Africa-Press – Liberia. The ceremony, attended by senior government officials, religious leaders, international partners, and community representatives, marked what stakeholders described as a pivotal turning point in Liberia’s development landscape.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) on Tuesday launched a bold and highly anticipated five-year country strategy for Liberia with the unveiling of an agenda that places human dignity, local ownership, and community-driven development at the center of its mission from 2025 to 2030.
The ceremony, attended by senior government officials, religious leaders, international partners, and community representatives, marked what stakeholders described as a pivotal turning point in Liberia’s development landscape.
Speaking via a virtual platform, CRS President and CEO Sean Callahan emphasized that “human dignity is what CRS has worked around over the years of our existence.”
He announced that the new strategy will focus on four pillars, namely; health and nutrition; agriculture and food security; education and emergency response, which he said directly reflect Liberia’s own national development priorities.
Church Leadership: A Strategy Rooted in Faith and Human Development
Also in remarks, Catholic Archbishop Gabriel Blamo Snosio Jubwe, described the new strategy as “more than a strategic unveiling,” stating that it’s a reaffirmation of CRS’s long-standing commitment to the holistic development of the Liberian people.
For over 65 years, the Archbishop noted, CRS has stood with Liberia through war, recovery, and nation rebuilding, offering not just humanitarian aid but “dignity, partnership and transformational change.”
He grounded CRS’s approach in core Catholic Social Teachings – human dignity, solidarity, preferential option for the poor, subsidiarity, care for creation, and the common good principles he said form the moral compass guiding CRS’ work.
“Development is not only about infrastructure or economic indicators. It is about ensuring that every Liberian child can dream, every family can thrive, and every community can rise, Archbishop Jubwe stressed.”
He assured the government and partners that the Catholic Church remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting the strategy’s implementation, praying that the new chapter be marked by “grace, impact, and enduring hope.”
Government Applauds CRS for Aligning With National ARREST Agenda
Liberia’s Minister of Internal Affairs Francis Sakila Nyumalin hailed CRS’s strategy as a “calculated and actionable plan” that directly strengthens the government’s ARREST Agenda – Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism.
He praised CRS for shifting development from a donor-driven model to one that empowers communities to design, implement, and own their progress.
“For too long, development has been something done to communities. This strategy radically shifts that paradigm. Development must be something designed, implemented, and owned by communities themselves,” he noted.
The Minister furthered that CRS’ targeted interventions in agriculture, disaster preparedness, and support for vulnerable populations are not parallel initiatives but “an integral part of the engine of national development.”
He pledged the Ministry’s full commitment to strengthening local governance structures, removing bureaucratic bottlenecks, and ensuring communities have access to resources needed for sustained development.
CRS Liberia Country Representative: A Strategy Built Through National Dialogue
CRS Country Representative Glynnis Cummings-John Udoakang described the strategy as the product of rigorous consultations with communities, government leaders, youth groups, and partners across the country.
She emphasized CRS’s commitment to transparency, responsible stewardship, and youth engagement as the organization moves to implement programs in emergency response, agriculture and livelihoods, health, nutrition, WASH, and education.
“We will continue to serve communities with compassion. And together, we can create a better Liberia—a place where development is in the hands of the people,” she asserted.
A Unified Call to Build a Liberia Where Every Citizen Can Thrive
With the 2025–2030 strategy officially launched, CRS and its partners say the focus now turns to implementation with assurance that every intervention will strengthen local capacity and help build a Liberia where justice, peace, resilience, and opportunity flourish.
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