By Mark N. Mengonfia mmenginfia@gmail.com
MONROVIA-A nongovernment youth organization, Youth Network for Positive Change (YOUNETPO) has officially launched its project title “Women Targeted Bins and Burns for Economic Empowerment in Monrovia.”
The Inform Women Transfer Lives Global Campaign initiative is a global campaign around the world that seeks to provide information to women and girls.
It is part of Cater Center’s Rule of Law Program that works in partnership with governments, civil society, and international and regional bodies to improve governance and transform lives through a meaningful right of access to information and justice.
Speaking during the event, the Executive Director of YOUNETPO, Amb. Leo E. Tiah said the goal of the project is to increase women’s power and influence.
He said they will work with thirty marketers [women] from three markets in Monrovia who will work in one group
He said what they, as an institution want to achieve during the life span of the project and beyond, is to enhance the voices and participation of women and girls in solid waste management in Monrovia through increasing awareness and empowering women to establish waste management of the community-based organization (CBO).
Amb. Tiah said as part of the activities they seek to achieve among other things to engage with the Monrovia City Corporation to develop a communication strategy for the project, ensure a harmonious message development between YOUNETPO and the MCC with focus on women’s access to municipal information, support services and information on waste management services.
“This will be a preliminary step taken before the establishment of community information and media centers in the target marketplaces where information will be shared via megaphones and discussions”, Amb. Tiah said.
He indicated that they will use traditional means of communication such as Town criers to carry out weekly awareness on the topics of female leadership, economic initiative, and access to information, civic participation; and general women’s rights.
The YOUNETPO Executive Director indicated that as a youth organization, the low participation of women in civic, development and decision-making processes is further attributed to low levels of education, poverty, lack of control of productive resources, discriminatory norms and practices, lack of self-esteem, violence against women, sexism, corruption, hostility, care work burden as well as unequal power relations which has blocked women’s capacity to effectively participate and influence the development and decision-making processes thus enjoying their rights as a person.
According to him, the project will help to address some of those challenges that women and girls are faced with.
Speaking during the launch meeting, Madam Beatrice Quaye, Gabassy Kamara and Fatu Komeh said they were thankful that a youth organization will think in the direction of seeking a solution to a problem they as women are faced with in the discharge of their duties [marketing].
“My children, God will bless you people because the issue of collection of dirt is a serious problem and for your people to think about it for us, God will bless you” old lady Beatrice Quaye said.
She said there are people who will willfully refuse to pay for ticket, an amount that is paid to help the LMA to dispose of garbage in the markets.
“Some people who are selling on the roads will not pay for ticket and sometimes we cannot reach our target” Ma- Beatrice said.
Advancing a solution to the issue of garbage in Monrovia and its environs, Ma- Beatrice said those who sell in the marketplaces, those who are owners of stores and those who have homes very close to the markets should take responsibility of clearing the mess of the city.
She is hopeful that the project will bring relief to them [women] when it comes to the issue of managing garbage in Monrovia and its environs.
The Director of Sanitation of the Liberia Marketing Association, (LMA) Lawrence Page, II, said they have over the period of time found it increasingly difficult for them.
The LMA Director of Sanitation said the initiative as advanced by the youth organization was keen on grounds that women first encountered the garbage before it reaches the men.
Speaking earlier, Jerome D. Dangbuoh, Monrovia City Corporation’s Director of Northern Region Waste Management Department gave the MCC’s willingness to work with YOUNETPO to get the proper messages to the marketers in Monrovia.
“MMC considers you as a partner in progress. It is not so much about this project but it is about Liberia.” The MCC worker said.
He said the youth organization can even take a contract with the MCC to create awareness about garbage management in various communities.
This, according to him, will help educate Liberians about how to treat the dirt they make on a daily basis.
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