LWEP Enlists Traditional, Religious Leaders to Handle Community Complaints in Six Counties

Published: October 16, 2026

Monrovia – The Liberia Women Empowerment Project is bringing traditional and religious leaders and district grievance committees in six counties on board as partners in its implementation, with a focus on ensuring residents, particularly women, know how to raise complaints about the project and have them resolved.

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, which implements the World Bank-supported project, is holding brainstorming sessions with traditional and religious leaders and awareness activities for district-level Grievance Redress Committees in Bomi, Gbarpolu, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Rivercess and Rural Montserrado counties, according to a statement from the project.

The sessions cover the project’s objectives and its Grievance Redress Mechanism, the process through which individuals and communities can raise questions, report complaints and seek resolution of concerns about the project. Participants are also discussing ways to improve communication and community participation, and the responsibilities of the committees that handle complaints, including the need for timely responses.

The project said it is treating the engagements as dialogue rather than a one-time awareness exercise, giving local leaders room to examine their roles, share experiences, identify potential problems and propose solutions that fit their communities. The aim, it said, is for local leaders to become active partners in promoting transparency and accountability rather than simply being informed about project activities.

Traditional and religious leaders shape public attitudes, guide community decisions and help resolve disputes, the statement said, and engaging them directly is intended to strengthen the link between residents and the structures implementing the project. The process also seeks to encourage women and other groups often underrepresented in local decision-making to take part in project activities and use the feedback and grievance channels.

In Rivercess County, the sessions began in Darsaw Zarfahn District, with further engagements expected across the county’s eight districts.

The Liberia Women Empowerment Project is a government initiative implemented through the Gender Ministry with support from the World Bank. Its work in the six counties covers social norms, access to basic health and education services, women’s economic and social empowerment, institutional strengthening, and monitoring and evaluation.