The World Report on Disability estimates more than a billion people or 16 percent of the world is living with a disability. The prevalence is higher in developing countries (18 percent) than wealthier countries (12 percent), where poverty, poor healthcare, natural disasters, malnutrition, and conflicts increase the likelihood.
Liberia is a developing country in Africa that was severely affected by years of civil war that officially ended in 2005 followed by the Ebola epidemic that ended in June 2016. According to the population census performed in Liberia in 2008, people with disabilities represent 14% (about 588,800) of the country’s total 4.2 million population.
In Liberia, persons with disabilities are often marginalized and discriminated against, making it hard to access education, the job market, and health services. They are generally perceived to constitute a liability to the public. Discrimination is a structural problem, caused by stereotypes, negative and hostile attitudes. Few children with disabilities have access to education. Public educational institutions discriminate against students with disabilities, arguing resources and equipment are insufficient to accommodate them. Some students with disabilities attend specialized schools mainly for the blind and deaf–but only through elementary school. (Source: US Dept of State – Liberia 2017 Human Rights Report).
In Nigeria, the estimate puts the number of people with disability at 19 million or approximately 20% of the country population (Amusat, 2009). Nigerian persons living with disability are no better off when compared with their counterparts in other parts of the developing world, in terms of the challenges they face — they are poor, marginalized and excluded.
Disabled people’s organizations estimate that 99 percent of persons with disabilities live in extreme poverty, mainly due to exclusion from education, skills training, work and income generation opportunities. This can be compared to 50.9 percent of the Liberian population that per UNICEF are classified as extremely poor. (Source: SOS Children’s Villages Medical Centre Monrovia).
A UNICEF Liberia study showed that approximately 34 percent (214,024) of children were physically out of school. In many cases, the parents cannot afford the extra costs of schooling such as transport, clothing, school books and materials. Many families are so poor that they have to rely on their children’s contribution to the family finances – an estimated 21 percent of children work. About 85 percent of young people do not have a job.
Vocational training is valued but difficult to access in Liberia. Good vocational training gives people the skills to earn a better living. It is seen as paramount to the growth and development of Liberia. Although there are some non-governmental organizations such as the YMCA, Lutheran Vocational Training Institute (LTI) in Lofa County, Booker Washington Institute (BWI) in Kakata, Monrovia Vocational Training Center (MVTC) that offer vocational training, much more needs to be done.
KDE Disability Africa Foundation is working to bridge these gaps through its Vocational Training program, donations of food, clothing, mobility devices, and Empowerment workshops as this will lead to a decent living for people with disabilities, unemployed and economically disenfranchised youth especially girls in Liberia and Nigeria.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1545448928246{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][helpme_custom_heading custom_heading_text1=”Liberia – Statistics & Facts”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1545449727910{padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Liberia is located on the West African coast on the Atlantic Ocean, and is the oldest republic in Africa. In the 1990s, Liberia was engaged in a long and deadly civil war which ended in 2003, and from which the country is still trying to recover. The Ebola outbreak took a large economic and demographic toll on Liberia with thousands dead or infected. The largest city and capital are Monrovia, which is home to over 1 million people; slightly less than one-quarter of the country’s total population. The average age of the population as of 2015 was 18.6 years old.
(Source: https://www.statista.com/topics/2920/liberia/)
Additional Statistics about Liberia
- Liberia is the 4th poorest country (BI, GI Magazine and UN)
- Liberia is the 8th unhappiest and most miserable Country in the World (UNDP)
- Liberia is the 8th hungriest nation (Concern International)
- 230,000 Liberian children are suffering from chronic malnutrition (UNICEF)
- Liberia ranks #1 among 10 worst countries for Business in Africa (Forbes Magazine)
- Food insecurity affects 650,000 Liberians (LEFS and WFP)
- 65 percent of Liberian children are missing out of primary school (UNICEF)
- 83.76 percent of Liberians live on US$1.25 a day (UNDP HDI)
- Teenage pregnancy accounts for 38 percent (UNFPA)
- Youth unemployment is as high as 85 percent (UNDAF)
- Monrovia is the least capital city in the world with a CPI of 0.313 (UN-Habitat)
- Only 25 percent of Liberians have access to safe drinking water (WaterAid International)
- Over 80 percent of Liberians lack access to a decent toilet (WaterAid International)
- Out of a population of 4 million, 3.7 million Liberians lack access to adequate sanitation (WAI)
- Over 500 children die every year from Diarrhea in Liberia (WAI)
- Liberia has just 298 doctors to 4.6 million people. The doctor-patient ratio is 1:15,436 (MoH)
- Liberia imports over US$200 million worth of rice even though it has 4.6 million hectares of arable land (FAO)
- The infant mortality rate in Liberia is 52.2 deaths to every 1,000 live births (CIA World Factbook)
- The maternal mortality rate in Liberia is 725 deaths to every 100,000 live births (CIA World Factbook)
- Out of 111 countries, Liberia ranks 101 on the Global Hunger Index (UNDP)
- Out of 188 countries, Liberia ranks 177 on the Human Development Index (UNDP).
The International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Reviews Vol.8 No.1, April 2018examined poverty alleviation and sustainable human development of the physically challenged in a recessed economy of Imo State, Nigeria.
In Nigeria, the estimate puts the number of people with disability at 19 million or approximately 20% of the country population (Amusat, 2009). There are no credible and robust statistics in Nigeria about most things, including disability. There is, therefore, a big knowledge gap on the accurate statistics of the physically challenged persons in the country, especially in Imo State.
Nigerian persons living with disability are no better off when compared with their counterparts in other parts of the developing world, in terms of the challenges they face — they are poor, marginalized and excluded (The Guardian, 2009; Lang &Upah, 2008). Despite the declaration of full participation in the disability agenda of the United Nations by the Nigerian government, Nigerians with disabilities are still faced with these challenges (Amusat, 2009). They are often treated as second-class citizens, shunned and segregated by physical barriers and social stereotypes. This discrimination occurs in a range of arena, including the workplace, schools, health centers, recreational facilities, and many societal contexts. As a fallout of social discrimination, economic marginalization and a broad range of other human rights violations, people with disability face difficult challenges in living a normal life.
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