Youth Crime Watch of Liberia (YCWL), in partnership with Plan International Liberia, is implementing the Protection in Education Advancement for Community Empowerment (PEACE) Project, “Strengthening Health, Education, and Economic Pathways for Girls and Young People,” in Bomi, Lofa, and Nimba Counties.
The barriers the project addresses
The initiative is designed to address interconnected barriers affecting girls and young people, including limited access to quality education and health services, school dropout, early pregnancy, gender-based violence, harmful social norms, poverty, and limited opportunities for skills development and economic empowerment.
An approach built around girls and communities
The project takes an integrated, gender-transformative and community-driven approach to create safer, more inclusive environments where girls and young people can learn, thrive, participate, and build pathways toward productive and empowered adulthood.
Who we work with
Through the project, YCWL works with schools, communities, government institutions, youth groups, women’s organizations, traditional and religious leaders, and other local partners to strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive education systems and promote positive social and behavioral change.
What the project does
Key interventions include:
- School and community needs assessments
- Strengthening Girls’ and Boys’ Clubs and School Health Clubs
- Teacher and school leadership capacity building
- Girls Shine peer-support initiatives
- Community dialogues on gender equality
- Awareness and prevention activities addressing violence against women and girls
The project also promotes positive male engagement through approaches aligned with SASA! and Engaging Men through Accountable Practice (EMAP), while expanding opportunities for girls and young people through life skills, employability, vocational training, youth leadership, advocacy, and economic empowerment initiatives.
Built to last
The PEACE Project places strong emphasis on local ownership, partnership, sustainability, and youth participation. By strengthening existing community and institutional structures rather than creating parallel systems, YCWL seeks to ensure that the knowledge, skills, referral pathways, leadership, and accountability mechanisms developed through the project continue beyond the project period.
Led by girls and young people
Girls and young people are supported not only as beneficiaries but also as active participants and leaders in shaping solutions that affect their lives. Through this approach, the project contributes to building safer communities, improving girls’ access to education and essential services, preventing violence and harmful practices, strengthening economic opportunities, and supporting young people to become active contributors to Liberia’s inclusive and sustainable development.