LCL-THRP Reducing Fragmentation through Empowerment & Support to Vulnerable Groups 

The Lutheran Church in Liberia Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Program – LCL-THRP is a faith-based non-governmental organization established in 1998 to promote peace-building and national reconciliation, providing psychosocial rehabilitation and trauma-healing interventions to those in need.

The LCL-THRP contributes to the number one goal of the Civil Peace Service – CPS’s work- empowering marginalized groups to help reduce societal fragmentation. Under this goal, LCL-THRP provides psychosocial rehabilitation and other interventions to returnees, substance abusers, and their families in various communities throughout Liberia.

LCL-THRP is implementing peace-building and conflict-resolution programs in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, and the Psychosocial and Rehabilitation component in Montserrado and Bong Counties. In the last few months, the organization has implemented several activities as part of its program implementation under the Civil Peace Service, Bread for the World (BftW).

LCL-THRP also reactivated the local community structure in the county. The local community structures are groups in program communities. They include women and youth groups, peace clubs, and motorcyclist unions involved in disseminating peace messages and engaging community members about a violence-free society. Members of the structure distributed stickers and held awareness of peace-building for social cohesion and sustainable development. With the reactivation of the structure, LCL-THRP says its volunteers will actively engage communities in a violence-free society.

In Grand Bassa County, 30 women from the Women of Success Village Savings Loan Association (WSVSLA), underwent capacity-building training in business management. The training builds the capacity of low-income rural women, enabling them to manage their businesses and generate profits. The WSVSLA is an organization comprising rural women involved in mini-businesses, which contribute to addressing their daily needs. As a means of safety for money generated, LCL-THRP also donated a steel vault to enable them to deposit and safely keep their savings.

The Lutheran Church in Liberia Trauma Healing and Reconciliation program also donated medical supplies which included soap, tailoring machines, sanitary pads, and buckets to the disabled community and inmates at the Buchanan Central Prison. Presenting the items, Rev. J. Lewis G. McCay challenged communities and beneficiaries to utilize the opportunity and ensure a peaceful society.
 
“Our aim at the LCL-THRP is working with people to ensure that we all have a peaceful society. We hope that the donations will provide some relief to all of you,” Rev. J. Lewis G. McCay noted.

“The supplies will help ease some of the challenges many of you in the disabled community are faced with. These activities are being done under the LCL-THRP Bread for the World sponsored project,” he said.

Forty-six people from the disabled community – 25 visually impaired people and 21 disabled will benefit from the donation. The initiative by LCL-THRP seeks to ensure persons living with disabilities contribute to the provisions of their families’ livelihoods.