ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the connections between poverty, water security, war and its aftermath, and women’s activism in Liberia. Liberia is still recovering from long civil wars that lasted from 1989 to 2003. The prevalence of extreme poverty remains and although water is abundant throughout the country, water availability is compromised by pollution, poor infrastructures, degraded wetlands, and climate change, among other factors. Foregrounding Liberian women’s activism and political participation from the 1920s to the feminist peace intervention in 2003, the author suggests how women could play an important role in water governance to reduce inequalities, particularly in relation to accessing drinking water. This is particularly important, she demonstrates, as water insecurity disproportionately affects women in conflict-affected countries. Significantly, women could play an essential role in developing strategies for more sustainable water management and for addressing drivers threatening peace and security.
