LIBERIA
FODEDE
Football to Develop Destitute (FODEDE) is a non-profit organisation that is at the forefront of harnessing the talent of underprivileged people, and particularly women. They use football as a catalyst in restoring hope and bringing young people together who have been affected by the prolonged period of civil crisis in Liberia.
Their motto is “Searching for a Better Future.”
Country statistics
175 out of 189 in Human Development Index rankings (UNDP, 2019)
Average annual salary per person $530 (World Bank, 2021)
83% of people live on less than US$1.25 a day (WFP)
With 28 ethnic groups and languages, Liberia is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. It is located in Western Africa on the North Atlantic Coast bordering Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast (CIA World Factbook)
More than half of the 5 million population live in urban areas (Worldometers, 2021), with approximately one-third living in the surrounding areas near capital city, Monrovia (CIA World Factbook). In the capital, 90% of the population are at risk from sea and river flooding, and two thirds of Monrovians live in unplanned and slum communities (Open DRI, 2018).
Since a peace agreement was reached in 2003, Liberia has been recovering from a 14-year civil war which decimated national infrastructure and basic social services. As of September 2021, 30% of children between 6-59 months suffered from severe malnutrition (WFP, 2021).
At the end of 2020, Liberia hosted 18,890 refugees. Most of them come from Ivory Coast, Mali, DRC, South Sudan, Syria, Pakistan and Lebanon (UNHCR, 2020).
STORIES from the region
