Liberia: ‘I Used to Sign with My Thumb, Now I Can Write My Name’ — Grand Bassa Women Credit Gender Ministry for Transforming Their Lives

GRAND BASSA COUNTY, Gbarpue Town, District #3 — For years, Mary Diggs could not write her name or sign official documents. Whenever she needed to endorse a document, she relied on her thumbprint. Today, she says that chapter of her life is changing, thanks to an adult literacy and economic empowerment initiative supported by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

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By Patience M. Jones,[email protected]

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Diggs is among several rural women in Grand Bassa County benefiting from the Spotlight Initiative 2.0, a project funded by the European Union, implemented by UN Women and supported through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, with Help Our People Excel (HOPE) working with women in communities across the county.

For Diggs, the intervention has brought more than training. It has given her the confidence to write her full name, recognize numbers, recite the alphabet from A to Z, count from one to 100, and participate in decisions affecting her community.

Recalling her experience, Diggs expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Gender for providing rural women with opportunities to learn skills they previously lacked.

“Today, because of the Ministry of Gender, I can spell my name and write it clearly. I no longer have to use my thumb to sign documents. We are also now part of decision-making in our communities. I want the government to continue supporting women in Grand Bassa,” she said.

Her story reflects a broader transformation taking place among women participating in the Spotlight Initiative 2.0, particularly in communities where limited access to education and economic opportunities has historically restricted women’s independence.

Another beneficiary, Deemar Jallah, born in 1968, said she spent most of her life without knowing how to read or write.

However, through the adult literacy component of the project, Jallah said she can now read and write her full name, sign documents and better understand her value and role in society.

She credited the Ministry of Gender, particularly Minister Gbeme Horace Kollie and her team, for supporting rural women through the initiative.

Jallah called on the government to sustain its investment in rural women, stressing that the opportunity to acquire basic literacy skills has brought a significant change to her life.

Beyond Literacy: Building Women’s Economic Independence

Beyond teaching women how to read and write, the Spotlight Initiative 2.0 is also equipping them with practical knowledge in business management, decision-making and responding to gender-based violence (GBV) in their communities.

Catherine D. Johnson, a Trainer of Trainers (TOT) under the project, said the training focuses on helping women acquire basic literacy skills, make informed decisions, understand how to respond to GBV cases and identify businesses that can generate sustainable income.

Johnson explained that the project is preparing to introduce additional vocational training opportunities, including tie-dye production and soap making, to strengthen women’s economic independence.

She noted that some beneficiaries are already demonstrating progress through the knowledge and skills acquired from the training.

For women in Gbarpue Town and surrounding communities, the initiative is gradually creating opportunities to become financially independent, participate in community affairs and contribute more meaningfully to local development.

Gender Ministry Takes Empowerment Efforts to Communities

During the Ministry of Gender’s county assessment tour, Deputy Minister for Gender, Atty. Laura Golakeh, representing Minister Gbeme Horace Kollie, commended the women for taking the initiative seriously and demonstrating improvements through the project.

Golakeh explained that the Spotlight Initiative 2.0 is designed to help rural women prevent and respond to gender-based violence while strengthening their capacity to improve their livelihoods.

She emphasized that the Ministry is committed to taking its services beyond Monrovia and making them accessible to women and vulnerable populations in rural communities.

“The Ministry of Gender is here to serve its people. We are not sitting only in Monrovia; we are bringing the Ministry of Gender right to your doorsteps to work with all of you,” she noted.

Golakeh said she would communicate the progress and experiences of the women to Minister Kollie, emphasizing the importance of recognizing community-level achievements and sustaining interventions that directly benefit rural women.

Acting County Coordinator Highlights Progress, Calls for Safe Room Support

Meanwhile, the Acting Gender Coordinator for Grand Bassa County Nyoudyu R. Garsuah highlighted the broader impact of the Ministry’s interventions, particularly the Spotlight Initiative 2.0 and the Rural Economic Empowerment and Agricultural Support Initiative (REALISE).

He said the Spotlight Initiative is contributing to behavioral change by challenging traditional perceptions that limit women’s opportunities to education, economic participation and leadership.

According to him, REALISE is also helping women improve their livelihoods through financial grants that enable beneficiaries to establish businesses and provide for their households.

He further explained that the Ministry works through several community structures, including Child Welfare Committees, to identify and report cases of child abuse and other violations, allowing the county office to follow up and ensure that cases are addressed through the appropriate channels.

The Acting Coordinator also welcomed the provision of office materials and supplies to strengthen the county office’s operations, particularly the handling of sensitive cases.

However, he raised concerns about the lack of adequate support for the county’s safe room, which provides protection and assistance to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence across Grand Bassa, Rivercess and Sinoe counties.

He warned that without adequate safe room facilities and support, survivors and their families could face pressure to compromise cases, while perpetrators may evade justice.

He therefore called on the Ministry of Gender and the government to prioritize the safe room’s operations, stressing that adequate support would strengthen the protection of survivors and improve the prosecution of GBV-related cases.

The county assessment forms part of the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to monitor the implementation of its programs, assess beneficiaries’ progress and identify gaps requiring government intervention.

For women like Diggs and Jallah, however, the impact of the intervention is already visible in something as personal and powerful as being able to write their own names.

What was once impossible has become a new source of confidence, independence and participation in their communities.