(L-r) Solomon Mansaray, Abigali Gonowolo, Mindada Mohogu and Cartina Mulbah

Liberian Diaspora women active participation in peace building and developments in their country can not be overemphasized, speakers agreed recently at a conference held in the Dutch City of Delft.

The statement was made by Cartina Mulbah, Coordinator Concerned Liberian Women (CLW); Abigail Gonowolo, deputy coordinator CLW.

Other speakers at the conference were Mindanda Mohogu, Development Consultant, who spoke on how remittance leads to concrete development in post war countries, while Mr. Solomon Mansary, Chairman, Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) Holland looked at steps to be taken to prevent the reoccurrence of civil conflicts and reconciliatory efforts needed to heal wounds after protracted civil conflicts .

Cartina Mulbah, coordinator Concerned Liberian Women (CLW) spoke of the positive roles Liberian women played in peace building and developments in Liberia.

The CLW Coordinator said women were instrumental in bringing peace and stability to Liberia. She recounted how women demonstrated actions for peace campaigns and other proactive roles played to bring peace and stability helped which must be commendable.

 “The women in Liberia engaged stakeholders during the civil wars and used their votes to make a statement in the general elections that ushered in Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as president’ Cartina Mulbah said.

Abigail Gonowolo said, “What we want is to support self-sustaining women initiatives and provide help to needy children in Liberia.”

She called on fellow Liberians in the Diaspora to give hope to women and children in Liberia.

Mindanda Mohogu said remittances boost the incomes of developing countries. Mr. Mohogu said the benefits of remittance outweigh its drawbacks.  He observed that since remittance recipients relay on it for education, living cost and investments, the process of sending and receiving money should be made easy and cost effective. 

Mr. Solomon Mansary told the audience “Moving a country from conflict to prosperity is a collective responsibility which should be taken seriously by all Liberians. You should embark on conscious efforts to promote a culture of dialogue and tolerance.

But he warned “We cannot deal with reconciliation until the people who are victimized sit down around the table and talk about what happened first. Telling the truth through a public process is the first element of reconciliation”. He warned that the root cause of the conflict must be identified to start a sincere reconciliation and to prevent the re-occurrence of another civil conflict.

Mr. Mansaray called on Liberians to play more active role in search for a brighter future of the country.  He said Liberians need to push for development policies that will channel the creative energies of the youth towards something more positive.

The Holland based Liberian Women group under the banner Concerned Liberian Women which organized the one day conference has earmarked educational and socio-economic development projects for Liberia. Cartina Mulbah coordinator revealed that they are presently in contact with an orphanage home in Liberia that will benefits from some of her organization support programs.

The Concerned Liberian Women was founded in 2004 with the aim to reinforce Liberian Diaspora women active role in the education and socio-economic assistance to the needy.

 

Jemael Kamara is a Liberian journalist based in Holland. He can be reached at: kjemael@gmail.com