Liberia

Beginning in 2009, I have traveled at least once a year to Liberia (except during the pandemic), going there on behalf of an American foundation that funds non-profits in the West African nation. At the outset, the country was still recovering from the immense damage caused by a 14-year civil war. The electrical grid was virtually wiped out, major highways were destroyed, the economy was set back decades (having been one of Africa's most prosperous economies), and the majority of citizens had been traumatized by violence. Each year when I visited, I witnessed small steps forward.

Then, in 2014-15, the country suffered a second major blow: the worst Ebola epidemic in history. More than 10,000 Liberians contracted the disease, almost 5,000 died, and the country’s health system verged on collapse. Somehow, the country staunched the epidemic, in large part due to efforts by grassroots groups to educate people on how to avoid the disease.

In the other section of Liberia photos on this website, I relate the stories of Ebola survivors and orphans continuing to struggle in the aftermath of the epidemic. In this section, I attempt to give a more general picture of the country: the rugged conditions upcountry, the bustling markets in the capital, Monrovia, schools, hospitals, makeshift businesses, alternative forms of transportation, athletic activities, the unusual shantytown on a sandspit called West Point, the lingering evidence of the war’s devastation, and the impressive resilience of a nation whose citizens are, in spite of all they’ve experienced, easy to crack a smile, eager to find ways to enjoy life.