FAWE Liberia Sounds Alarm on Child Marriage, Demands Increased Investment in Girls’ Education

KAKATA, MARGIBI COUNTY — The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Liberia Chapter has issued a passionate call for increased national investment in girls’ education, protection, and empowerment, warning that Liberia cannot achieve sustainable development while half its youth population faces systemic barriers. By Christopher C. Walker, christopherc. walker@frontpageafricaonline. com The advocacy group made the call on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, during the local observance of the International Day of the Girl Child in Kakata, Margibi County, held under the national theme: “Ending Child Marriage in Liberia: Investing in Her Rights and Potential.

” The event convened students, school administrators, civil society leaders, and government representatives to address key challenges affecting young women and to explore concrete avenues for expanding access to education, technical skills, and leadership roles. Embracing STEM and Vocational Training Speaking during the program, Madam Vanesa Johnson-Freeman, Program Coordinator at FAWE Liberia, stressed that the celebration was designed to push young women toward recognizing and maximizing their full potential. Madam Freeman urged schoolgirls to shatter gender stereotypes by aggressively pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). “Girls and women possess the exact same intellectual potential as their male counterparts,” Freeman said, emphasizing that encouraging female participation in traditionally male-dominated trades is vital for national growth and economic self-reliance. Echoing her sentiments, Mrs. Lorpu Darku, a TVET instructor at the Booker Washington Institute (BWI), challenged young women to dismantle long-held…