Gbarpolu Authorities Begin Sustaining JEC Project Gains as Sida Phases Out Support, Superintendent commits to local ownership and sustainability

A delegation from the Swedish Embassy, alongside ActionAid Liberia, has arrived in Gbarpolu County as part of a mission visit tied to the Just and Equal Community (JEC) Project and the drawdown of Sida’s work in Liberia.

The JEC Project is a five-year initiative implemented by ActionAid Liberia in partnership with local organizations. It is funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) through the Embassy of Sweden.

On the first day of the visit in Bopolu City, the delegation held a meeting with Gbarpolu County Superintendent, Hon. Sam Zinnah, and his team. During the meeting, Superintendent Zinnah expressed appreciation to the Swedish government for its decades-long commitment to humanitarian work, particularly its focus on supporting vulnerable communities and contributing to Liberia’s development agenda.

He highlighted the significant impact of Sida’s support to ActionAid Liberia through the JEC Project, especially in improving the lives of women and girls. According to him, the project has helped shift harmful social norms and promote more sustainable and equitable ways of life.

Superintendent Zinnah also pointed to the establishment of the county’s first traditional arts school under the JEC Project, describing it as a beacon of hope for women and girls in Gbama. He noted that the success of this initiative, coupled with sustained advocacy from ActionAid Liberia’s local partners and women across project communities, influenced the county council to allocate funds in the 2025 budget to expand the initiative to two additional towns.

In addition, he revealed that the county council, in collaboration with his office, has allocated funds for the construction of maternal waiting homes. These facilities are intended to accommodate pregnant women closer to health centers as they approach delivery, helping to reduce maternal mortality in the county.

He emphasized that maternal deaths have increased in recent years due to challenges such as long travel distances to health facilities, lack of reliable ambulance services, and limited access to essential delivery materials. As a result, many women continue to give birth at home or within their communities.

The superintendent credited the progress and new budgetary commitments to sustained advocacy efforts by ActionAid Liberia, its partners, and women beneficiaries of the JEC Project.

In response, members of the Swedish Embassy delegation commended the county leadership for demonstrating strong ownership and commitment to sustaining development gains as Sida concludes its operations in Liberia. The embassy’s Gender Specialist, Dwedeh Tarpeh, described the progress as encouraging and reflective of long-term impact.

The delegation also met with the county council, which provided updates on its work and outlined how the JEC Project has contributed to meaningful progress in advancing equality, justice, and empowerment across Gbarpolu County.

Funded solely by the Embassy of Sweden through SIDA, the JEC Project is a five-year, human rights-based initiative implemented by ActionAid Liberia alongside five local partners, Domafiegn, LIWEN, WOCDAL, SAIL, and NATPAH. The project advances gender equality, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), and the abandonment of harmful traditional practices across more than 50 communities in Montserrado, Gbarpolu, Bong, Grand Gedeh, and Margibi Counties.

The JEC now in its sixth year (July 2024–June 2025), the project reached over 20,000 people through community-led advocacy, Girls’ and Boys’ Forums, women-led structures, and engagement with traditional, religious, and government leaders. This has contributed to measurable social change, including reduced early marriage and domestic violence, increased reporting and response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), improved school retention for adolescent girls, and public commitments to end female genital mutilation (FGM).

The curret mission in Gbarpolu County is  providing the Embassy delegation with an opportunity to directly engage with local authorities, community-based organizations, and beneficiaries to assess the project’s impact and sustainability.

and Wednesday saw the team paying a courtesy visit and holding meeting with the County Superintendent and local leaders. while still in Gbarpolu, Wednesday, the delegation held meeting with a local CBO Gbarpolu Development Matters, and the County Council. 

On Thursday, the delegation leaves for Parker Town, in Gbarma District.