Monrovia, Liberia – Liberia is taking new steps toward national healing through a partnership with the international peace organization Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light. The country is still plagued by the wounds from the 1989–2003 civil war, which left deep social divisions and turned thousands of children into fighters.
Teachers, religious leaders, students, and journalists came together at a recent peace-building seminar at the Shincheonji Church of Jesus’ Bible School second headquarters on Duport Road with the common goal of confronting the lasting effects of war and re-establishing a culture of peace via education.
With almost 200,000 people killed, half of the population homeless, and an estimated 15,000–21,000 youngsters pushed into armed organizations, Liberia is still dealing with the long-term effects of its bloody civil war. Many of those former child soldiers, however, never received full rehabilitation, which adds to the ongoing cycle of trauma, violence, and societal unrest.
Macs Nyahn Meankakeh, the HWPL representative for Liberia, claims that the seminar’s 164 attendees and 68 organisations demonstrated the country’s rising interest in organised peace education. He underlined that the program aims to promote moral principles, civic duty, and discipline, especially among young people who are still dealing with the psychological effects of the conflict.
“I expect that peace education will be taught in schools across the country, beginning in Montserrado County,” Meankakeh said, recalling the devastating impact the war had on Liberia’s youth and the urgent need to reverse its effects.
Participants at the seminar echoed concerns about rising violence and indiscipline among young people, warning that failure to act could allow “rebel behavior” to take root in modern society. “We will use the methods taught to minimize violence in the minds of young people,” several school principals and teachers said. “If we remain idle, the situation could worsen across all sectors of society.”
The program focuses on HWPL’s Peace Education curriculum, which was developed by Chairman Lee Man-hee and encourages ethical leadership, interfaith communication, and conflict resolution. The organization, which has operations in over 100 nations and is connected to the UN through DGC and ECOSOC, seeks to make peace education a national priority.
The effort aims to integrate peacebuilding into daily life through collaborations with educational institutions, places of worship, and media outlets, turning classrooms into venues for long-term stability and reconciliation.
Many Liberians still endure what some refer to as a “economic war,” with poverty and adversity fuelling resentment and undermining societal values within families and communities, despite nearly two decades of relative calm.
Expanding peace education across the country, according to organisers, is not only a moral endeavour but also a calculated investment in Liberia’s future, one that could help end violent cycles and enable a new generation to govern with resilience and togetherness.
