How Women For Positive Actions Liberia is Reducing Gender-Based Violence Through Economic Empowerment

Liberia continues to face deep and overlapping gendered inequalities that undermine the safety, economic stability, and long-term well-being of women and girls. Nearly two decades after the civil conflict, women remain disproportionately affected by poverty: over 70% of women work in the informal sector, earning low and unstable income; less than 20% have access to formal financial services and bank accounts. Rural women, young women, and women with disabilities face even sharper constraints—including limited education, lack of marketable skills, discriminatory norms, and near total exclusion from financial systems.

These economic inequalities are deeply intertwined with Liberia’s high rates of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Recent national statistics show that 70% of Liberian women have experienced gender-based sexual violence, one of the highest rates in West Africa. The Women and Children Protection Section (WACPS) continues to report extremely high caseloads, with young women and adolescent girls disproportionately affected. Poverty, financial dependency, and lack of economic alternatives significantly increase women’s exposure to sexual exploitation, transactional sex, early marriage, and cycles of abuse.

These problems reinforce one another:

• Economic exclusion increases women’s vulnerability to violence and exploitation;

• Lack of access to capital restricts women’s ability to build sustainable livelihoods even when they acquire technical skills;

• Violence and social stigma prevent women from pursuing education, skills training, or entrepreneurship;

• Weak support systems in rural counties limit women’s ability to seek justice, protection, and economic opportunities.

These interlinked problems create a cycle of vulnerability: without viable income sources, women remain economically dependent, more likely to face abuse, and less able to participate in decision-making or community leadership.

This is what makes the work of Women For Positive Actions (WOPA) all the more pressing. WOPA is a women’s human rights and civil society organization founded in 2016 in Liberia. WOPA advocates against gender-based violence (GBV), human rights abuses, and other harmful practices affecting women, girls, and children, while advancing women’s leadership, economic participation, and community resilience.

Between 2022 and 2023, WOPA led a major initiative funded by the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) through UN Women, with a total value of USD 152,330. The project—“Strengthen women’s capacity to increase access to financial services and participation in politics (SEWCAFP)”—worked across Bong, Lofa, Grand Bassa, and Grand Cape Mount counties.

The project reached over 400 participants, including women with disabilities as well as traditional and religious leaders. As part of the initiative, 160 women entrepreneurs and farmersreceived small grants to support income generation and agricultural production.

In parallel, from March to September 2023, WOPA implemented a USD 17,600 project funded by UNDP-Liberia under the GEF/SGP framework, focused on sustainable land management and climate resilience in Nengbein and Doma Town, Nimba County.

That same year, WOPA received USD 5,000 from the National Democratic Institute to carry on civic awareness, encouraging women to vote for women in the upcoming 2023 elections. Increasing female representation in the House of Parliament. Today, Liberia proudly boasts women in high-profile leadership positions, such as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Madam Sara Beysolow Nyanti, a fervent advocate for a feminist lens when it comes to foreign and economic policy. 

By combining economic activities with advocacy and awareness, WOPA reinforces social norms that support women’s dignity and leadership. Economic empowerment becomes not just an individual gain, but a collective signal of women’s value and contribution.

Across WOPA’s initiatives, economic empowerment has been associated with increased confidence, stronger peer networks, and greater participation in community life. Women who receive training and grants are better equipped to sustain livelihoods, contribute economically, and engage in leadership spaces.

While economic empowerment is not a standalone solution to GBV, WOPA’s experience shows it is a critical component of broader prevention and resilience strategies.

Lessons for Entrepreneurs and Policymakers:

1. Design economic interventions as protection strategies, not only livelihood programs. Prioritize financial literacy, collective models, and grant-based support where debt may increase risk.

2. Integrate GBV prevention objectives into economic programming and policymaking. 

3. Trust women-led institutions, like WOPA, whose UN ECOSOC status and successful management of UN Women and UNDP funding demonstrate the capacity of local organizations to deliver at scale.

Women For Positive Actions offers a compelling example of how women-led organizations in Liberia are advancing sustainable entrepreneurship, social protection, and gender justice simultaneously. Through strategic partnerships, transparent governance, and community-rooted economic initiatives, WOPA demonstrates that empowering women economically is not only about income—it is about agency, leadership, and long-term resilience.

In celebrating WOPA’s work, this case invites policymakers, donors, and social entrepreneurs to see economic empowerment as a practical, locally driven, long-term solution to gender inequality in Liberia and beyond.

WOPA is always open to new partners, sponsors, and collaborators who believe in empowering women and girls in Africa. Kindly email the Executive Director Catherine Kollie-Gbidi, if interested in supporting this mission: gcatherinekollie@gmail.com 

References:

DIGNITY. “We Are Fighting Gender-Based Violence and Advancing Women’s Rights in Liberia.” DIGNITY – Danish Institute Against Torture, 5 Mar. 2025, dignity.dk/en/news/we-are-fighting-gender-based-violence-and-advancing-womens-rights-in-liberia/. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026. 

Instagram. “Womenforpositiveactions.” Instagram, www.instagram.com/womenforpositiveactions/. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.

“Liberia.” Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund, wphfund.org/countries/liberia/. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.  

Mulbah, Francis, et al. “Impact of Financial Inclusion on Household Welfare in Liberia: A Gendered Perspective.” Review of Development Economics, vol. 27, no. 3, 29 Sept. 2023, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/rode.13057. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.

“UNDP, UN Women Launch Project on Inclusive Political Participation of Women.” United Nations Development Programme, 17, Feb. 2022, undp.org/liberia/news/undp-un-women-launch-project-inclusive-political-participation-women. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.  

“Spotlight on Liberia: Liberia’s significant strides on women’s rights have not translated to workplace equality.” Council on Foreign Relations, www.cfr.org/womens-participation-in-global-economy/case-studies/liberia/. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026. 

United Nations Development Programme. Project Document: Liberia Inclusive Women’s Political Participation.mptf.undp.org/sites/default/files/documents/2022-08/05_prodoc_220729_gw.pdf. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.