The Executive Director of the Initiative for Women and Youth Empowerment (IWYE), Musu W. Davis, has renewed her appeal to the Liberian government to end what she described as the “peanut allotment” currently assigned to Family Planning (FP) in the national budget. Madam Davis made the call as the Legislature continues debating the expenditure component of the FY2026 draft national budget. She urged lawmakers to significantly increase the FP allocation under the Ministry of Health, arguing that it remains far too small to confront the escalating teenage pregnancy crisis across the country. Speaking in an interview with this paper, the IWYE Executive Director acknowledged and appreciated past increases to the FP budget.
However, she sharply criticized the current amount as grossly inadequate. “Although the budget moved from US$50,000 to US$75,000, that increment is nothing but a peanut compared to FP support levels across the region,” she noted. Madam Davis referenced Bong County as a stark example of the worsening situation nationwide. “Go and visit Bong County. The rising number of teenage pregnancies has overwhelmed health workers. We need the government to support priorities that are essential to the future of this country,” she said. “Not this peanut of an allotment. The future lies in these young girls, who continue to fall prey to teenage pregnancies and drop out of school in alarming numbers.”
She stressed that unplanned pregnancies among teenage and young women are increasing daily due to inadequate access to contraceptives, particularly in rural communities. Davis questioned why the common phrase “pregnant women” has tragically shifted to “pregnant girls.” She asked, “Why? Most of the people rushing to health centers are girls between 13 and 14 years old. Does anyone think this is normal? Hell no!” Madam Davis also highlighted the devastating implications of recent USAID funding cuts, noting that Liberia is among the countries most severely affected. According to the Center for Global Development, America has supported Liberia with nearly 2.6% of its gross national income—the highest supporting percentage compared to other nations.
With the withdrawal of an estimated US$290 million previously used to support health and education, Davis warned that the consequences are already visible: shortages of medicines and supplies, unpaid and demoralized health workers, and the collapse or closure of several rural health facilities. Her concerns are supported by recent media reports indicating that 75% of births recorded at the Foequelleh Maternal Waiting Home in Bong County are delivered by girls aged just 13 to 14. Additionally, C.B. Dunbar and Phebe Hospitals documented 3,592 teenage pregnancies between 2022 and 2024. Health sector actors have issued repeated warnings that rural health systems may collapse entirely if government action continues to lag.
Madam Davis described the situation as a “full-blown national emergency,” tied directly to limited access to contraceptives, high unmet FP needs—standing at 33% among women and even higher among teenagers—and soaring school dropout rates. She urged lawmakers to act decisively during the ongoing budget hearings, stressing that the ratio of “babies giving birth to babies” has become dangerously high. “Visit rural health centers and see how alarming the situation is,” she said. “Health workers are not inspired by low wages, a lack of support, and poor infrastructure. Do we sit and do nothing? We must speak up and engage the government responsibly. Liberia is all we have.”
The IWYE Executive Director added that Liberia can significantly reduce the crisis if the government prioritizes investments that safeguard the well-being of its young population. “What moves a country forward is when girls are educated and empowered to make informed decisions about their bodies, when boys understand their sexual rights, and when young girls can access contraceptives and basic health services. Unplanned pregnancies only deepen a nation’s poverty,” she emphasized.
Author: Zac T. Sherman
