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Fund Drive for the Joint Youth Programme for At-Risk Youth Launched by President Weah

04 July 2022

The President of Liberia on last Thursday, June 30th , launched a National Fund Drive for the rehabilitation and empowerment of at risk youth in Liberia.

President Weah said that the initiative would require a significant financial investment , with the initial set of interventions set at approximately 13 million USD. To kickstart, the President pledged from Government , an initial amount of one million USD this year, with a additional two million USD to be appropriated within the subsequent budget.

Stressing the importance of the initiative, the President warned that continued neglect of the plight of these at risk youth can rapidly develop into a significant threat to society.

UN Resident Coordinator, Niels Scott, speaking on behalf of the United Nations Team noted his elation to be participating in the first Fund Raising Drive led by President Weah. He said, " as the United Nations and yourself believe in the potential and the power of the young people ,which if nurtured, harnessed and enabled have a potential to fulfill hopes and dreams ; we hope that this will be the beginning of an integrated programme, to address not only youth at risk issues, but also the broader issues that affect the future of the young people in Liberia ".

Mr. Scott highlighted the Socio-economic Empowerment of Disadvantaged Youth Project (SEED) between 2019 and 2021. This programme was led by the Government and supported by the UN and the Liberia Peace Building Fund and it rehabilitated 590 youth and empowered them with livelihood skills. He noted that currently, most of them have established and are running their own businesses. "From this we have learnt that when the young people are given the opportunities, they do change their narrative from bad habits to become productive citizens", he said.

On behalf of the UN, the Resident Coordinator applauded His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Liberia and His Government and all Development Partners, CSOs and the Private sector for their support and looked forward to the realization of the programme for the betterment of Liberia’s future.