Liberia

Action for Community and Human Development Inc. (ACOHD)
$43,450
To build the capacities of southeastern communities in leadership and oversight of public management to better advocate for accountability and transparency in local governance. ACOHD will organize a series of local capacity building workshops in three administrative districts of Maryland County to strengthen internal democratic practices in the committees and enhance the leadership skills of the committee members to integrate community priorities into development planning.

Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (JPC)
$25,000
To improve access to justice and equal protection under Liberian law and increase citizens’ understanding of legal procedures and respect for the rule of law. The JPC will provide pro bono legal assistance to indigent people whose rights have been violated but cannot afford private legal services. Additionally, the JPC will extend its legal services to civic and democratic institutions that local and national authorities try to censure through court hearings or detention.

Center for Democracy and Elections (CENDE)
$31,000
To strengthen constituency and legislative relationships. CENDE will create Constituency Democracy Leadership Committees in Bomi and Margibi Counties. It will organize good governance forums, conduct a training-of-trainers workshop, and hold workshops for key stakeholders. CENDE will also develop training manuals, publish a quarterly newsletter, and produce T-shirts with civic awareness messages printed on them.

Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
$225,532
To support a consultative process to engage private sector stakeholders in reshaping the debate on economic opportunity, culminating in a high-profile Economic Empowerment Summit for the business community, civil society, the press, academia, and the government.

Center for Law and Human Rights Education (CLHRE)
$56,600
To improve the legal and democratic institutions, civil society organizations, and legislators and strengthen civil society participation in governance. CLHRE will provide pro bono legal assistance in the counties of Montserrado and Margibi, Sinoe, Grand Gedeh, River Gee, and Maryland to victims of human rights abuses. CLHRE will continue its civic and human rights advocacy program on the rule of law, good governance, and the transition process in Liberia through workshops and radio programs.

Center for Media Studies and Peace-Building (CEMESP)
$39,826
To improve the standards of journalism in Liberia. CEMESP will organize a training program for journalists in rural areas and women media professionals. CEMESP will recruit experienced journalists, lawyers, university lecturers, prominent newspaper editors, and radio producers to lead its training program. CEMESP will also track and investigate attacks against journalists in Liberia, write alerts for its website and the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, and produce an annual report on press freedom in Liberia.

Center for Peace Education and Democracy (COPE)
$37,720 *
To build the capacity of rural communities and professionals to fight against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. COPE will hold four, three-day workshops in rural districts of Monsterrado County, including Todee, Careysburg, Bensonville, and Brewerville, on how to work for a gun-free and democratic Liberia. COPE will also produce posters and a newsletter supporting its campaign against small arms.

Committee for Peace and Development Advocacy (COPDA)
$38,000
To advance democracy through justice building. COPDA will implement training, awareness, and advocacy programs. It will organize workshops for participants from the judicial sector, design capacity building programs for law enforcement agencies, and conduct REFLECT meetings in surrounding communities. COPDA will monitor, report, and document human rights violations. COPDA will also publish a newsletter, and hire a paralegal officer to provide free legal assistance.

Foundation for Human Rights and Democracy (FORHD)
$56,031
To improve citizens’ understanding of the national budget and promote their advocacy for fiscal accountability. FORHD will also work to decrease police misconduct and improve the applied budget and analysis skills of NED’s partners working on local governance.

Human Rights Watch Women and Children (HURWAWCHI)
$38,460 *
To reconcile parents, community members and former child soldiers in rural communities. HURWAWCHI will hold four palava hut discussions in rural communities of Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, and Gbapolo counties to encourage reconciliation and will erect billboards and broadcast programs on community radio. HURWAWCHI will also continue to monitor and advocate against human rights violations, with a particular focus on women and children.

Liberia Democratic Institute (LDI)
$28,557
To promote community participation in governance and advocacy for accountability and transparency in public affairs, and build the capacity of citizens and local leaders for objective policy analysis. LDI will organize town hall meetings in thirteen districts of Montserrado County where citizens will discuss community development issues with their elected representatives.

Liberia Democracy Watch (LDW)
$26,800 *
To provide a forum for continuing dialogue on pertinent national issues between government, opposition political parties, and civil society actors. LDW will host six public dialogues in four different counties and publish the proceedings in six issues of the Liberian Journal of Democracy, which will also be circulated electronically. LDW will also engage the legislature in following up issues raised in the dialogues.

The Liberia National Law Enforcement Association (LINLEA)
$47,009 *
To enhance the capacity of criminal justice institutions, including law enforcement, and promote citizen participation and a robust civil society. LINLEA will conduct professional education workshops, including one for senior law enforcement executives and another for law enforcement institutions on leadership and human rights. LINLEA will also conduct research activities, broadcast radio programs, and a hold quarterly public form.

Liberia Watch for Human Rights, Inc. (LWHR)
$32,380
To establish community human rights committees and conduct environmental rights awareness campaigns in four counties: Grand Cape Mount, Grand Bassa, Lofa, and Nimba. LWHR will help
rural communities negotiate with government and extractive industry companies and advocate for transparent, sustainable, and equitable management of natural resources.

Movement for Peace and Reconciliation in Liberia Inc. (MOPAR)
$39,050
To build the capacity of community leaders, including female tribal leaders, to resolve disputes, mediate inter-communal conflicts, and promote respect for human rights and the rule of law among people of Sinoe County. MOPAR will lead a human rights and peace building campaign in Sinoe County, located in Liberia’s remote and volatile southeastern region and organize a workshop on corruption.

National Coalition of Civil Society Organizations of Liberia (NACCSOL)
$37,746
To develop a resource center that will cater to the needs of civil society organizations in Liberia and foster coordination and collaboration among various sectors of civil society. NACCSOL’s resource center will also strengthen the role of civil society in the promotion of human rights, the rule of law, electoral and legislative advocacy, and democratic governance.

National Prison Monitor Inc. (NAPRIM)
$54,888
To improve respect of prisoners’ rights by officials, justices of the peace, magistrates, and correction officials and the treatment of prisoners by reducing illegal and prolonged detention of prisoners without charge. NAPRIM will also create more awareness among jurists, law enforcement officers and the public of the rights of prisoners as provided for by international conventions ratified by the Liberian government.

National Youth Movement for Transparent Elections- Partners for Democratic Development (NAYMOTE- PADD)
$44,300*
To help young people to contribute to public debates in their communities, promote greater accountability in government, combat corruption, and enter the political arena with their own voice and goals. NAYMOTE will produce a variety of civic education materials, organize six civic forums, nine youth and politics forums, 12 public education campaigns, hold football matches promoting unity and democracy, and publish a quarterly newsletter.

Press Union of Liberia
$40,220
To improve the professional standards of journalists and build the capacity of media professionals to report on human rights and governance issues. The Union will undertake a massive public awareness campaign to educate the public on the benefits of the Freedom of Information bill, especially in the fight against corruption. The project will target schools, communities and civil society organizations in the form of workshops, advocacy, debates, posters and radio shows.

Rescue Alternatives Liberia (RAL)
$51,311
To improve prison conditions, courtroom practices, and police behavior in Margibi County through regular prison visits and courtroom reports. RAL will also strengthen local law enforcement and communities to handle human rights problems. RAL will organize human rights advocacy campaigns in Margibi County that will include youth and women groups, police, prison and court officers and the Community-Based Actions Structures established by RAL in the last NED project.

Rural Human Rights Activists Programme (RHRAP)
$36,000 *
To reduce ethnic and tribal discrimination, religious intolerance and fundamentalism, and promote reconciliation and the resolution of conflict in rural communities. RHRAP will conduct six training-of-trainers workshops in villages of Bong, Lofa and Nimba counties focusing on reducing violence emerging from land disputes and ethnic-based conflicts. RHRAP will also organize village meetings and lectures discouraging violence, broadcast a weekly radio program, and produce a newsletter.

Sustainable Development Institute (SDI)
$24,300
To promote democratic values through the natural resource sector, SDI will conduct a series of open forums for four community-based organizations, the Grand Bassa Advocacy Group, and the Bassa Youth Caucus to discuss the National Forestry Reform Law and the proposed Community Rights Law. SDI will convene quarterly meetings for these groups to monitor the implementation of the Forestry Reform Law and also publish a quarterly newsletter.

Zorzor District Women Care, Inc. (ZODWOCA)
$32,450 *
To strengthen the rights of rural women and their participation in local and national politics. ZODWOCA will conduct four, two-day workshops on human rights for men and women of the Bondi clan in Voinjama District of Lofa County. ZODWOCA will also produce plays on women’s rights themes and publish its quarterly newsletter.