The end of the bitter civil war that raged for 14 years enabled nearly 300,000 refugees and displaced persons in their own country to return home within a year. National elections were held in relative tranquillity, but the restoration of the state authority, the law and the order is just beginning.

Social services are now in a much more precarious situation than before the war. More than a third of the population lives on less than a dollar a day and the proportion is even higher for children. In Liberia, the mortality rate for infants and children under 5 years remains among the five highest in the world. More than 15% of children die before reaching their first birthday. Nearly 40% of the population has no access to clean water and nearly 75% do not have adequate sanitation (Unicef, 2010).

Sinje, activity centre of our family strengthening program, is a small village in the "Cape Mount County" located near the main highway and close to the border with Sierra Leone. Although 94 % of the population is Muslim and 2% Christian, there has never yet been a conflict between members of the two communities. In the Sinje region, Muslims and Christians live together in harmony and peace.


But during the civil war, Sinje was the scene of a terrible massacre of villagers and refugees seeking protection in the village, committed by rebel forces. Many men, women and children lost their lives. Those who were spared took refuge in Monrovia, Liberia's capital, waiting for the UN forces to stop and disarm the rebels.

The objective of the program is to improve the overall situation of minor children by strengthening the vulnerable families who support them.
The family strengthening program focuses on the city of Sinje and on five other neighbouring villages (at a distance of 2 to 3 km) in Grand Cape Mount, westernmost Liberian county.

The family strengthening program operates on multiple levels and follows four main objectives:

• Ensuring the basis needs of the children who will be the beneficiaries;
• Strengthening the family socio-economic level in order for that family to support their children;
• Reinforcing the community / local authorities to meet the children’s needs and to ensure the children’s rights;
• Establishing a network of partners that work in preventing the loss of family care.