Liberia is recovering from 14 years of a devastating civil war that crippled its infrastructure, displaced much of the population and depleted the country’s resources. The post-war government, headed by Africa’s first female elected president, developed a Poverty Reduction Strategy that calls for the delivery of health and other basic services to the general population as a fundamental pillar of the nation’s recovery.
PSI/Liberia was founded in 2008 to work in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. It was established to help implement the Basic Package of Health Service component of the National Health Plan and to assist in achieving the goals set by the national Poverty Reduction Strategy. At the request of the government, PSI/Liberia’s first program focused on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, including HIV. In 2009, a child survival program was initiated to establish a market for WaterGuard household water treatment products to prevent diarrhea and other waterborne diseases. In 2010, PSI/Liberia launched Star condoms, the only national branded condom.
PSI/Liberia works nationwide with local and international organizations to deliver needed products and services and foster behavior change to empower Liberians to lead healthier lives. PSI products are available throughout the country.
The platform is staffed mainly by Liberians, some of whom have returned to the country to aid rebuilding.
PSI/Liberia estimates that in 2015, its products and services helped avert 5,952 DALYs, including, by health area:
- 2,933 HIV DALYs
- 2,848 FP DALYs
- 171 WASH DALYs
PSI/Liberia’s family planning programs also provided 8,334 couple-years of protection.
HIV/AIDS and Contraception
PSI/Liberia’s sexual and reproductive health unit promotes safe and responsible sexual behavior, aimed at preventing HIV and unplanned pregnancies among Liberian youth. The program combines community outreach with improving service delivery by private and public facilities, promoting youth-friendly policies and practices and facilitating pop-up clinic days to lower the barriers to family planning and HIV-testing uptake.
HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Support for Key Populations, PLHIV and General Population
The Global Fund supported program focuses on reaching out to key populations, primarily men who have sex with men and female sex workers. It promotes HIV testing, socially markets Star condoms, and motivates people to know their HIV status and to get tested regularly. The program also works with people living with HIV (PLHIV) for adherence support and tracing beneficiaries in order to reduce loss to follow up cases. PSI/Liberia is involved in generating evidence for better planning.
Let’s Talk About Sex Radio Program
Let’s Talk About Sex is developed and produced by a group of young people who serve as mentors for their young counterparts. The team has a weekly, nationally broadcast radio show that focuses on health topics that promote responsible sexual behaviors among young Liberians.
Household Water Treatment
PSI distributes WaterGuard household water treatment products to enable caregivers to help keep their families safe from waterborne illnesses that result in high morbidity and mortality among children under five in Liberia. WaterGuard is locally produced and has become a trusted brand.
Partnership for Advancing Community-Based Services (PACS)
The objective of the PACS project is to build capacity and strengthen systems within Liberia’s Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Public Works, and Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to deliver community based health services.
PSI’s role under the PACS project is to support the MOH’s National Health Promotion Division to develop and implement evidence-based behavior change communications at the national, county and community level.
Donors
- U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
- The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
- United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF
Partners
- Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of the Republic of Liberia
- International Rescue Committee (IRC)
- National AIDS Commission
- National AIDS Control Program
- Action Aid Liberia
- Stop AIDS in Liberia
- Liberian Network for People Living with HIV (LIBNEP+)
- Community-based organizations, cooperatives, trade unions, community radio stations and schools
- Shaping the Family Planning Market by Strengthening the Public Sector
PSI considers total market approaches to be critical for achieving universal health coverage, especially when it comes to contraception. This program brief presents cases, supported by several different donors, which take into consideration the total family planning market. - Towards Subsidized Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests. Lessons Learned from Programmes to Subsidise Artemisinin-Based Combination Therapies in the Private Sector: a Review
Private sector subsidy programmes of ACTs have been effective in increasing availability of ACTs in the private sector and driving down average prices but struggled to crowd out antimalarial monotherapies. A subsidy of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) in the private sector has been recommended by governments and international donors to cope with over-treatment with ACTs and to delay the emergence of resistance to artemisinin. In order to improve the cost-effectiveness of co-paid RDTs, we should build on the lessons we learned from almost 10 years of private sector subsidy programmes of ACTs in malaria-endemic countries. - Intensive Group Learning and On-Site Services to Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health Among Young Adults in Liberia: A Randomized Evaluation of HealthyActions
Combining intensive group learning and provision of on-site reproductive health services through an
existing alternative basic education program increased use of contraception and HIV testing and
counseling among young out-of-school Liberians. - HealthyActions Curriculum Tools
The USAID/Advancing Youth Project is working with out-of-school youth aged 13-35 to provide basic education opportunities including literacy, numeracy, life-skills and work-readiness. The project also provides relevant health information and training as well as opportunities to develop leadership skills and improved livelihoods. - Expanding Access to Critical HIV and Reproductive Health Services to Low Literacy Youth in Liberia
In order to bridge the income and education inequalities in many contexts like Liberia, integration of HIV and FP services into non-traditional education can greatly improve health outcomes for women and youth. Multi-sector programs in informal education, vocational training, and work-readiness should be a major focus for future FP-HIV expansion and scale-up. PSI will pursue funding to continue and scale-up the project with EDC. - Expanding Access to Critical HIV and Reproductive Health Services to Low Literacy Youth in Liberia
Following a lengthy civil war and in a context of pervasive poverty, Liberian youth face major challenges in making healthy decisions. Lack of education is a significant factor in determining HIV protective behaviors and family planning (FP) use and intention. HealthyActions, a collaboration between PSI Liberia and EDC’s Advancing Youth Project (AYP), is funded by USAID and launched in October 2012. This presentation discusses lessons learned around the topic of expanding access to reproductive health services to low literacy youth in Liberia. - PSI’s sexual and reproductive health programs for youth
This program brief provides an overview of key programs that PSI is implementing to improve the sexual and reproductive health of youth around the world. - 2012 Mid Year Region and Country Dashboards, West and Central Africa
Mid-year West and Central Africa region and country impact dashboards for 2012 - 2011 Region and Country Dashboards, West and Central Africa
West and Central Africa region and country impact dashboards for 2011 - Impact December 2009