers walk by their children’s beds in the pediatric ward
A nurse in Monrovia treats a child suspected of having contracted malaria.

A health system on life support

Liberia
03.04.2011

Fifteen years of civil war left Liberia's healthcare system in ruins.  The IRC is providing medicine, doctors and equipment to 33 rural clinics and five hospitals that serve more than 320,000 people. The IRC also supports the largest pediatric facility in the capital, Monrovia. 

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Leontine Dehoua Lato with other Ivorian refugees in Blemieplay
This room and an adjacent corridor houses 24 refugees.
An IRC medical team carries vaccines and drugs to Blemieplay
An Ivorian refugee receives oral polio vaccine.
An IRC staff member in Blemieplay prepares a vaccination
IRC medical workers assist Liberian health workers and community volunteers
An Ivorian refugee suffering from with malaria is examined
David Ghiah, a health worker, examining an Ivorian refugee
Children are being examined for symptoms of malaria
Ivorian refugee children

Refugees in limbo

Liberia
01.20.2011

Waves of refugees have fled to Liberia after widespread violence broke out in Ivory Coast following disputed presidential elections there. The IRC is assisting uprooted people on both sides of the border.

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