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CAUTION: The following links and
accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation
in Liberia in the early years of the 21st Century. Some of these links
may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated,
misleading or even false. No attempt has been made to validate
their authenticity or to verify their content. HOW TO USE THIS WEBPAGE Students If you are looking
for material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on
this page and others to see which aspects of poverty are of particular
interest to you. You might be
interested in exploring the relationship between distribution of labor and
per-capita GDP, for example. Perhaps
your paper could focus on life expectancy or infant mortality. Other factors of interest might be
unemployment, literacy, access to basic services, etc. On the other hand, you might choose to
include some of the possible outgrowths of poverty such as Human Trafficking,
Street Children,
or even Prostitution. There is a lot to the subject of
Poverty. Scan other countries as well
as this one. Draw comparisons between
activity in adjacent countries and/or regions. Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources
that are available on-line. Teachers Check out some of
the Resources
for Teachers attached to this website. *** Extreme Weather *** Liberia,
like many other countries in Africa, faces both existing environmental issues
and sustainable development challenges. Its location makes it particularly
vulnerable to extreme weather, the coastal effects of sea level rise, and
changing water systems and availability. Agriculture
contributes 61% of Liberia’s GDP and employs 75% of the population. Climate
change exacerbates extreme weather events, leading to decreased crop yields
and food insecurity. – adapted from Microsoft BING Copilot *** ARCHIVES *** The World Factbook - Liberia U.S. Central Intelligence Agency CIA www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/li.html [accessed 1 January
2021] World Factbook
website has moved to ---> www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/liberia/ [accessed 6 January 2021] Liberia
is a low-income country that relies heavily on foreign assistance and
remittances from the diaspora. It is richly endowed with water, mineral
resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture. Its principal
exports are iron ore, rubber, diamonds, and gold. Palm oil and cocoa are
emerging as new export products. The government has attempted to revive raw
timber extraction and is encouraging oil exploration. Revitalizing
the economy in the future will depend on economic diversification, increasing
investment and trade, higher global commodity prices, sustained foreign aid
and remittances, development of infrastructure and institutions, combating
corruption, and maintaining political stability and security. GDP -
per capita (PPP): $1,300 (2017
est.) Labor
force - by occupation: agriculture:
70% industry:
8% services: 22% (2000 est.) Unemployment
rate: 2.8% (2014
est.) Population
below poverty line: 54.1% (2014
est.) Maternal
mortality rate: 661
deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) Infant
mortality rate: total: 47.4
deaths/1,000 live births Life
expectancy at birth: total population: 64.7 years Drinking
water source: improved: total: 81% of population Physicians
density: 0.04 physicians/1,000 population (2015) Sanitation
facility access: improved: total: 44.1% of
population Electricity
access: electrification - total population: 19.8% (2016) The
Borgen Project - Liberia borgenproject.org/category/liberia/ [accessed 14 February 2021] The
Borgen Project works with U.S. leaders to utilize the United States’ platform
behind efforts toward improving living conditions for the world’s poor. It is an innovative, national campaign that
is working to make poverty a focus of U.S. foreign policy. It believes that leaders of the most
powerful nation on earth should be doing more to address global poverty. From
ending segregation to providing women with the right to vote, nearly every
wrong ever righted in history was achieved through advocacy. The Borgen Project addresses the big picture, operating at
the political level advancing policies and programs that improve living
conditions for those living on less than $1 per day. ~
Youth Orchestra Targets Poverty In Liberia borgenproject.org/poverty-in-liberia-2/ ~
3 Organizations Combating Liberia’s Water Crisis borgenproject.org/liberias-water-crisis/ ~
What To Know About Homelessness In Liberia borgenproject.org/homelessness-in-liberia/ ~
6 Facts About Hunger In Liberia borgenproject.org/6-facts-about-hunger-in-liberia/ Action
Against Hunger - Liberia www.actionagainsthunger.org/countries/africa/liberia [accessed 21 March 2021] Because
of the country’s low agricultural production and poor household incomes,
Liberia has suffered from chronic food insecurity since the civil war.
Healthcare systems are also struggling to recover and the Ebola epidemic of
2014 proved that the system was still too weak. Chronic malnutrition at 32
percent is among the highest in the world. Finally, a decline in funding has
reduced NGO resources, slowing down the country’s recovery. Liberia,
a coastal country in West Africa with 4.61 million inhabitants is one of the
least developed countries in the world. More than half of the population
lives in poverty. The Ebola epidemic precipitated a prolonged economic
crisis, which in turn created serious political and social tensions in 2019.
Currently, 38.4% of the population is food insecure, 25% of the population
does not have access to drinking water, and just 17% have access to basic
health services. Although HIV and Ebola prevalence rates have declined,
diarrheal diseases remain the second largest cause of death for children
under five. The
World Bank in Liberia www.worldbank.org/en/country/liberia/overview [accessed 21 April 2021] Liberia’s
poverty reduction strategy is supported by the rebuilding of core functions
and institutions, rehabilitating infrastructure, and facilitating growth. Looking
back a few years … Advameg, Inc., Encyclopedia of the Nations www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Liberia-ECONOMY.html [accessed 1 January 2021] The
civil war has left most of Liberia's infrastructure in shambles. Businessmen
and capital have left the country and continuing turmoil has prevented normal
economic life. The remaining economic assets were plundered or destroyed by
factional forces. In addition, President Charles Taylor's support for rebels
fighting in Sierra Leone has negatively impacted the climate for foreign
investment. Although there are no official statistics, it is estimated that
85% of the population was unemployed in 1999. All
material used herein reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107
for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE RESPECT COPYRIGHTS
OF COMPONENT ARTICLES. Cite this webpage as: Prof. Martin Patt,
"Poverty - Liberia", http://gvnet.com/poverty/Liberia.htm,
[accessed <date>] |
