Liberia Crusaders for Peace

The Liberia Crusaders for Peace (LCP) is a local nongovernmental organization (NGO) registered under the laws of the Republic of Liberia to provide humanitarian and critical social intervention services to underprivileged and vulnerable communities in Liberia.

The organization seeks to prevent extreme poverty through its capacity building and economic empowerment program, prevent and minimize the impact of epidemic and preventable diseases, conflict prevention and resolution, and awareness campaigns through advocacy, education, social mobilization, and community engagement activities including production and airing of jingles and dramas.

The Liberia Crusaders for Peace (LCP) is guided by its core belief that every life and every human being matter with an inalienable potential; and with an enabling environment, appropriate resources, and necessary support; people can improve their own lives. LCP’s projects and programs are intended to alleviate human suffering from preventable diseases and unnecessary economic hardship. Since its inception in May 1994, the organization has impacted the lives of thousands of people across Liberia.

For over two (2) decades, LCP has been in the forefront responding to national crisis minimizing the negative impact on the citizens and in some cases preventing escalation through social mobilization and community engagement, advocacy, education, and outreach activities. With or without donor support, LCP will strive to do all it can to raise awareness, mobilizing stakeholders, and sometimes donating to people affected by such crises (natural or man-made) or other related social causes.

LCP’s activities including:

1. Advocacy for the rights of women and children;
2. Youth capacity building and training;
3. Health education, promotion and behavioral change communication;
4. Traditional folklore theater;
5. Cultural activities and education;
6. Music and cultural dances;
7. Workshops and Seminars
8. Psychosocial counseling, support, referral, and related activities;
9. Humanitarian interventions

These activities are guided by the following key implementation strategies:

Advocacy: By convening high level consultative meetings and mass media publicity that provide the platforms for presenting critical issues and promoting dialogue, education and networking, and building consensus to resolve critical issues or escalate to the attention of national or local stakeholders to ensure prompt resolution and minimize negative impact on the target groups. These advocacy activities sometimes include capacity building and empowerment activities among target beneficiary groups to ensure coherent approach and full stakeholders’ participation.

Communication: Through social mobilization and community engagement activities, an effective innovative and intervention approaches are used to reach diverse audiences within target communities including door-to-door engagement, street theaters, playing of jingles and dramas, community outreach, art, music and cultural activities, mass media (print and radio), and distribution of educational materials (banners, flyers, posters, T-shirts, and FAQs,) to increase community awareness, stakeholders participation and endorsement, and to maximize the project/program outcome and impact.

OUR MISSION

To promote health, culture, peace, reconciliation, and human development including humanitarian intervention in Liberia through advocacy, social mobilization, community engagement, education, empowerment, and outreach activities.

Past Projects/Programs and Major Achievements

Founded in 1994 and officially registered in 2001 by Ambassador Juli Endee, Cultural Ambassador and Traditional Queen of the Republic of Liberia, LCP’s vision is to create an enabling environment in Liberia where people can maximize their God given potentials; and to reduce the prevalent of extreme poverty and preventable diseases.

Over the past two decades, LCP has contributed immensely to the social development and quality of life of thousands of people in all 15 counties of Liberia; with continuous focus on peace and reconciliation promotion, women and youth economic empowerment, critical humanitarian interventions, and social behavioral change communication.

Below are synopses of our past projects/programs and major achievements:

• National Immunization Days (NIDs) campaign in Liberia between 1994 to early 2000, a campaign that supported the Government of Liberia to fight the deadly virus; a process which eventually led to declaring Liberia Polio free in 2008, and our Executive Director was awarded UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador by Rima Salah, UNICEF Regional Director for West Africa for LCP’s outstanding contributions to polio eradication in Liberia and to the wellbeing of children in sub-Saharan Africa;
• Extensive brand recognition across Liberia backed by more than 20-years of national/community service (fighting preventable diseases, illiteracy, unemployment, extreme poverty, and human degradation);
• LCP successfully implemented several Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) prevention and awareness projects and programs during the national Ebola epidemic in Liberia including cross border prevention activities targeting counties and communities bordering with Guinea and Sierra Leone;
• Founder of the annual National Golden Image Award Program. A national and international award for leadership, peace, and public/community service, and for innovation in public service delivery and human development initiatives. Since its inception in 2011, the award has contributed significantly to innovation and performance in the public, private, and the development sectors of Liberia;
• LCP has established a sustainable partnership with both local and international organizations including the Government of Liberia Ministries and Agencies, UNICEF, WHO, Carter Center, MercyCorps, Leidos Biomedical Research, etc. and has been recognized by national and international NGOs, UN agencies and the Government of Liberia Ministries and agencies for the outstanding role played and continue to play in the humanitarian sector at the community, local and national levels in Liberia;
• In recognition of our excellent cultural education program, LCP was selected to participate in several major cultural festivals and events around the world including, but not limited to the Cultural Festival held in the Peoples’ Republic of China in 2008; the African Union (AU) musical concert in Senegal in 2010; and UNESCO-sponsored cultural and musical concert in France in 2012;
• LCP has successfully initiated and coordinated several peace forums in Liberia and abroad including the Chief Tamba Taylor national peace forum code named ‘Kukaturnon’; the West Africa Regional peace tour and peace mission in the USA held under the theme “Liberia Cry for Peace”; and the “PEACE for MAMA Liberia” forum held in support of peace during and after 2005 general elections in Liberia;
• LCP initiated and led the production of the first peace song in Liberia and in the Mano River Basin countries (Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone);
• Successfully produced jingles and dramas (audio and video) in English, French, local Liberia vernaculars, and Creole that contributed to increased awareness and appropriate behavioral changes during the Ebola epidemic in West Africa (2014-2015);
• Successfully planned and led the first National Disarmament campaign in Liberia in 1996 during the Liberian civil war;
• Planned and implemented nationwide sensitization campaign on the Truth and Reconciliation process after the Liberian civil war between 2006-2008;
• Nationwide civic education on the National Housing and Population Census of Liberia for the Liberia Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) in 2008;
• National public awareness campaign on Tribal Certificates and Land Deeds;
• Alternate Dispute and Conflict Resolution; the establishment and importance of the Land Coordination Centers in Lofa, Nimba, Bong, Maryland and Margibi Counties; and the Mandate of the Land Commission. These activities were organized by LCP and supported by USAID funded Land Conflict Resolution Project (LCRP) for the Land Commission;
• Complementary Food and Breastfeeding education and sensitization campaign in Gbarpolu and Grand Gedeh Counties, Liberia (2012/2013);
• World Food Program (WFP) back to the soil project social mobilization and community engagement and awareness in 2004;
• Women Empowerment and the Rule of Law sensitization campaign for the Carter Center funded by USAID in 2010-2012;
• Production of dramas (audio and video) to increase public awareness on good governance for Liberia’s Governance Commission in 2012;
• Production of dramas (audio and video) to increase public awareness on the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) for the erstwhile Ministry of Finance of Liberia in 2012.