The project holds workshops to teach children valuable life skills

1 December, 2011: Learning life skills, values and lessons in sexual health can have a huge, positive effect on students. In Liberia, where children are often faced with challenges in accessing education, this can leave them vulnerable with no real knowledge of their rights or of basic hygiene and sexual health.

Plan Liberia has been supporting a project in Bomi since September 2010 which is aimed at teaching over 200 children about important issues including:

• Life skills
• reproduction, sexual health and hygiene
• child rights
• harmful traditional practices (such as female genital cutting)
  

Situated in the west of Liberia, Bomi, meaning ‘Light’, is listed among the poorest and least populated counties in Liberia with approximately 85,000 people.  Children and young people under 20 make up more than 50% of the population.

Plan, together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, developed and organised the project specifically for the young members of the Plan Youth Association. Lasting for one year, the initiative helped to train the participating students in leadership, rights and facilitated peer education on HIV, AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. They were able to discuss with one another how best to tackle the major preoccupations that are really affecting themselves and others in their communities.

The Bomi project also gave them the opportunity to take part in discussions and debates on issues of national concern with traditional and political leaders, raising the idea of the importance of including children in decision making for sustained peace, development and new, innovative ideas.

With newly acquired knowledge of hygiene and safe sexual health practices, the students are not only able now to protect and care for themselves, but they also teach others in their communities on the importance of key health matters.