Addressing gaps in public health services in rural parts of Liberia requires teamwork. Goldy Kontoe Freeman and her colleagues at Community Health Care Initiative (CHI), a civil society organization (CSO) based in Bong County, Liberia, have already done extensive research on the causes of maternal mortality in rural Liberia, where overreliance on traditional maternal health practices and ongoing infrastructural challenges prevent many women from receiving necessary care. “When we take a look at midwives, because of traditional practices, they are stuck delivering at home,” Freeman says.

As the world adjusts to the new normal in the era of the Coronavirus and COVID-19 that includes social distancing and a six feet apart spacing, civil society is being thrust more than ever before onto the forefront of keeping humanity connected and informed. The world shouldn’t be surprised that community-based organizations are on the frontlines of helping us through the COVID-19 pandemic.

NDI and the Mano River Union Secretariat are working with a group of 32 young women political activists from Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone to chart a course towards a new politics -- a politics in which women have a strong voice. The Network of Emerging Women in Politics (NEW Politics) program is designed to help women develop confidence, networks, and other skills needed to more fully engage in the political arena and achieve greater representation.