LWEP Trains Over 50 Journalists in Gender-Responsive Reporting to Strengthen Coverage of Women’s Empowerment

Published: February 12, 2026

GBARNGA, Bong County – The Liberia Women Empowerment Project (LWEP), implemented by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) with support from the World Bank, has launched a two-day intensive Gender Responsive Reporting Training for over 50 journalists and media partners in Gbarnga, Bong County.

The training, which began Thursday, February 12, brings together participants from Bomi, Bong, Grand Gedeh, Grand Cape Mount, Montserrado, Gbarpolu, and Rivercess counties — reflecting LWEP’s commitment to nationwide engagement and inclusive participation.

Of the 50 journalists attending, 36 are male and 14 are female, signaling broad cross-gender involvement in advancing responsible and gender-sensitive reporting across Liberia.

Organized by Plan International Liberia, the Lead Service Provider under LWEP, the training seeks to deepen journalists’ understanding of the Project’s objectives and interventions while promoting ethical, fact-based, and gender-responsive reporting on women’s empowerment initiatives.

The initiative is designed to strengthen media professionals’ knowledge of LWEP’s goals and core components, encourage storytelling that challenges harmful social norms, and improve coverage of key issues such as women’s economic empowerment, prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), girls’ education, and institutional reforms aimed at advancing gender equality.

Participants are receiving a comprehensive overview of LWEP’s five major components. These include transforming harmful social norms through community engagement; combating SGBV; expanding women’s economic livelihoods and skills development; increasing girls’ access to quality education by improving retention and completion rates; strengthening resilient, gender-responsive health systems; enhancing institutional capacity to promote gender equality; and reinforcing project management, monitoring and evaluation, and the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM).

The second day of the training, scheduled for Friday, February 13, focuses specifically on gender-sensitive and ethical reporting, fact-checking practices, and the media’s critical role in promoting transparency and accountability in development programming.

Organizers emphasized that the engagement underscores LWEP’s strong commitment to transparency, citizen participation, and constructive media partnerships. By equipping journalists with practical tools and technical knowledge, the Project aims to foster accurate, balanced, and impactful reporting that amplifies the voices and experiences of women and girls across Liberia.

As LWEP enters its second year of implementation, the training marks a strategic effort to strengthen collaboration with the media in advancing inclusive development, accountability, and gender equality nationwide.