About Liberia
A Quick Introduction
Troubled Past – Hopeful Future. Liberia is on the western coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and the Atlantic Ocean.It offers 600 miles of some of the world's most beautiful coastlines. Unfortunately, it is also home to more than 3.2 million of the world's most poor and needy people.
Troubled Past – Hopeful Future. Liberia is on the western coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and the Atlantic Ocean.It offers 600 miles of some of the world's most beautiful coastlines. Unfortunately, it is also home to more than 3.2 million of the world's most poor and needy people.
The Liberian story begins in the early 1820s, when the Washington, D.C.-based American Colonization Society endeavored to send free Blacks back to their African homeland - 200 years after they were first forced into captivity and sent to America against their will. The society's purpose for extradition was twofold:
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Reduce the possibility that free Blacks might induce slaves to revolt against their oppressors
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Spread Christianity and "civilization" to the "Black Continent"
The freed American slaves began settling on the West African coast in what is now the city of Monrovia (named after then-current U.S. president James Monroe). In 1847 the settlers officially formed Liberia, named for the liberty they so dearly sought. They declared the country Africa's first independent Black republic and modeled their constitution after that of the U.S. Even its flag is similar to the U.S. flag. Liberia was a founding member of the United Nations and one of the key initiators of the Organization of African Unity.
Liberia progressed slowly and began to thrive around the time of WWII. It became one of the most modern, progressive countries in Africa. Because of its heritage, Liberia has always maintained close ties with the U.S. and they were a strong ally to the United States during the Cold War era. However, one hundred and fifty years after its initial formation, the nation was divided into two distinct groups: the often-privileged American descendants known as Americo-Liberians and the indigenous population. It was a division that ultimately led to civil war on Christmas Eve in 1989. The war lasted seven devastating long years and ended with the Abuja Peace Accords in 1995.
But peace did not last long. In 1999, the government of Charles Taylor was accused of supporting rebels in Sierra Leone, and in 2000, it fought a border war with Guinea, evoking a second civil war that lasted until 2003, when Taylor was forced into exile. The wars killed more than 200,000 people and displaced more than half the population, making hardship a way of life.
In 2005, a new government arose under the leadership of Africa's first elected female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She has been working to rebuild the nation ever since, but conditions have only improved slightly. To this day, the nation, including the capital, still has very limited running water, working sewer systems or electricity.
Education is not free and most parents cannot afford the fees to send their children to school. As a result, unemployment and illiteracy rates are around 80% and crime is rampant. The infant mortality rate is high and life expectancy is low. Whereas in America, 6.5 out of every 1,000 babies die, over 155 out of every 1,000 babies die in Liberia. If they make it past infancy, the average Liberian can only expect to live 49 short years.
CHAP sees a tremendous opportunity to make a powerful impact in restoring a once-great nation that is now in desperate need of both alms and the Lord.
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Fast Facts
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Population:3,283,000
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Capital: Monrovia; 572,000
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Area: 111,370 square kilometers (43,000 square miles)
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Language: English, 20 ethnic languages
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Religion: Indigenous beliefs, Christian, Muslim
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Currency: Liberian dollar
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Life Expectancy: 49
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GDP per Capita: U.S. $1,000
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Literacy Percent: 58
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Industry:Rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds, gold
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Agriculture:Rubber, coffee, cacao, rice; sheep; timber
- Exports:Rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cacao, gold