The Secretary General of the Liberian Red Cross, Gregory T. Blamoh, has provided a progress update on the ECOWAS-funded humanitarian project titled “Strengthening Resilience and Supporting Disaster-Affected Populations in Liberia.”, highlighting significant achievements since the project’s launch. According to Blamoh, the project, implemented in partnership with the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and other key stakeholders, the project reflects regional solidarity and is making a meaningful impact in affected communities.
Valued at seven hundred twenty-five thousand US dollars, the ECOWAS initiative targets a total of 1,820 disaster-affected families across four counties: Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount, Bong, and Nimba. The program focuses on water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), agriculture, and livelihoods, aiming to support recovery, strengthen resilience, and restore dignity among vulnerable populations. The Red Cross reported that two steering committee meetings have been held, chaired by the ECOWAS Ambassador to Liberia. These meetings involved the leadership of the Liberia Red Cross, NDMA, and ECOWAS, who collaboratively oversee the direction of the project.
In addition to the steering committee, a technical committee comprising representatives from the Red Cross, NDMA, Ministries of Agriculture and Public Works, as well as Liberia WASH Consortium, has been convening on a monthly basis to ensure proper implementation. He revealed that from August 26 to 30, 2025, a community assessment was carried out across the four counties. During this period, 200 farmers were registered, including 130 women and 70 men. As part of the project’s agriculture initiative, one acre of farmland has been secured for climate-smart farming, and twenty groups of farmers have been formed. Each group consists of ten individuals.
He confirmed that seeds and tools are currently being purchased for the participating farmers. In addition to agriculture, the livelihood component of the project will directly benefit 1,820 families. Red Cross SG explained that each family will receive 250 US dollars, which will be sent to their mobile money accounts. The Red Cross Chief Scribe said, “Eeach family will receive 250.00 USD and it will be sent through their mobile money accounts,” noting that the list of beneficiaries is undergoing verification. Blamoh also clarified that the families currently being assisted were not affected by flooding in 2025, but rather were identified following flood disasters in 2024.
“The beneficiaries we are assisting are not beneficiaries identified as a result of flood this year. They are beneficiaries who were identified in 2024,” he said. He noted that the joint committee is working to verify whether the individuals listed are indeed residents of the communities affected by last year’s flooding. So far, 1,360 of the 1,820 intended beneficiaries have been verified. The verification process is ongoing, and the Red Cross is using its tools to assist with both verification and registration. According to Blamoh, selection criteria were established due to limited resources.
Priority is being given to female-headed households, households with persons living with disabilities, elderly-headed households, and families with children under five years old. “We know there are more people affected, but due to limited resources, we had to set these criteria. So, we are helping those we consider the most vulnerable,” he stated during a press conference held Thursday at the Red Cross headquarters in Monrovia. For the WASH component of the project, the Red Cross has assessed 132 hand pumps in the four counties.
As part of the intervention, 19 new hand pumps will be constructed. In areas with high population density, two solar-powered water towers will be built. The project will also rehabilitate 36 damaged or non-functional hand pumps. The Red Cross official also emphasized that staff have been trained and community partnerships established to ensure that the data collected is relevant and sufficient for effective project implementation.
Author: Zac T. Sherman
