Photo credit: DUBAWA
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For many PWDs, the story of hope dies the minute one becomes physically challenged. And if by a twist of fate one was born with any form of disability in Liberia, hope, most often, becomes a mirage as life turns into a listless statistic.
Over 534,000 people live with a functional disability in Liberia. And even though the National Commission on Disability and other laws in Liberia contemplate a life of dignity for the PWDs, their daily reality is grim and doom.
Karbah Benedict Kollie is one of them.
He sat quietly in front of his apartment with his daughter watching the clouds shuffle, echoing a glance of hope, or what remains of it. The wind blew, trees waved their leaves to creation, and the atmosphere whispered calm, but deep within the hearts and minds of Karbah and his 9-year-old daughter, chaos and uncertainty had become their reality.
This chaos has become a routine every other day, years after that fateful day— October 2017. His left leg was amputated along with his dream, his hope, passion, and well-being. The bubbly life of a medical student with hopes of becoming a doctor in the not-too-distant future was snuffed out for him and his family. He now lives in a concentration camp searching for answers, each day to the many challenges life has thrown at him and his daughter.
In this report, DUBAWA takes a sneak peek into the bleak story of Liberia’s PWD through the lens of Kollie.
No country is immune to having a PWD population, but years of war and Ebola left a sizable population of Liberia with half limbs and hands and an uncertain future. Kollie survived Ebola and the war that came before it. He was marked for greatness with a medical profession well within reach. He had started his medical school with a side job to pay his fees and ease the financial burden on his family. But that which put food on his table and fueled a life-long ambition was the same that snatched the food and left him desolate and in despair.
On Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, Kollie had gone to work. He loaded pieces of logs onto a truck as he usually did.
“While putting the logs on the truck, I sat down on one of the logs, taking down records. Mistakenly, the truck ran into me and smashed my leg. According to the Machine Operator [who operates the truck], he lost control, and before he could notify me, it was already late. I couldn’t move. My leg was gone. They brought a pickup to rush me to the hospital.”
Life has not been the same again. He went to work whole, poised for success and victory in life, but returned home with half of his leg, turning him into an unenviable statistic of Liberia’s PWD. ‘How am I going to survive this? What becomes of my dreams, my ambitions, my family? Who is going to take care of us became the thoughts and questions that gushed out with every oozing blood from the leg area.
Kolie’s first battle as a PWD was with his former employer. It was agreed shortly after the incident that they would fund his medical education with an $80 USD per month allowance and an apartment to be rented for him. But all those promises were never to be fulfilled. The Human Resources rejected the agreement, Kollie narrated. He was left with no choice but to proceed to court with a negligence and employer’s liability suit in Voijama. He received a compensation of $5,000 USD but that was only to satisfy the sprints of life and not the marathon. No matter how his investment options were, the money could not cater for his entire life’s ambitions, daily expenses, and those of his daughter. He was going to run dry at some point, and so he did.
For now, Kollie’s future, as is the case with many PWDs in Liberia, is no longer for him to determine. His survival is now predicated on three things: the enduring grace of God, the goodness of men, and the laws of Liberia. Out of the three, it is only the laws of Liberia that DUBAWA can interrogate and explore how those laws can come to the rescue of Kollie and other persons living with disability.
Liberia is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, which, among others, calls for equal opportunity, respect for inherent dignity, participation, and inclusion.
It appears, however, that Liberia’s commitment to the Convention is only in signatures but not in deeds.
It has been almost eight years since the horrific incident with Kollie, but his experiences have been anything but respect, inclusion, participation, or equal opportunity as enshrined in the Convention. Not long after the incident and the depression that came with it, he had a shocker.
Additional complications
One fine morning, when he went to class in an attempt to pick up the pieces of his life, his professor looked him in the face and told him, “You need to change your course. This field isn’t for people with your condition.” That felt like a dagger pierced down the heart of a man who was already down with his hands lifted in battle. The accident in itself was depressing, but to be reminded of his new estate was a new low his depressed mind could not fathom. His life was now a condition to be looked down on.
He dropped out of the course for his own safety and sanity. Inclusion was only in fine print.
Kollie has since sent several application letters in search of a new job, a new hope. If he were lucky, he would be told there was no vacancy in the organisation he had applied for, only for the position to be filled later by able-bodied men and women. And on the many occasions when he was not lucky, his prospective employer would look at his frame and remind him of “his condition” while still denying him the job.
“In one of my job hunts, I was even told this job is not for cripples.” Karbah’s eyes welled up in tears as he repeated those words. “I am a Bachelor Candidate in Education,” he recounts, “and I obtained a few certificates in Business and Community Service, but nothing seems to be enough to get employed.”
Beyond the UN Convention on the Rights of PWD, DUBAWA proceeded to look into the laws of Liberia and the responsibilities they impose on governments for the vulnerable PWDs.
Lawmakers turned lawbreakers?
Section 9 of the 2005 NCD Act pushes for three seats in the Legislature to be reserved for PWDs. For many PWDs who consider themselves down and out in life, a sight of a fellow PWD occupying a seat in the legislature would be a refreshing new experience, a motivating factor. But sadly, this portion hasn’t been implemented. Even though this recommendation hasn’t taken effect, a female from the PWDs community Rosanna Shaack was elected as a Representative of Rivercess County to the House of Representatives in 2017, but couldn’t retain her seat during the 2023 general Presidential and Representatives elections, further intensifying the debate for inclusive governance.
Research done by DUBAWA at the National Legislature proves that Liberia hasn’t reserved a single seat for PWDs since 2005. In a conversation with Mr. Samuel Dean, Executive Director for the National Commission on Disabilities (NCD), also a former Representative candidate in the 2023 General elections in Liberia, acknowledged the failure of the Legislature to preserve a seat for PWDs as stated by law.
However, beyond the failure by the Legislature, Dean thinks that the action to leave people with disabilities behind is proudly sponsored by public perception.
“Most sections in the Act that establish a National Commission on Disability haven’t been implemented, and Section 9 is no exception. You know, some of us decided to test the waters to be able to break the glass ceiling metaphorically and become a part of public life, like you talk about in my attempt in District 8. And it was not successful because studies show that there are three barriers to political participation for persons with disabilities. Education, money, and stigmatization. So I had the money and I had the education, but the stigmatization still existed because people don’t know that a person with disabilities can assume a leadership position,” he said
He added, “They always believe that there’s something wrong with you. I was qualified, but stigmatisation was what held me back, and I lost the elections. So because of stigmatisation, I strongly believe it is the reason why laws like the act that established the National Commission on Disabilities, Section 9, should be seriously thought about being enacted.”
Lack of Employment
It has been almost eight years since Karbah Kollie lost his job. But even with his sharp brain and glossy certificates, no employer is willing to risk the job by employing a man with a “condition.”
Section 5 of the NCD Act calls for the employment of qualified PWDs in government ministries and agencies. The portion states that for every 100 non-disabled employees 4% must be qualified or funds must be provided for their employment elsewhere.
The National Legislature has approximately 500 staff employees, but PWDs do not make up even 2% of this number. The House of Representatives has only four employees who are PWDs out of over three hundred staff. Of these four employees, only one PWD (James Woods) was recently added to the supplementary payroll (not a full employee) as Central Staff. The other three PWDs are personal staff to lawmakers in the House of Representatives. This means if the lawmaker loses his seat or dies, automatically the PWD also loses the job.
From 2024 till now, there have been over 500 government appointees in public offices. Of this number, approximately ten employees are persons with disabilities, which is by far less than the 4% threshold.
Commenting on that, NCD Director Dean confirmed limited employment of PWDs in government entities.
“Now, we have yet to find out whether that quota has been achieved, because we haven’t done the data yet. But it’s less than likely that it has, given the social stigma atmosphere. A lot of times, people prefer persons with disabilities to be beggars, [and] to be a liability to the society, and that is why the opportunity is not accorded to them.”
When the researcher contacted the Civil Servant Agency(CSA), a principal human resource arm of the government of Liberia responsible for managing the workforce and ensuring the compliance of established regulations in the public sector, it was clear there paucity of data on employed PWDs in Liberia.
The Director of Employment at CSA, Aloysious Jackson told DUBAWA there is no available data on the number of PWDs currently employed in the public sector. He said the categorization of employees at CSA doesn’t include PWDs. “We don’t have data on PWDs right now. To provide such data will take a very long time because we have not done it before. Our category of employment looks at new employees, old employees, change of name etc. it doesn’t capture people with disabilities.”
The situation is not unique to CSA. The Ministry of Labor with the responsibility to regulate employment in the private sector doesn’t have data on the workforce of persons with disabilities in the sector.
Mr. Joseph Kortu Nyandibo, Director for Communications at the Ministry of Labor acknowledged the deficiency of government to meet the 4% threshold of PWDs employment, while affirming the government of Liberia support to addressing this challenge.
Interestingly, SI 3: of 2018-2022 National Plans on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities focuses on Employment & Livelihoods, but very little has been achieved in that regard.
Findings from the revised National Plans on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities 2023-2027 state that although small pockets of success have been achieved on the implementation of SI:3 (2018-2022), the vast majority of persons with disabilities continue to face discrimination in the workforce, hiring, and retention.
“There are people with disabilities who have graduate degrees begging on the streets because no one will hire them,” the report said, exemplifying the dire situation Kollie finds himself in.
DUBAWA attempted to find out how many PWD are gainfully employed, at least in the public sector of Liberia. But there is no publicly available data for persons living with disabilities employed in the public sector.
Mr. Dean told DUBAWA that the NCD has written to UNFPA for funding support to survey the number of PWDs employed in the public sector.
‘Beggars Avenue’
In hunger, a group of PWDs under the banner Concerned United Disabled at the Capitol Building gather every morning at the National Legislature to seek money, empathy from lawmakers, and philanthropists visiting the legislature. Whether rain or shine, these men and women will gather at the entrance of the Liberian Senate to beg for their daily bread.
PWDs sit at the entrance of the Liberian Senate in search of daily bread. Photo credit: DUBAWA
Joseph Gbayan, spokesperson for the group, told DUBAWA their daily visits to the Capitol Building aren’t just to fend for their families. Still, it’s an advocacy to draw policymakers’ attention to their plight and to ask for possible employment in the workplace.
“We are tired of begging for money every day to eat. Some of us have children we need to take care of, but we don’t have anything doing” he said, adding, “we come here every day with the hope that one day they will feel sorry for us and put us on payroll.”
The body isn’t just sitting and waiting for a miracle to happen, but they are engaging relevant authorities in the Senate to have their plights met. According to Gbanyan, the group has written to the Chairman on Rules, Orders, and Administration Gbleh-Bo Brown at the Liberian Senate, alongside the Protempore of the Senate Nyonblee Karina-Lawrence, but have yet to receive a response about their communications.
Their quest is not entirely set on a public job. They told DUBAWA that they are willing to stop begging at the legislature if they have the means of establishing a micro-business.
Outlining challenges they undergo daily, Gbanyan said most times, Capitol Building Security can deny them access to its premises. Also, they have to sit in an open field all day in order to spot people coming in and run to them for help.
“The lawmakers are getting tired of us now, they don’t give us money like that anymore. It is the government officials coming from outside that can feel sorry for us these days.”
Mobility and Liberia’s infrastructure
For PWDs, easy access to public and private infrastructure is a luxury they dream to have but are left each day with a torture of climbing staircases or being carried to do so by caregivers. For Kollie, who once did everything by himself and could climb the tallest mountain in a fit of ecstasy, this new condition can only be debilitating.
A five-year National Plan on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (2018-2022) SI 1: looks at the accessibility of public facilities to persons with disabilities in Liberia. This aspect in the five-year plan calls for the creation of pathways suitable for persons with disabilities in public buildings such as schools, offices, etc.
However, a review of this policy in 2023 revealed that public buildings remain largely inaccessible to persons with mobility impairments. Poor road conditions remain a transportation challenge and a general safety concern for PWDs. A recurring theme among stakeholder listening sessions was the perception of insufficient ‘political will’ within the government to prioritize the needs of Liberian citizens.
Eight years after the moratorium, this researcher visited the Liberian Legislature, the Monrovia Vocational Training Center (government-owned), and the Netlib Vocational Training Center (private institute) to find out how accessible these public and private buildings are and whether the five-year National Plan has been executed. The findings are worrying and depressing.
For the National Legislature, lamps for PWDs are only found at the entrance of the buildings, which limits their access to only the ground floor of the buildings. Elevators in these buildings are not functioning, inhibiting access to other floors of the buildings, so the PWDs have to do so by means of a staircase.
Entrance of the Liberian Senate and the malfunctioning elevator. Photo credit: DUBAWA
The situation is the same with Monrovia Vocational Training Center (MVTC) and the Netlib Vocational Training Center (NVTC).
Ramps at MVTC, Photo credit: DUBAWA
For the Monrovia Vocational Training Center (MVTC), the number one government TVET Institution in Monrovia doesn’t have a single PWD as an employee nor as a student. MVTC’S Director Mr. Wilfred Payne told DUBAWA, the Institution has not been able to accommodate students with disabilities because its courses are technical. Programmes offered at MVTC include: carpentry, masonry, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical engineering.
The Monrovia Vocational Training in Montserrado. Photo credit: DUBAWA
Stalled Education for PWDs
Even more disheartening is the fact that whilst the National Policy under PI 3.3 calls for a school-to-work transition programmes for youth with disabilities and access to pathways for vocational training, successive governments have shown no clear commitment to fulfilling this objective.
The policy was expected to provide a framework for educational institutions in Liberia to make fundamental changes in their system and infrastructure by simultaneously integrating inclusive pedagogical methodologies and fostering an inclusive learning culture. However, presently, adequate funding for this division has not been allocated.
According to the findings, 11 recorded schools provide special education to children with disabilities; three provide special education for children who have hearing impairments, and three provide special education for visually impaired children. An exact count of the number of students with disabilities attending inclusive and special education programs was unavailable.
At the post-secondary level, lack of physical access due to unaccommodating infrastructure and limited accommodations (such as sign language interpreters) significantly restricted access to public universities. Private universities offer slightly more options for students with disabilities; however, they do not receive government funding and, as such, are often beyond the economic means of otherwise qualified students.
Silverlining
Despite the deep sea of frustration PWDs have experienced over time, there is a silver lining. Per PI 3.2 on written guidelines and financial support for the provision of reasonable workplace accommodations, including tax exemptions or concessions, cash transfers, duty waivers, and other subsidies, Mr Samuel Deans told DUBAWA that the commission hasn’t received a formal complaint from any of its members on financial disparities.
According to him, persons with disabilities get equal work for equal pay. “Once you qualify, you get paid. You know, the ceiling that is required of you.”
“So far, I don’t see any improprieties; that’s just because you are a person with a disability, you get a different pay because of discrimination. We haven’t had that report yet. We know that if there is a threshold for employment for a person with a disability, they get it once they meet the qualifications. That’s what I know as far as that goes.”
After his futile search for a job, Kollie pledged not to be among the list of beggars on the streets. Instead, the 29-year-old decided to go into entrepreneurship. “I sell slippers, cosmetics for both males and females. Sometimes it is tough because business doesn’t always go smoothly,” he said.
His business, though helpful, remains a significant challenge in terms of proper storage facilities. Karbah cannot afford the cost of a business container for the static position of his goods. As a result of this, he has to pack all the materials during closing and store them in his room and return them during morning hours. It is a terrible situation, especially when he has to limp on one leg, pushing the goods in a wheelbarrow, or sometimes carried on his head. The journey from his house to his business centre is about a 5-minute walk, switching through corners, walls, and a rocky path, though sometimes helped by his sibling.
Civil Society Actors have recognised the challenges People with Disabilities face in Liberia, especially with the limited programmes created by the government to incorporate them. Mr Anderson D. Miamen, Executive Director of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), thinks the government should invest in the creation of programs for the employment of PWDs. The CENTAL boss stressed that the government’s inability to meet this requirement is a downplay to the Decent Work Act of Liberia, which calls for a 4% quota for qualified PWD in every 100 government employment.
Conclusion
It is clear from the above, that it will take a lot more years for Kollie and many other Persons With Disability to dream and live that dream with a sense of hope and optimism. But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a step and Kollie has taken that step hoping to get the support of the government, civil society organisation, international organisations to make Liberia and the world a safer place for PWDs.
A mind-blowing in-depth article. Thanks for giving voice to the voicless and telling the untold stories.