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Using SMS to Increase Citizen Engagement in Liberia July 18, 2013 by Berenike Schott When a rainstorm destroyed several houses in a village in rural Liberia, the inhabitants sent a text message to their community radio station using the new SMS Initiative “Constituency Communication Platform” (CCP). After receiving the text the station immediately broadcast the information, and a local affiliate of the International Red Cross, listening to the station, rushed to help rebuild the village. The CCP is a successful component of the Civil Society and Media Leadership (CSML) program in Liberia, implemented by IREX and funded by USAID.	Protecting Monkeys, Strengthening Civil Society in Liberia May 14, 2013 by Dara Lipton Community-based institutions, whether they be civil society groups or community radio stations, have the reach and community buy-in to best serve citizens’ needs, and advocate on citizens’ behalf. On a recent trip to Gbarnga, in Bong County, I learned first-hand the breadth of that reach and the exciting cumulative effect of the mentorship and training that the Civil Society and Media Leadership Program in Liberia (CSML) has been providing since 2010.
Women’s Voices Absent from Airwaves in Liberia March 20, 2013 by Bill Burke The images told a story, one of confusion, misunderstanding and the stark reality that confronts the men in this room on a daily basis. It’s a reality that poses a challenge for IREX and its partners. At issue: mainstreaming gender in community radio programs and policies. The 19 men here were in the central Liberian city of Gbarnga for a CSML-run gender awareness training for community radio managers and news directors. They had been asked to draw images of their understanding of gender, and their drawings spoke volumes.	New Strategies to Combat Old Abuses in Liberia March 14, 2013 by Dara Lipton Recently, journalists at Liberia Women Democracy Radio (LWDR) challenged citizens in R.C. Lawson Community, a small village on the outskirts of Monrovia, to take a stand against sexual exploitation through interactive theatre. IREX’s Civil Society and Media Leadership program is committed to strengthening the capacity of Liberian’s civil society and media outlets, including community radio stations. Through this training and subsequent community and radio presentations, citizens are activated not as bystanders, but as agents of change in their communities.
What's Next for Women: A Conversation with Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee March 7, 2013 In honor of International Women's Day, IREX sat down with Nobel Peace Prize laureate and women's rights activist Leymah Gbowee to get her views on the opportunities and challenges facing the global women's movement as well as the role of men in the struggle for gender equality.	The Triumphant Return of Radio Gee in Liberia July 27, 2012 by Bill Burke It was a festive atmosphere in late May 2012 as about two hundred people marched down the dusty streets of Fish Town, River Gee County, Liberia carrying placards that extolled the value of teamwork and the traditional African concept of communalism. It was a day of pomp and pageantry, punctuated by celebratory songs, congratulatory messages, and above all, pride in what had been accomplished. The occasion: the official dedication and reopening of Radio Gee, the community radio station in this remote Southeastern Liberian town. And the residents here had good reason to be celebratory. In every respect their station had been brought back from the brink of collapse.
Observing World Press Freedom Day in Liberia May 11, 2012 Using the global World Press Freedom Day theme, New Voices: Media Freedom Helping to Transform Societies 115 participants from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast came together to assess the level of press freedom in the region and discuss the important role of the media in the reconstruction process in each of the three countries.	Business Savvy Key to Sustainable Media Development in Liberia February 28, 2012 by Bill Burke Liberia has witnessed robust growth in the media sector in recent years, but without a background in business, media managers are struggling to keep their enterprises in operation.
Strengthening Gender Sensitive Reporting November 29, 2011 Working in a cramped room with two desks and a few computers, Samuka Konneh leads a small team as news editor for the Public Agenda newspaper in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia. Although he has been in this post for four years, Samuka says the last 12 months brought profound changes in how he approaches his work and life. Not only has he committed to reporting sensitively on issues affecting women, he encourages his colleagues to do the same. The changes also have helped him to redefine his relationships with those closest to him.	IREX Releases 2011 Annual Report November 14, 2011 Our work today reaches and helps more people than ever before in our history. These stories highlight just a handful of the 300,000 people IREX has helped this year.