VZCZCXRO5047
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHMV #0617/01 1440805
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 240805Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY MONROVIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8631
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1404
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MONROVIA 000617 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PASS TO AF/W FOR PDAVIS, JBUELOW, PCARTER, INR/AA FOR BGRAVES, PRM 
FOR CCHANG 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ELAB PHUM KWMN KDEM SOCI LI
SUBJECT: LIBERIA: SIGNS OF HOPE IN LOFA COUNTY 
 
 
¶1. SUMMARY. On a three-day trip through Lofa County, May 16-18 
Poloff and UK representative visited International Rescue Committee 
(IRC) projects funded by the USG and the UK Department for 
International Development (DFID).   After visiting numerous 
communities, villages, and towns, it became clear that the residents 
of Lofa are committed to rebuilding their lives.  Citizens have 
returned to farming, are resolving disputes peacefully, and are 
building schools for their children. The County Superintendent is 
engaged in county development and is open to outside assistance. 
Liberian refugees from Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast are 
returning at the rate of 200-300 per week, often with the assistance 
of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. Lofa, like every other county in Liberia, was heavily affected by 
the war and people fled in large numbers across neighboring borders. 
 With refugee camps closing in June, people from Lofa are returning 
in large numbers.  Poloff traveled to remote communities in Lofa 
County May 16-18 to visit USG and UK government-funded projects.  In 
conversations with residents and UN representatives, it became clear 
that many of those who have already returned or many who are 
returning, are originally from Lofa County and they are returning to 
their previous villages and communities.  Lofa was formerly the 
breadbasket of Liberia, producing rice and other staple crops to 
help feed the rest of the country.  Liberian refugees from other 
countries are returning back to farming as a means of livelihood. 
Driving through the county, Poloff observed a number of fields being 
cleared of trees and brush to make space for farms. 
 
¶3. The IRC is implementing a multi-year, Department of Labor 
(DOL)-sponsored project to combat the worst forms of child labor. 
Poloff visited skills training programs in woodwork, soap making, 
tie die, and sewing.  Boys and girls who enter skills training 
programs are allowed to chose from a list of skills; most girls 
chose tie die, soap making, and sewing and most boys choose woodwork 
or auto mechanics.  Poloff observed that many of the girls involved 
in the skills training program were teen mothers.  Both boys and 
girls indicated that they wanted to attend school once they finished 
the training programs.  The training programs will hopefully give 
them skills to support themselves.  The World Food Programme (WFP) 
food incentive program for female children is working.  Poloff 
noticed that more than one school had more female students than male 
students because WFP gives girls extra food to take home if they 
attend school. 
 
¶4. DFID is funding community development projects through IRC.  Each 
of the 72 communities sponsored forms a community development 
council (CDC) to decide which projects to implement.  Poloff found 
that many of the communities decided to build community centers or 
town halls. Other building projects included latrines and clinics. 
The IRC hopes that once the projects are completed the CDCs will 
continue to function as a local decision making mechanism. Many 
communities are also pooling their own resources to build community 
schools. 
 
¶5. The Superintendent of Lofa County, Glalkpai Kortimai, appears 
engaged in the reconstruction and development of the county.  He 
told Poloff that he has already spoken to various investors and is 
looking at ways to revitalize the farming industry and to introduce 
cash crops for export.  He plans to form farming cooperatives within 
the county's districts to manage the 1,000 acres that the central 
government has given each county for crop development.  He also 
indicated a desire to establish microcredit or microfinance programs 
in Lofa.  He said the Chinese will fix the state-owned radio station 
repeater so that Lofa will have access to information even after the 
UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) leaves.  He commented that the World 
Bank road project, which is employing many former combatants, was a 
welcome job creation program to keep young men off the streets and 
out of trouble. 
 
¶6. Lofa is not without its problems.  Land tenure issues are 
problematic and the Superintendent has put a temporary halt to all 
sale of public land.  Until recently, the sale of private land was 
also halted so that mechanisms could be put in place.  The plight of 
women is slow to improve.  Poloff observed that women do much of the 
farming and household work and women continue to be exploited, 
notwithstanding IRC women's groups who are teaching women about 
their rights.  The Superintendent complained that international 
non-governmental organizations (INGOs) are driving up commodity 
prices in Voinjama, the county seat, and he was planning to impose 
price ceilings.  Child labor continues to exist, but mostly in the 
form of field labor.  In a largely farming society, children are not 
exempt from labor during the planting season.  One community 
admitted that they send their children to work in the teacher's 
field because the teacher is not paid. 
 
¶7. Comment.  Villages in Lofa are largely homogenous ethnic 
populations, making dispute resolution and community decision making 
easier.  The tensions that may exist between Mandingos and other 
 
MONROVIA 00000617  002 OF 002 
 
 
ethnic groups in Lofa are not as pronounced as they are in other 
counties in Liberia.  Most people are not waiting for development 
assistance, but are building houses and schools and planting rice or 
other crops to sustain themselves.  Child labor persists, but the 
IRC DOL-sponsored project is meeting its objectives to give children 
and families alternatives.  The IRC enrollment counselors are 
effective at convincing families about the importance of education 
over work.  The strong spirit of the residents of Lofa to rebuild 
their community is a positive force in the recovery of the county. 
End Summary.