By: Reginald Ffoulkes Crabbe, Regional Secretary, Greater Accra YMCAs, Ghana
Globalisation, political transition and technical innovation have created new opportunities to improve the living standards of millions of people. There are widespread concerns, however, that people in Africa still face high levels of inequality, environmental decline, lack security and live in times of uncertainty and conflict. These are the social challenges the African YMCAs address by empowering youth to be civically responsible and active in creating necessary social change.
As the YMCA is a membership-based organisation, it is the volunteer members who complement the work of the core staffing teams. Members are drawn from our communities themselves and thus represent the needs and aspirations of the communities and ultimately the progress and the success of the communities through impactful programmes which add value and improve the lives of individuals and groups within those communities.
It is the members’ efforts that ensure that everyone is able to identify with the YMCA activities and that people become invested in the membership, thereby taking ownership and ensuring commitment on their part which enhances their level of responsibility. Thus membership in the YMCA is an investment in community.
According to Edward Gboe, National General Secretary of the Liberia YMCA, this is the foundation on which their membership has been built over the past several years. The Liberia YMCA is a good example of a YMCA that continues to strengthen because they focus on delivering relevant programmes and increasing member involvement. In a country of about 4 million people, the YMCA serves about 500,000 people, through 7,000 members and 263 staff.
The Liberia YMCA draws its strength from the important role of its members. In fact, amongst other factors, a minimum of 500 committed members is required for a local YMCA to obtain branch status. This focus on membership as the key sustaining element of their YMCA has led to the commitment of people and communities as owners of the association. With such high value on membership, they do not easily part from the YMCA. This has guaranteed continuous support of local citizens and leaders both within and outside of the YMCA. Communities have made generous contributions of resources, including land and labour, to enable the YMCA to achieve more in Liberia.
Edward Gboe shares this story of Kenneth Best, a local YMCA hero and an example of extraordinary commitment. “I encountered Kenneth 21 years back when I was 17,” begins Gboe. “At the time he was serving as President of the National Council, the highest governance body of the Liberia Y, was a managing editor in private life and publisher of the Independent Daily Observer, Liberia’s oldest independent daily newspaper (a management role he still holds today). As Guest Speaker at a ceremony to present me with an award as an Astute Student leader at my high school, Kenneth spotted me and asked that I pick up the award from his office at the YMCA. My visit to the Y led me to learning and experiencing more youth leadership and programming skills for 8 years.” Over 21, Edward Gboe now serves as National General Secretary of the Liberia YMCA and still believes Kenneth Best to be “a super volunteer”.
The Liberia YMCA’s five membership categories (Student, Ordinary, Honourary, Institutional and Corporate) reflect the needs and social dynamics of the people in the country. The Student Membership Category caters for the interest of students in Junior School (Gra-Y) and Senior School (University Y) through the establishment of leadership training, youth empowerment, leadership development skills, life skills and livelihood training programmes. Ordinary Membership activities are targeted at addressing the needs of both the youth who may not be in school and the citizens of the community in general. Programmes in areas of fellowship and fun, recreation and sports, conference facilities and physical fitness are designed to serve the interests of the other categories of membership which focus on the people and institutions that provide support to the YMCA. This membership-based approach changes lives and mobilises resources and technical support for the YMCA’s success.
Today, the Liberia YMCA can boast that it is the leading youth development institution in the country, with activities that impact almost every aspect of society. With a good membership campaign strategy based on successful programme initiatives that speak to the needs of the different socio-economic groups, Gboe believes that the sky possibilities and potential for the YMCA activities in Liberia are limitless.
As YMCAs initiate and run relevant programmes and deepened engagement, members are then positioned and groomed to become leaders and volunteers that strengthen the YMCA in its efforts to meet the individual and community needs.
Hierarchical structures have given way to successful YMCA team structures with more than one leader. More importantly, in any one leadership relationship, followers become leaders and leaders become followers, depending on the situation.
Some key issues to consider when developing a membership strategy:
• Recruiting new members to the YMCA: How do we build a list of prospects? How do we inspire youth to join our YMCA? How do we follow through with prospective members?
• Retaining our members and building their loyalty: More members leave the YMCA within the first year of joining, than at any other time. What is our current member engagement strategy?
• Renewing our members: Membership renewal is a challenge for any organisation. What do we offer our members to keep them renewing year after year? How do we re-engage lost members?
• Revenue earning from our members: How do we maximise revenue from fundraising, events, functions, merchandise, memorabilia, education, professional development and membership upgrades?
• How do we continue to build our membership: How do we creatively do this when budget doesn’t allow for spending on outreach strategies?
Reginald is currently on a 6 month internship with the International Group of YMCA of the USA as part of the Africa Alliance of YMCAs’ youth leadership development strategy.
By: Emmanuel King, Jr - Liberia YMCA
A three-day psychosocial workshop took place in mid-March at the LOIC compound in Monrovia, Liberia, for counsellors in the Youth in Peace Building and Governance Programme.
With support from the Inter-Church Coordinating Organization (ICCO) and implemented by the YMCA of Liberia, in collaboration with the Liberia Opportunities Industrialization Center (LOIC), the workshop was aimed at building partnerships and networks under the ICCO Peace Building programme.
It was also intended to provide psychosocial support and career counselling skills to LOIC Trainees and counsellors, in the peace building and youth development interventions respectively.
During the workshop sessions, participants discussed counselling and its application, social-related concepts in society, stress and stress management, career motivation, and conflict and its resolution.
According to Vonyee Newton Kolison, Coordinator of the Liberia YMCA-ICCO Youth in Peace Building Programme, follow-up visits are expected to Gbarpolu, Nimba and Bong Counties. In these regions, trainees are currently working under their various programmes, in partnership with ICCO, to monitor the implementation of learning from the training and the impact on working with war affected youth and communities in these locations.
The workshop functioned to "Train the Trainers" and was intended to prepare counsellors to work effectively with trainers currently working with youth enrolled in the LOIC vocational and life skills programmes in the named counties. “During the follow-up visits, organizers will assess how participants are relating and building social networks with their trainers and communities,” said Kolison.
Following the training, it is expected that the process of reintegration will be enhanced on a better scale in the project sites of the Inter-Church Coordinating Organization and partners.
The workshop was part of series of activities under the Youth in Peace Building and Governance Programme (YPBG) sponsored by ICCO. The YPBG provides a wide range of skills and activities aimed at resolving conflict in a non-violent manner. The programme is also intended to develop the knowledge of young people in leadership.
By: Emmanuel King Jnr, Information Officer, Liberia YMCA
Over 13 000 young people have benefitted from the reproductive health and HIV/AIDS services of the Liberia YMCA Drop-in Centre, situated at the headquarters in Monrovia, the capital city. A joint venture with Medical Emergency and Relief International (MERLIN), the centre provides youth-friendly services through nursing staff and peer educators, as well as through outreach in the surrounding communities.
“We attract the youth through a relevant movie or workshops or talks. The centre also offers space for the youth to play games like scrabble, cards or ludo. They meet with each other and talk freely. This kind of setting makes people free to attend because this is not the normal clinic setting where they have to wait, or are afraid of being watched as they sometimes feel at a clinic. They do not get embarrassed at all. Once they are there, going for a test, or counselling or getting condoms or contraceptives is easy and non-threatening,” said Dexter Merchant, Centre Coordinator.
As young people feel comfortable interacting with their peers, the strategy is to train peer educators in Behaviour Change and Communication (BCC) and the Behaviour Change Process (BCP).
In the last six months, 7 796 youth visited the centre – 3 115 of whom were female and 4 683 male. The sexual reproductive health section attended to 2 967 young people, with a fairly even split of females and males. There has also been an increase in the number of boys and young men making use of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), with just over 1 600 attendance in the same period.
Veronica Rogers, a 22-year-old peer educator said that when working in the communities, often quite different approaches are needed. “It’s very different working with youth at school and those in the field, as some of these young people can’t write. I know I have made lots of impact. So many youth just don’t know how to use a condom so I show them, and when I go back the next week they tell me they have started using them,” she said.
This is evidenced in the fewer cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that are now being reported both in the community outreach and at the centre, she said. Merchant confirmed this in terms of their record keeping at the centre.
Merchant also said there is an increase in the number of couples who come to the centre for HIV testing, showing that youth are talking more openly and that behaviour change is taking place.
Cases of gender violence are also dealt with if this becomes evident. “There have been cases where young women are abused by their partners and pressured into sex and others where they are drugged or given alcohol. In cases where the situation is not too severe and the young men are willing to have counselling, we attend to this. If the young woman wants action and there is no commitment from the young man’s side, these cases are referred to the gender authority,” said Merchant.
Caption: Veronica Rogers
By:Emmanuel King, Information Officer, Liberia YMCA
A programme aimed at enhancing the socio-economic reintegration of high risk youths operating commercial motorbikes has begun in Gbarnga, Bong County, in Liberia.
Supported by the Government of Liberia, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and primarily implemented by the Liberia YMCA, 500 commercial motorbike riders will be trained in the areas of road safety, highway codes, psychosocial counseling, governance, HIV/AIDS, and peace and civic education.
These youth are high risk as the commercial motorbike business is relatively new in Liberia and these young men, most of whom are ex-combatants, do not know the traffic signs or highway codes. A large number of motorcycle accidents are recorded in the country. Training will ensure they are better equipped for their chosen work and ensure they are able to sustain themselves financially.
These young motorbikers often come into conflict with their passengers and communities and in Gbarnga they have resorted to violence to deal with their issues. The reintegration aspect of the training is designed to address this as well as community acceptance of their initiative to make an honest living.
The training which began over the weekend in Gbarnga, Bong County, is being held at the Gbarnga English and Arabic School. Over the weekend the riders were screened and validated, following which successful riders began the training.
The President of the Bong Motorbike Union, Sam Elliott, was optimistic, saying the training opportunity offers a holistic package for the riders. “I want to express thanks and appreciation to the government of Liberia, the United Nations Development Program, (UNDP), the Liberia YMCA and the National Police for their work in this area.”
“The process has begun smoothly and I am happy that this training will help the riders avoid most of the motorbike accidents in the county, and also create an atmosphere where there will be peace between the motorcyclists, the police and members of the community,” he said.
The Coordinator of the Rural Transport Livelihood Opportunities Project, T. Martin Allen called on motorbike riders in Bong County to take the training seriously as it is intended to enhance their socio-economic reintegration.
Many of the commercial motorbike riders said they were pleased with the training and look forward to implement the knowledge learned during the training.
The training is also intended to promote a mechanism for resolving conflicts among motorbikers, the community and the police. Following the training, the riders will receive two helmets, a vest and a pair of gloves, and will be issued a license.
In October this year, the Liberia YMCA began training of 1 500 commercial motorbikers under the Liberia Peace Building Fund, in collaboration with Government, UNDP, UNMIL, and the Liberia National Police, the Liberia YMCA. Two hundred commercial motorbikers received similar training and benefits in Bomi County.
The project is being implemented in six counties: Bomi, Margibi, Bong, Grand Gedeh, Montserrado and, Sinoe Counties. It is expected that 1 5000 commercial motorbikers will benefit from this initiative over a period of 18 months.
Photo: Training held in Gbarnga, Bong County, Liberia
By:Gil Harper, Executive Secretary: Communications, Africa Alliance of YMCAs
A new girls’ club initiative, run by Monrovia YMCA in Liberia, is set to equip young girls and women with the self-confidence and skills to participate meaningfully in decision-making in their schools, communities and the YMCA movement.
Run by Patience Beer of the Monrovia Youth Council, the initiative has been spearheaded by the girls themselves. A group of 55 young women, aged 16 to 25, who are all members of the YMCA and active in the YMCA Hi-Yi Clubs at their schools, have established a leadership team to guide the development process of the Monrovia Youth Council as well as their own well-being and intellectual development.
The process, which began three months ago, is now ready to move into the implementation phase of training and capacity building. They will receive capacity building training from the Liberian Students’ Union, under the auspices of Federation of Liberian Youth, of which the YMCA Liberia is a founding member. The YMCA Girls’ club will also work with the Ministry of Gender on gender issues to empower them to break through gender barriers that prohibit full participation in various public forums they are exposed to.
“The young men in the movement are very supportive of this initiative as they would like the young women to be able to participate more fully in public discussions and decision-making,” said Tilay A Kollie, the Executive Director of the Monrovia YMCA.
“When the young women started this initiative, they said their voices were not being heard. But they also said they lacked skills on, for example, how to raise a motion in public forums. Then there was the issue of self-confidence – they said they were shy to speak out in case they were laughed at.”
In the past, the weekly youth debates were dominated by young men, but now both the young women and young men are looking forward to more equitable engagement. “Now they are talking about boys and young men debating against girls and young women and everyone is looking forward to this.”
Already, they have developed a draft action plan to guide them in the implementation of their work. Recently, they held an election where they elected leaders to steer the affairs of the club.
Photo: Tilay A Kollie, Executive Director of the Monrovia YMCA
By: Gil Harper, Executive Secretary: Communications, Africa Alliance of YMCAs
The Liberia YMCA and US partner, Education Development Centre, have been awarded a USAID contract to develop a new training curriculum for youth who are over age for regular school, due to war, displacement or poverty.
According to USAID, the Core Education Skills for Liberian Youth (CESLY) programme is intended to address the lack of basic education opportunities for youth and prepare them with life skills and work readiness skills for the world of work.
Currently the Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) for youth provides them with grade 1 – 6 schooling in three years. The Ministry of Education and USAID are phasing this system out, and the new Non Formal Educational Curriculum initiative will be a transition to a new system.
National General Secretary of the Liberia YMCA, Edward E Gboe, explained, “Many of the youth in the ALP are those affected by the civil war from 1989 - 2003, as they were denied schooling and vocational training. Others are affected by poverty, which too has its roots in the war and its devastating after effects, as families lost everything, including forms of livelihood to support their children.
“This new curriculum will be more comprehensive than what is currently offered to youth. It will be orientated to the needs of older youth who should to be supporting themselves rather than just learning formal subjects.”
Beginning on 31 August, the two-year project will involve curriculum development, then testing and training of teachers in 6 of the 15 counties in Liberia, after which the programme will be run by the Ministry of Education. Literacy coordinators will train teachers in literacy and numeracy. A full-time curriculum development specialist will be employed by the Liberia YMCA and based at the Ministry.
Key aspects of the curriculum will involve:
• Job readiness
• Life skills
• Basic health and nutrition, including HIV/AIDS awareness and behaviour change, sanitation and malaria control
• Skills training and placement (interns, apprenticeship)
• Workplace development – entrepreneur planning and managing funds
• Civic competence, with peace-strengthening components
“Emphasis will be placed on fostering a spirit of service to communities, and mentoring. This is a proven way for youth to build civic competence, gain confidence, communications skills and develop employability skills,” said Edward.
Work readiness/career guidance coordinators will work in the counties to assess work potential in the communities. They will then counsel youth to identify areas of interest and match this with market potential. They will also work with entrepreneurs and small business owners to assist them to expand their businesses.
Particular targets involve ensuring a specific number of youth in the project are:
• Enrolled at secondary school/skills training
• Engaged in work experience – placed as interns or apprentices
• Employed
• Self-employed
In terms of the Liberia YMCA’s capacity building, Edward explained, “This project will enrich the YMCA’s current programmes, as it will enable the movement to develop expertise on the subject areas and we will have a curriculum which can be applied to various programme offerings.”
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Based on an interview by Matthew B Brimah, Y-Echo radio station in Ganta
The intermittent civil war in Liberia, which devastated the country from 1989 – 2003, had a particularly painful impact on a very young girl living in Harper, Maryland County. At the age of four she witnessed her grandfather being killed by rebels when he refused to allow them to take her underage aunt as their wife. Still traumatised at the age of eight, she herself joined the same rebel group that killed her grandfather. She worked as a helper, doing chores such as cooking, until the nationwide disarmament in 2003.
After the war, Saba was in Ganta County, far away from her home county, enrolled in grade 6 at the Ganta YMCA School. She explained how she was battling with the strain and memories of the war: “I was downhearted because of the war that occurred. In Ganta, many things were destroyed. Many people – those I knew – were killed during the war. Many of my friends could not be seen.” She was encouraged to join the YMCA psycho-social programme where she received extensive counselling.
Following a YMCA skills training and entrepreneur workshop, as part of the rehabilitation and reintegration process, Saba was asked what she wanted for her future. “I replied that I wanted to resume schooling and get involved in petty trade that would help me financially to continue my education.” She then qualified for a US$70 loan to set up a petty trading business.
“It is from this amount that I began the little business selling mainly dry goods1 and was able to pay back the loan and I am now surviving through the business as well as going to school.”
Saba, now 24 years old, is currently in grade 11 and plans on studying Public Administration at university when she has completed her high school studies. She is also an apprentice hairdresser through the YMCA skills training programme.
“There is nothing in roaming the streets [a reference to prostitution]. Being a woman depends on how you set your goals. For me now, my goal is to go to school and become prosperous for the future. Prostitution is not the solution to your problems. Can you imagine, I am a chorister, also doing praise and worship in the church and all can be attributed to the YMCA. I am one of the many females who is proud of what I am doing - petty trade. I call on young females to set their goals.”
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1Merchandise sold at retail prices.
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By:Gil Harper, Executive Secretary: Communications, Africa Alliance of YMCAs.
Leaders and past leaders of Liberia YMCA reflected on the legacy and the future growth of the movement during the 128th anniversary celebration last week.
The celebration, which took place on 12 August at the YMCA headquarters in Monrovia, the capital city, coincided with the launching of the 2009 Children’s Vacation Basketball Programme held over a two-month period at the centre. Under the banner of ‘Liberia at 128: Looking back with pride,forward with hope’, about 500 children and young people marched in the streets before the formal programme.
Serving as the chief launcher, Chairman of Lonestar Cell Communications,Benoni Urey, said the basketball skills he and his friends learnt at the YMCA enabled them to compete from high school to international levels.
“I can say with appreciation and pride that these activities and the YMCA itself helped me to become who I am today. We are proud today of the moral character the YMCA instilled in us,” he said.
He called on government and other stakeholders to work with the YMCA to construct a modern gymnasium for the young people, committing his company,“On behalf of Lonestar, I ask the YMCA to put forward a proposal and I will personally ensure that the children and young people get what they need for the basketball programme.”
Mr Edward E. Gboe, the National General Secretary o f Liberia YMCA announced that The YMCA of the USA and YMCA of Liberia will work together to raise US$100,000 in 2009 and 2010 to upgrade Camp Todee facility 45 kms from the Monrovia YMCA, to which the basketball programme will be relocated next year. He further announced that the government subsidy to Liberia YMCA has increased 500% this year.
Sam E Hare, Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, who is also the current Chairperson of the Liberia YMCA said, “What we have learnt in the YMCA we are now bringing into government. Many years ago we started a Youth Development Training Programme, and said that any person who does not pass through this, will be ill-equipped to take up leadership positions in organisations and government. And we are still saying it today – any group of leaders won’t do well unless they have passed through the YMCA.” Sam was part of this nine-month programme in 2002 when he was employed as Development Secretary at the Liberia YMCA. He pointed out that current leaders in the student union leadership in the three main universities in Liberia are YMCA youth.
Kenneth Y Best, publisher of the Daily Observer and Chairperson of the current Membership Campaign and Fund Drive paid tribute to the young men and women who contributed to growth and development of the YMCA. He told the children and young people that a Liberian was the first black person to hold the position of President of the World Alliance of YMCAs. Charles D Sherman took up this position in 1955 when he was serving as President of the National Council of Liberia YMCA. “This is a wonderful legacy – one of you young people will be in that position one day,” he said.
The Basketball Programme was officially launched when Benoni Urey sunk a hoop, showing that his basketball skills were still admirable.
Photo: Children and youth march with pride in the main streets of Monrovia, during the Liberia YMCA’s 128th anniversary celebrations
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By:Emmanuel S. King, Jr., Information desk, Liberia YMCA
At a gathering in Central Liberia, during the launch of the YMCA 44th Membership Campaign in November 2008, a young Liberian and former President of the Gbarnga YMCA, Fayiah Tamba, thanked the Liberia YMCA for the leadership training he had received. “I am where I am today because of the Liberia YMCA and the many training programmes that have prepared me for leadership.”
Through the National Youth Council (NYC), the Liberia YMCA prepares young people for leadership in their communities. Many of the young people who joined the YMCA came through YMCA leadership programmes in their high schools, universities or communities. They meet regularly and this is where preparation for leadership begins. During meetings, some are assigned leadership roles by their colleagues and begin handling their own activities under the guidance of trained youth mentors.
Today in Liberia, several names can be traced back to the NYC, which is the fulcrum of youth leadership development at the YMCA. Some of these young people are making an impact in their communities and wherever they find themselves. For example, Vonyee Newton Kolison, the first female President of the Monrovia Youth Council is now Coordinator of the Liberia YMCA Psychosocial Counselling Programme. When Vonyee joined the YMCA she was an introvert, but with the training received and her interaction with other young leaders, Vonyee aspired to be the first female president of the Monrovia Youth Council. “The training received in the YMCA prepares us for leadership, and for me, this is the beginning of the leadership roles I have been prepared for,” she said.
In 2002, the YMCA of Liberia, with support from Y Care International, identified 20 young people from across the country to undergo a one-year intensive long-distance leadership development programme, with a facilitator from the United Kingdom. These young people were also paired with mentors who guided their work during the course and in the communities in which they lived. Some of the beneficiaries of this programme are now in key leadership roles: Former NYC President, Marcus Freeman, is now serving the Liberia National Police as Special Assistant to the Deputy Inspector of Police;Joseph Jimmy Sankaituah, former President of the NYC is now President of the umbrella youth organisation in Liberia, the Federation of Liberian Youth. Timotheus Kamaboakai, another youth who went through this programme, has served in many capacities at the Liberia YMCA and recently served as Young Professional at the World Alliance of YMCAs headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
The President of the NYC, Alston Almah, is excited about the many opportunities that the Liberia YMCA gives to young people to develop their full potential. “It’s not just about the training programmes, but the space to implement what you learned. Today, all YMCA boards have a minimum 30% of young people. On the National Board, there are at least three young people who play active roles in articulating the views of the youth constituency. At the secretariat level, most programme coordinators and project managers are young people. It is a demonstration that the YMCA of Liberia is not only youth focused, but youth driven.”
He always uses training sessions to encourage his colleagues to see themselves as future leaders. The Liberia YMCA takes youth leadership very seriously and through the NYC, youth leadership training camps are held, bringing together youth from all backgrounds. As part of the youth camp, trainers provide direction in the areas of capacity building, self-esteem, character building and development, peace and mediation strategies, and life skills training, among others.
The NYC President also appreciates the assistance under the youth empowerment fund, whereby funds are provided for the empowerment of local youth councils to ensure they are functional and fully operational. Through the funds, the local youth councils invest in income-generating activities that provide revenue to organise trainings, workshops, intellectual discourses, debates and other activities.
The Liberia YMCA Youth Leadership Development Programme is a pride to all members and staff of the YMCA. In the words of the former National General Secretary of the Liberia YMCA, Peter ZN Kamei: “If there is one thing that we do at the YMCA, it is to identify and develop leaders.” Leadership is core to all of our programmes and activities.
As a result, many of the young people who are leading the nation in the government, business and private sectors are beneficiaries of at least one of the leadership development programmes of the Liberia YMCA.
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A new era is dawning for leadership in YMCAs in Africa, as evidenced by the appointment of E. Edward Gboe as National General Secretary of Liberia YMCA. An energetic young leader with a proven track record in the YMCA, Edward brings with him fresh perspective a passion for a community-driven approach.
With thirteen years’ experience in organisational development and management, the YMCA is in good hands with Edward at the helm. He is a graduate Student in Public Administration and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management. Edward has participated in many local and international training seminars, including training in management and organisational capacity building. In addition, he holdsa certificate in Youth Administration, Advocacy and Community Development from the World Alliance of YMCAs.Edward is currently a member of the Africa Alliance of YMCAs Capacity Building Team for movement strengthening and technical support to national movements. He has worked for many years in rural communities in Liberia, delivering services in community development with a number of local and international organisations. Before his appointment, Edward served as Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator of the European Union Community Rehabilitation Program in Liberia.
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Matthew Brimah came from a poor family in Ganta, Liberia, with seven children and a handicapped mother relying on his father for support. He wanted to be a journalist, was a member of the press club at school and studied journalism. But like many people whose dreams are fashioned by an unhealthy dose of the harsh reality of their circumstances and limited opportunities, he put this dream aside and worked as a labourer in agricultural projects.
In 1997, after work one day, he came across some people putting up a radio transmitter. He offered to help them, and discovered they were launching a Christian radio station that night. When all was ready and it was time to go on air, the novice presenters were struck by stage fright. Seizing the opportunity, Matthew stepped up to the radio microphone and became the station’s first radio announcer and worked there for the next six years. During this time, he took his wife and two children to a neighbouring county that was not as badly affected by the civil war, which wreaked havoc on the country for 14 years.
In 2003 during a visit to his family, he was accosted by some of Charles Taylor’s government soldiers –themselves erstwhile rebels. On finding radio equipment in his bag, they accused him of planning to set up
a radio station to communicate with the LURD rebels to co-ordinate an attack on Ganta. In front of his crying wife and children, they stripped him of his clothes, and he always wonders what may have happened if a woman who recognized him had not come by at that moment and told the soldiers that he was indeed a radio journalist.
That very day, he joined the army. Why would he join the ranks of the people who had humiliated and threatened him in public? He chose to join them rather than be again humiliated or hurt by them. Soon after this, the town of Ganta was completely obliterated by the LURD rebel take-over.
Matthew does not say much about the war, but the images still haunt him. I saw his eyes well up with tears and his body tense when we watched an American movie together, which had scenes of bush warfare. Like thousands of others in Liberia, Matthew tries to focus on the present and the work that must be done to build a sustainable country.
After Taylor’s government was dismantled, Matthew handed in his gun in the disarmament process. When a YMCA Y-echo amateur radio station was started in Ganta in 2004, he joined the crew as a full-time volunteer and is now a Programme Director.
This station is one of five in the country, which are all managed and operated by young people under the age of 30). In 2002, all stations were Matthew B Brimah on air at Ganta Y-Echo Radio Station shut down and equipment was seized on the same day at the same hour as they did not toe the Taylor party line. In true YMCA spirit, the movement bought slots on other radio stations to continue their messages, until they could re-establish the radio stations.
During the post-war period, the YMCA stations encouraged people to return to their villages, take part inthe disarmament and reconstruction process and begin a countrywide process of psychological recovery and rebuilding of communities. Matthew used his war experience to reach out to fellow ex-combatants,telling listeners, “I was once a fighter too – you can be like me, you can change your life.” He motivated the ex-combatants to turn in their weapons and take part in the skills development offered as part of the disarmament. He tells of many ex-combatants who, after listening to his messages on air, signed up for YMCA training such as carpentry, and are now earning a living. The YMCA reaches over 20 000 listeners on a daily basis with programmes on health, peace, civic education and advocacy. Liberia has one of thehighest illiteracy rates in the world, and many people rely solely on the information being provided to them by radio.
As Liberia moves from a conflict-stricken state into an era of growth and development, the active involvement of youth is crucial. The youth who operate the YMCA radio stations are a vital link between the local and national leaders, and the communities who, to a large extent, have been denied adequate information on issues that affect them. These mainly self-taught youth have passion, dedication and tenacity. They need the opportunities to match this with skills and experiential learning. As part of theAfrica Alliance renewed strategic plan, we are focusing on shared learnings and skills exchange within Africa. To this end, we are exploring an African youth exchange programme between Liberia and identified African countries.
We salute the youth of Liberia who work at these radio stations, operated by car battery in a country that has no electricity – such is the power of commitment of many youth in Africa.
By Gil Harper, Executive Secretary of Communications, Africa Alliance of YMCAs
July 2008
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