Theresa Kangba: Rebuilding Livelihoods One Fish at a Time

At 40 years old, Theresa Kangba is more than a fishmonger — she is a mother, a leader, and a symbol of resilience in the Banjor fishing community. As a single mother, she has long relied on fish selling to provide for her family, waking up at dawn to secure fresh catch and working tirelessly to ensure her children never go to bed hungry.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, everything changed.

“Markets were closed. Boats couldn’t go out. Our fish spoiled because we had nowhere to sell,” Theresa recalls. “It was like watching our lives sink.”

Thousands of women in Liberia’s coastal communities faced similar struggles. With livelihoods disappearing overnight, hope was difficult to hold onto. That’s when FAO, with generous funding from the Government of Japan, launched a lifeline — the "Livelihood Empowerment of Women in Small-Scale Fisheries during and after COVID-19" project.

Today, Theresa serves as the Secretary-General of a women fishmongers' group in Banjor, one of 17 women-led groups supported across nine coastal counties of Liberia. Her group alone has 306 dedicated members — all women who, like her, refused to let adversity define their future.

Through the project, Theresa received specialized training in Ghana as part of a Training of Trainers (ToT) on hygienic fish handling and processing techniques.

With this new knowledge, she returned not just as a beneficiary but as a mentor, sharing modern methods with fellow women to reduce spoilage, improve quality, and raise incomes.

“Our hands may be small, but they carry the weight of our families and communities,”

Theresa says with pride. “Thanks to FAO and the people of Japan, we now have the skills, tools, and confidence to build something sustainable.

Theresa and her fellow fishmongers now benefit from improved processing and storage facilities, including a newly constructed center in Banjor that supports safe, hygienic, and efficient fish handling. The transformation is evident — in the quality of their products, the rise in customer demand, and the dignity restored in their daily work.

From the ashes of the pandemic, a powerful wave of women-led recovery has begun — and at its heart stands Theresa Kangba, proving that with the right support, one woman’s resilience can uplift hundreds more.