About 20 church leaders and workers under the Liberian Council of Churches (LCC) in partnership with the Ecumenical HIV/AIDS Initiative in Africa (EHAIA) of the World Council of Churches are conducting workshop for men leaders of the church on HIV/AIDS in Monrovia.

The two-day workshop is about discussing and reducing the stigma and discrimination as well as men’s involvement in the AIV/AIDS response have topics like the epidemiology after the international AIDS conference and the stakes of prevention and the global access after the Mexico summit.

The workshop is taking place at the St. Teresa Pastoral Retreat Center in Monrovia and is being facilitated chiefly by Rev. Godson Lawson of Togo and EHAIA reference group.

The World Council of Churches through EHAIA is working with the LCC to have men involved in the process of reducing stigma and discrimination against HIV/AIDS victims in Liberia and the world at large. Rev. Lawson said the church was under both spiritual and physical responsibility to address the problem of discrimination and stigma against people living with Aids in Liberia.

The workshop is considering topics like Epidemiology and Stakes of Prevention and Global Access after the Mexico Summit.

According to Rev. Godson Lawson WCC and EHAIA will empower LCC members to ensure that the church deals with the issue of stigma and discrimination so as to create a conducive living environment for those who are living AIDS.

He said people living with AIDS needed to have the opportunity of interacting with their family, friends and the larger society.

“Therefore WCC through EHAIA would help LCC through those participating in the LCC workshop to will help the church and the government in achieving the objective of educating the public on how to respect and share love with people living with aids.

TRC To Host Two-day Nat’l Confab For Women

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), is this weekend, holding a two-day National Consultative Conference for women on the TRC process. The conference is scheduled f September 19 - 20, 2008 at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion in Monrovia.

 According to a statement issued yesterday, the conference for women is a part of the commission’s extended engagement project currently being undertaken by the Gender Committee of the TRC and is aimed at enhancing the participation of women in the ongoing TRC process.

As part of its mandate to promote national peace, security, unity, justice and reconciliation following Liberia’s long running conflict, the TRC is required to produce an extensive report not only documenting the experiences of Liberians during the conflict but to make extensive recommendations for the future well being of the nation.

Several provisions of the TRC Act call for total inclusion of women at all levels of the TRC work and mandate the Commission to pay special attention to issues that have affected the women population of the country.

Consequently, the national consultative conference for women will be held on theme: Women and the TRC: Recommending the Way Forward. The statement said it is aimed at extracting the lessons learned from the experience of participating in the TRC and outlining the way forward fore women’s rights and gender equality for the beyond the TRC.

Key areas of focus of the deliberations will include TRC mandate and provisions on reparation, amnesty, and prosecution. A variety of topics affecting women in general will be highlighted at the conference.

The statement said finding and recommendations from the conference will be adapted and forwarded to the TRC for consideration in its final report.

The extended projects for women are planned and facilitated by the gender committee of the TRC chaired by Commissioner Massa Washington who has oversight for gender issues on the TRC.

The activities are funded by women’s campaign international, a women’s right and advocacy organizations based in Philadelphia, the United States of America.

YAI Launches Women Empowerment Center

Youth Action International (YAI) said it has launched a center that will seek the welfare of women in Liberia. A statement issued by YAI said the essence is to tackle the problems facing women of Liberia by using a multi-prolonged approached through the creation of a Center for Women Empowerment in Monrovia.

The center, according to a release, will use basic education, alternative counseling, vocational training, and micro-loans to alleviate the negative impact the civil war has had on women in Liberia.

The center promises the vital role women play in sustainable development. It is an integral part of a long-term local capacity-building program for young women.

The statement said target beneficiaries of this project include women and girls thirty-five years old who live in the poorest communities in Monrovia. Youth Action International will partner with a number of governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations to ensure the full implementation of this program.

The statement said beneficiaries of the Center for Women Empowerment will realize their full potential though education and vocational training by business professionals as well as counseling and rehabilitation services to help heal post-traumatic stress and other related disorders.

Participants will take part in business workshops to develop business skills and will work alongside skilled facilitators to ensure that they reach their business goals.

At the end of each year, 150 women will graduate from the Center for Women Empowerment fully trained in the chosen skill area and will have also completed a series of advanced counseling programs that will enable them to begin healing from the trauma of war.

Graduates will be awarded a micro-credit loan and will be assigned to an exit advisor who will work with the women as they establish small businesses.

YAI is founded by a young Liberian, Kimmie Weeks, who has been working to promote the welfare of women and the youth around the work.

He has worked to alleviate poverty and human suffering in Africa and around the world since he was fourteen years of age. At the age of nine, he was confronted with civil war.

He experienced suffering first hand and vowed to spend his life helping children. He is a graduate of Amherst College in the United States and is working towards building a movement to positively change the face of Africa.

Budget Act Signed Into Law

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has signed into law an act merging the Bureau of the Budget into the Ministry of Finance.

The act, which is one of Liberia’s benchmarks under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC), was signed by the President at a brief signing ceremony at the Foreign Ministry after it was presented to her by the members of the National Legislature.

In another development, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has left the country to participate in the United Nations General Assembly. The President is also scheduled to Co-host with American philanthropist George Soros, a meeting of American-based foundations that support Liberia and to participate in a fundraising program for the Liberia Education Trust.

During the President’s absence from the country, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. Ambulai Johnson, will coordinate the affairs of government in consultation with Vice President Joseph Boakai.