A29. Cold storage for fish in Little Bassa, Liberia

Context

IDEFOCS, Human Rights & Science and Action10 are currently supporting a project that aims to reintegrate child soldiers that have been victims of the war in Liberia. The project is based in Little Bassa, a peaceful village by the sea, located just one hour by car from Monrovia. 

Fish is a staple in Liberia, but it’s a delicate nourishment that spoils easily and can lead consumers to face health risks.  The lack of a cold storage facility in Little Bassa is causing numerous issues such as food loss and waste and it also represents a huge obstacle to the self-sustainability of Little Bassa causing social and gender disparity. One of the most important needs in the village is to build a cold storage facility for the fish.

As the fish needs to be sold right away because there is no access to cooling, it becomes difficult to operate a sustainable business which in turn leads to poor standards of living in the area: poverty and food insecurity are high across the country and are particularly acute in Liberia’s rural areas where 51 percent of the population lives. Some 83.8 percent of the population live on less than US$1.25 a day.

Ambition

IDEFOCS, Human Rights & Science and Action10 will support the fishing village through building cold storage facilities that will lead to the satisfaction of the needs of Little Bassa, improve the food security and empower the community towards a more self-sustainable future. At the same time, this project will support the social growth of the local community favouring the individuals’ emancipation through economic independence.