Liberia overview

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In this Image A photo of a woman, a man, and two children seated under a tree in Liberia. © 2010 Glenna Gordon

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Research Findings

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Men, women, and children stand on a street in Liberia. © 2010 Glenna Gordon

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The Long-Term Impact of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Cash Transfers on High-Risk Young Men in Liberia

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Urban crime and violence is one of the most costly and divisive issues facing cities around the world. Short-term studies have demonstrated that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a therapeutic approach to improving a wide range of harmful beliefs and behaviors, is an effective way to reduce violence and criminality among adolescents and young adults. To understand the long-term effectiveness of CBT among adults, researchers evaluated the impact of a short-term CBT program and the distribution of unconditional cash transfers on the behavior of high-risk young men in Liberia. Results demonstrated that CBT reduced criminal behavior among participants both in the short run, one year following the intervention, and the long run, ten years later. At both intervals, these results were greater for participants who received both CBT and cash grants, but cash grants alone had no impact.

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A photo of a young woman walking in Liberia with her back turned to the camera. © 2010 Glenna Gordon

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Girl Empowerment in Rural Liberia

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Addressing high rates of gender-based violence experienced by girls is a policy goal in many developing countries, in particular in post-conflict settings such as Liberia where evidence suggests women commonly experience physical and/or sexual violence. IPA partnered with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Population Council and the World Bank’s Development Research Group to evaluate the Girl Empower program in Liberia. The program was designed to help girls in emergency situations make healthy life choices, reduce their risk of sexual abuse, and improve school attendance rates. Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to measure the overall impact of the program and the effectiveness of adding a small incentive payment to encourage participation. Results revealed that Girl Empower led to sustained improvements in several important domains, including child marriage and sexual and reproductive health, but did not reduce sexual violence among the participants.

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Modern Man Challenge: Evaluating a Men-Focused Intervention to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence in Liberia

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Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread global problem, but little is known about how to reduce it in low-income countries, especially with programs that focus on men. Researchers worked with IPA, the Airbel Center at the International Rescue Committee, and the Behavioral Insights Team to design a text message-based behavioral intervention, the Modern Man Challenge, that aims to reduce IPV by promoting behavior change among men. The research team is now conducting a small exploratory clustered-randomized evaluation in Monrovia, Liberia to explore potential impact avenues of Modern Man Challenge on IPV.

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Policy Impact

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Learning Assessment

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IPA Liberia is partnering with the Ministry of Education to institutionalize and develop the country’s first competency-based assessment system in primary education for timely detection of gaps in foundational skills. 

 

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Charter Schools

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In coordination with the Ministry of Education, IPA Liberia has evaluated outcomes for children in charter-like schools as well as regular government schools, focusing on access, learning, sustainability, and child safety

 

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Liberia

Our Team

Liberia

Our Team

Country Director, Liberia and Sierra Leone

Walker Higgins

“IPA feels very much like a small organization, in that everyone is asked to wear many different hats and flex different intellectual muscles.”

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Operations Assistant

Fomba B. Bahbay

Fomba Bahbay currently serves as the Operations Assistant for IPA Liberia. Prior to assuming this role, he served as a short-term consultant for the Operations and Finance team, where he played a pivotal role in logistics coordination across many projects.

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Research Associate

Basil Dogra

Basil is a Research Associate for the 4-H study, which evaluates a school-based agricultural education program in the rural areas of Liberia through a large-scale randomized controlled trial. It is a first of its kind study that explores information asymmetry in agricultural production knowledge within households.

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Operations Coordinator

Peaches Kandakai

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Field Manager

Alvin Teezoe Nyahn

Alvin Teezoe Nyahn is a Field Manager at IPA Liberia, having previously worked as an enumerator, field supervisor, CAPI specialist, and data quality manager. He has more than eight years of experience working and managing field teams, as well as providing research and results measurement support to development programs in Liberia.

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Senior Policy and Research Associate

Albert Nyuangar

Albert Nyuangar, Jr. is the Senior Policy and Research Associate for IPA Liberia. Before joining IPA, he was Director of the Tax Appeals Board of Liberia, a tax dispute resolution body that promotes fairness and equity in the tax system.

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Finance Officer

Jerry Winner Gweh, Sr.

Jerry has more than ten years of experience working and managing field teams, as well as providing financial, administrative, operational, and human resource management support to development programs in Liberia.

Read Full Bio

Country Director, Liberia and Sierra Leone

Walker Higgins

“IPA feels very much like a small organization, in that everyone is asked to wear many different hats and flex different intellectual muscles.”

Read Full Bio

Operations Assistant

Fomba B. Bahbay

Fomba Bahbay currently serves as the Operations Assistant for IPA Liberia. Prior to assuming this role, he served as a short-term consultant for the Operations and Finance team, where he played a pivotal role in logistics coordination across many projects.

Read Full Bio

Research Associate

Basil Dogra

Basil is a Research Associate for the 4-H study, which evaluates a school-based agricultural education program in the rural areas of Liberia through a large-scale randomized controlled trial. It is a first of its kind study that explores information asymmetry in agricultural production knowledge within households.

Read Full Bio

Operations Coordinator

Peaches Kandakai

Read Full Bio

Field Manager

Alvin Teezoe Nyahn

Alvin Teezoe Nyahn is a Field Manager at IPA Liberia, having previously worked as an enumerator, field supervisor, CAPI specialist, and data quality manager. He has more than eight years of experience working and managing field teams, as well as providing research and results measurement support to development programs in Liberia.

Read Full Bio

Senior Policy and Research Associate

Albert Nyuangar

Albert Nyuangar, Jr. is the Senior Policy and Research Associate for IPA Liberia. Before joining IPA, he was Director of the Tax Appeals Board of Liberia, a tax dispute resolution body that promotes fairness and equity in the tax system.

Read Full Bio

Finance Officer

Jerry Winner Gweh, Sr.

Jerry has more than ten years of experience working and managing field teams, as well as providing financial, administrative, operational, and human resource management support to development programs in Liberia.

Read Full Bio