Liberia
Mary’s Meals provides school meals to more than 100,000 children in Liberia every school day.
Published onLife in Liberia
Liberia is located on the West African coast and is bordered by Guinea, Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the poorest countries in the world and is currently ranked 178 out of 191 countries and territories in the Human Development Index (HDI).
Hunger is a deep-rooted problem for many people here; it is estimated that 16% of families are food insecure and 1.6 million people have insufficient food intake. The country is also still healing from the wounds of the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak.
In Liberia, like many poor countries, survival often takes priority over education.
Children have suffered greatly over the years, and so has their education.
Years of civil war destroyed schools and forced children out of education. The country still faces huge challenges with learning and school enrolment; it is estimated that 210,622 children of primary school-age are out of school, and more than half of all students do not complete primary school.
Mary's Meals in Liberia
Mary’s Meals has been supporting children with school feeding in Liberia since 2006, but the charity’s presence in the country goes back to 1992 when we provided aid during the first civil war.
Many of the schools we support are in remote and hard-to-reach areas. Delivering food to these schools that are found deep in the jungle, accessible only via off-road routes, is particularly challenging during rainy season when flooding is common.
Locally produced food is limited in Liberia and while we strive to source as much of our food locally as possible, it is sometimes necessary to order from further afield to ensure we can keep our promise to feed the hungry children we serve in Liberia.
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- When did we start working in Liberia?
Mary’s Meals has been serving school meals in Liberia since 2006. However, the charity has worked in the country since 1992, providing aid, such as mobile health clinics, during the first civil war.
- How many children do we feed in Liberia?
Mary’s Meals provides school meals to more than 100,000 children in Liberia every school day.
- What meal do we provide?
A typical school meal is rice, peas, vegetable oil and salt. In some cases, schools can supplement their meals with fresh vegetables from school gardens.
- Where are we based/where do we operate?
Bong, Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, Gbarpolu and Montserrado counties. We have headquarters in Tubmanburg, Bomi County and field offices in Cape Mount and Bong counties.
- What is the capital of Liberia?
The capital city of Liberia is Monrovia
- What language is spoken in Liberia?
English is Liberia’s official language.
- What currency is used in Liberia?
The dollar (LRD)
- What is the population of Liberia?
Liberia has a population of 5,281,930
