Tovian Estella Nelson

Tovian Estella Nelson is the Executive Director and Founder of Liberia Women Media Action Committee (LIWOMAC), as well as Founder of Liberia Women Democracy Radio (LWDR), the first and only radio station in Liberia dedicated solely to women. In partnership with YWCA and UNIFEM, LIWOMAC advocates for women’s rights and access to information while LWDR provides a platform for Liberian women’s voices.

While in the U.S., Estella worked with the Family Equality Council in Washington, D.C., where she supported the organization’s communications division, examining the issue of domestic violence in U.S. same-sex couples.

Upon returning to Liberia, Estella implemented her follow-on project which aimed at highlighting the important role parents play in mitigating violence. A radio program delivered through LIWOMAC brought in panelists to discuss the impacts of parenting on domestic violence and reached hundreds of listeners, including 27 community members who attended the live broadcast. As a result, listeners have expressed a desire to hear follow-up programs and Medica Mondiale, an international NGO, proposed working with Estella’s organization on a series of community forums addressing domestic violence and the family.