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The West African nation of Liberia was formed, as the name suggests, to give liberated slaves a secure place in which to rebuild their lives. This they did with hard work and determination, along with the help of the US, and became one of the most prosperous African nations with 133 years of consecutive peace along with being the first to gain independence. This was a country whose prospects looked good and whose children had a bright future.
In 1989, a civil war broke out in Liberia and raged for 14 long years. In order to escape the vicious fighting, half the population abandoned the farms they had built from nothing, to live in squalid conditions in displacement camps near the capital, Monrovia. During this brutal and bloody civil war, society and morality disintegrated with thousands of girls raped and approximately 250,000 people being massacred.
Now, after the ousting of President Charles Taylor and the world's largest UN peacekeeping force of 15,000 soldiers, the country is again rebuilding itself. In 2005, they elected a new female president - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf - Liberia's "Iron Lady" - and the country is on the path to becoming a stable democracy.
However, 14 years of civil war decimated the country's infrastructure leaving no clean water, no sewage disposal system and no public lighting. On top of this, 85% of the capable work force does not have jobs and the majority of Liberians eat only once a day due to the lack of viable agricultural land.
Within Liberia now, the population is divided into 15 different tribes. 40% of the population is Christian (13% - 14% being Catholic), 40% are Animist and 20% are Muslim.[1]
[1] This information was taken from: http://www.missionhonduras.com/Liberia/Liberia2/liberia2.html
In 1989, a civil war broke out in Liberia and raged for 14 long years. In order to escape the vicious fighting, half the population abandoned the farms they had built from nothing, to live in squalid conditions in displacement camps near the capital, Monrovia. During this brutal and bloody civil war, society and morality disintegrated with thousands of girls raped and approximately 250,000 people being massacred.
Now, after the ousting of President Charles Taylor and the world's largest UN peacekeeping force of 15,000 soldiers, the country is again rebuilding itself. In 2005, they elected a new female president - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf - Liberia's "Iron Lady" - and the country is on the path to becoming a stable democracy.
However, 14 years of civil war decimated the country's infrastructure leaving no clean water, no sewage disposal system and no public lighting. On top of this, 85% of the capable work force does not have jobs and the majority of Liberians eat only once a day due to the lack of viable agricultural land.
Within Liberia now, the population is divided into 15 different tribes. 40% of the population is Christian (13% - 14% being Catholic), 40% are Animist and 20% are Muslim.[1]
[1] This information was taken from: http://www.missionhonduras.com/Liberia/Liberia2/liberia2.html
