P Uriah Suah
0555928618/0776200557
Ganta City, Nimba county —-Green Advocates International has completed a two-day capacity-building training for grassroots defenders from five of Liberia’s fifteen counties. The training, held from January 24 to January 25, 2025, took place at Pherena Lodge in Gompa City, Nimba County.
During the opening session, Mr. Peter Quaqua, the Project Lead of Green Advocates International, provided an overview of the initiative. He emphasized the significant challenges faced by grassroots defenders in Liberia and other project countries due to the actions or inactions of governments regarding concession agreements.
According to Mr. Quaqua, the training is part of a broader initiative to strengthen grassroots defenders’ capacities in six countries: Guatemala, Mexico, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Brazil, and Liberia.
Participants received training in critical areas such as accessing justice, obtaining information, utilizing media for advocacy, and securing grants to sustain their work.
For their part, the Participants expressed appreciation for the training and its impact on their advocacy efforts. Madam Hawai Kanneh Dukuly, Executive Director of the Village Development Funds, stated that the program identified effective channels for expressing grievances and underscored the media’s role in amplifying advocacy efforts.
Grace Tomah Barrie of the National Initiative for Resources Protection said the training provided her with valuable ideas she had not previously encountered in her advocacy. She noted the importance of the bottom-to-top approach in addressing human rights issues in communities and recommended extending the training duration to allow more in-depth discussions.
Similarly, Abraham P. Banda, CEO of the Vision 2030 Campaign Initiative Movement, described the training as an “eye-opener.” He emphasized discussions around legal frameworks that empower grassroots defenders to address issues affecting their communities.
The program, which brought together defenders from across Liberia, was implemented by Green Advocates International in collaboration with the World Resources Institute (WRI) and funded by the United States Department of State.
