Where We Work
Southeastern Liberia is the poorest region of one of Africa’s poorest nations and has been severely affected by decades of war and poverty. Grand Gedeh County, where Tiyatien currently focuses its attention, is home to nearly 100,000 subsistence farmers, nearly 90% of whom were displaced during Liberia’s decades-long civil wars. These farmers can expect to live a mere 42 years, often eroded and embattled by harsh living conditions. These same conditions kill nearly a quarter of Liberia’s children before they turn five. Death during childbirth is also rampant, signaled by the shocking statistic that about one in twenty women can expect to die in childbirth. Interrupted disease control efforts have bred West Africa’s largest HIV epidemic here, with 9% of mothers infected. Amidst such despair, these communities are forced to deal with the reality of being served by only one doctor for all 100,000 people.
