Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and Liberian society: 1970--2000

International NGOs have been involved in Liberia's development since the first group of religious organizations, some of whom, the Methodists and Baptists, arrived with the settlers in 1822. The majority of the Liberian population lives in the rural areas, but rural development programs were neglected until the 1970s by the centralized government, which since independence in 1847 was controlled by the elitist class, the Americo-Liberians. In 1980 a coup d'etat ushered in an indigenous president. This coincided with the ending of the Cold War, which obviated the need for the West to finance the development of Liberia and other Third World countries. The mounting debt burden and reduction in foreign aid affected the Liberian government's ability to finance development projects causing a marked decline, and in some instances a cessation of regular maintenance of government-funded facilities and many community projects. This created a development gap that NGOs had to fill.; The outbreak of civil war, in 1989, caused an influx of international humanitarian NGOs, and United Nations agencies to respond to the crisis. This study follows the development path and operations of a sample group of NGOs in Liberia. It also examines the relationship between NGOs and Liberian society, and the change in the role and number of NGOs as they tried to keep up with the pace of the growing social, political and economic vacuum that finally peaked with the breakdown of civil society. Since the official end of the 14-year war in 2003, international donor organizations continue to employ the assistance of NGOs and international agencies through which to carryout relief and most social development activities due to the continuing weakness of the Liberian state, which has been responsible for the limited impact of NGO development activities. Lessons learned indicate the need for better cooperation between government and civil society, more balanced and complementary approaches to a people-centered development from the grassroots community level, in an enabling environment that will foster peace building, rehabilitation and reconstruction in order to put Liberia on the path to recovery.