Centre de presse

This map does not reflect a position by UNICEF on the legal status of any country or territory or the delimitation of any frontiers.

Several hundred thousand Liberians have been repeatedly displaced through the years, losing all their worldly belongings in their constant search for security. The Liberian economy and basic social services have been devastated, while unemployment stands at 85 percent. As a result, nine out of ten Liberians live in absolute poverty (less than $1 per day) and, out of these nine, half live on less than $0.50 per day.

Some 81 percent of Liberian children aged 6-12 are not in school and, even for the few in school, only 42 per cent attain minimal levels of learning achievement because they are hungry and distracted.

• The promise of Liberia's back-to-school effort
• First mass measles vaccination in 3 years in Tubmanburg
• UN calls for cessation of hostilities and protection of children
• UNICEF concerned about children caught in the conflict

B-Roll

• Soldier Boy - In Liberia, thousands of children are forced to fight as soldiers in a civil war that has been raging since 1989. This docudrama profiles 13-year-old Mike who, when driven by the militia to join the army, tries to slip away after one bloody assault. But boy soldiers who have escaped are often rejected by their relatives because they have 'blood on their hands'. Until peace returns, he will have to fend for himself.

To donate: UNICEF web site for donations for children from Liberia

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