Overview
Women and youth are not beneficiaries. They are the drivers of Liberia's future.
Women and youth together make up more than 60% of Liberia's population. Yet structural inequalities continue to lock them out of economic opportunity, political participation, and dignified livelihoods. Youth unemployment is high, worsened by insufficient vocational pathways and a challenging investment climate. Women face gender-based violence at alarming rates, bear the brunt of unpaid care work, and encounter persistent bias when accessing finance, land, and leadership roles. BDI's Gender and Youth Empowerment program is not a peripheral add-on to our work - it is a core driver of everything we do. Through entrepreneurship training, microfinance facilitation, youth leadership development, and deliberate norm-shifting at the community level, we are working to dismantle the structural barriers that have held women and youth back for too long.
Our Six-Point Approach
Entrepreneurship Boot Camps
Structured business development and financial literacy training for women and youth.
Microfinance and Savings Groups
Facilitating access to credit, savings groups, and mentorship networks.
Youth Leadership Clubs
Building civic engagement, leadership skills, and community ownership.
Gender Norm Dialogues
Working with community leaders to address harmful social norms.
Key Objectives
Provide vocational, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy training.
Strengthen women and youth-led businesses through mentorship and finance.
Increase youth civic engagement and leadership in communities.
Mainstream gender equality and youth inclusion across all BDI programs.
SDG Alignment