By: Akoi M. Baysah, Jr.
The Feminist Alliance, in collaboration with a coalition of women’s rights organizations in Liberia, has commended Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan for allocating US$150,000 toward safe homes to strengthen services addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.
In a statement, the Alliance also recognized the contributions of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection for convening stakeholders and maintaining an inclusive platform that allows civil society organizations to actively engage in national policy and budget advocacy processes.
According to the group, safe homes remain a critical component of the country’s response to SGBV, offering survivors immediate protection, secure shelter, psychosocial support, and access to justice.
The allocation, they noted, reflects growing acknowledgment of the urgent need to invest in survivor-centered services nationwide.
The Alliance attributed the milestone to years of sustained advocacy and evidence-based engagement with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
Budget analyses conducted between 2019 and 2023, along with a review of the 2024/2025 national budget, revealed persistent gaps, including inconsistent government financing for SGBV services, heavy reliance on donor funding, and underinvestment in safe homes.
While welcoming the development, the organizations stressed that the US$150,000 allocation represents only an initial step and must be significantly increased to adequately address the needs of survivors across the country.
They emphasized that sustainable and expanded domestic financing is essential to building a resilient and accessible support system.
The Feminist Alliance is now calling on the National Legislature to urgently approve the supplemental budget to ensure that the allocation is implemented without delay.
The group underscored that timely legislative action is crucial to translating policy commitments into tangible services for survivors.
Additionally, the coalition is advocating for transparent and timely disbursement of funds, increased and sustained domestic financing for SGBV programs, the creation of dedicated budget lines across relevant ministries, and a coordinated national approach to combating SGBV.
