4829 Lavista Rd. Tucker, GA 30084/Afropolitan Building, Newport St. Monrovia, Liberia
history OF LIBERIA
Liberia is a country of 4.9 million people, located in West Africa and is known as one of Africa’s oldest republics. It was founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society and the freed slaves from the United States as a save haven for freed blacks everywhere. The capital of Liberia is Monrovia, named after President James Monroe. The official language is English, over 80% of the population is Christian.
Liberia suffered its first coup d’etat in 1980, which led to a slow decline of the economy. Things got worse in 1990 when it underwent a 14-year civil war that claimed the lives of thousands of people, leaving many children and youth homeless and orphaned. To date, Liberia is rebuilding, but has 54% of its citizens living below the poverty line, meaning its people make below $2.00 US per day, leaving Liberia with the 3rd lowest GDP in the world. Given the current state of affairs in Liberia, the healthcare system is extremely poor, diseases are rampant, and supplies are scarce. As for the education system, the lack of qualified teachers and poor student attendance has caused the literacy rate to drop substantially, as low as 47.6 for adults, 65% for males, and 57% for females.
