MONROVIA: The Liberian government through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has begun a two-day women empowerment and gender training for implementing ministries under the project under component 4 of the Liberia Women Empowerment Project (LWEP) funded by the World Bank.
According to a release, the training from Thursday, August 22-23, 2024 respectively, is being conducted at a local hotel in Monrovia. It is aimed at strengthening public institutions involved in the project’s implementation to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in Liberia.
The release added that the specific objective of the training is to enhance the capacities of approximately 50 technical staff from five of the government ministries.
Accordingly, the five selected institutions include Agriculture (MOA), Education (MOE), Internal Affairs (MIA), Health (MOH) and Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP).
It said the training for those individuals focuses on key, areas including gender mainstreaming, monitoring, tracking and evaluating project outputs and outcomes indicators, conducting gender analysis using gender analysis frameworks, and understanding gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response mechanisms.
The release also noted that participants will also learn about the Gender Based Violence (GBV) Referral Pathway and how to apply it in their workplaces and communities to prevent and address gender-based violence effectively.
“At the end of the training, the technical staff of the participating ministries will have their capacities significantly enhanced to monitor, track, and evaluate project outputs and outcomes, and possess the knowledge and skills to utilize the Referral Pathway to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, thereby contributing to the promotion of gender equality in Liberia,” the statement indicated.
The LWEP release noted that the training is a crucial step towards building a more inclusive and equitable society where women and girls have equal access to opportunities and resources.
By empowering public institutions with the necessary tools and knowledge, the LWEP aims to create a sustainable impact on gender equality and women’s empowerment in Liberia.
The Liberia Women Empowerment Project is a five (5) year US $44.6M women empowerment program implemented by the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection through a Project Management Unit and funded by the World Bank.
The Project is expected to be implemented in six (6) counties namely: Gbarpolu, Bomi, Capemount, Grand Gedeh, Rivercess and Montserrado, with a total of 267,200 beneficiaries from 750 communities.
“The project aims to foster positive social norms; enhance basic services in health and education; promote resilient livelihoods through community-led approaches and strengthen public institutions to advance gender equality. A total of 36,000 women are expected to benefit from the livelihood and grants under the project,” the statement noted.