DRC first started working in Maryland County in south east Liberia in 1998 and has since expanded to also work in Nimba County in north Liberia, with sub-offices in River Gee and Grand Gedeh counties, all border Côte d’Ivoire. Many Liberians from these counties fled the country’s decade-long civil war and lived years as refugees in western Côte d’Ivoire. Today, following the post-electoral upheaval in Côte d’Ivoire, these areas in Liberia host many thousands of Ivorian refugees in turn.

Recovering from war
Almost 15 years of civil war forced the majority of civilians in Liberia to flee their homes, often several times. A peace agreement signed in 2003, along with the establishment of the United Nations Mission in Liberia, provided peace and stability to the country and given incentives to refugees and IDPs to return. The situation is relatively stable though scattered violence marred the recent presidential elections which saw Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf elected to serve a second term as president.

Apart from displacement, Liberia faces other challenges, i.e. lack of basic social services and facilities, including health, education, water and sanitation, high food insecurity and scarce livelihood opportunities. The large majority of the population lives below the poverty line. Most of the country's infrastructure was destroyed, leaving roads and bridges in very poor condition and severely complicating the efforts to deliver assistance to destitute populations.

The influx of 200,000 Ivorian refugees in 2011 placed a substantial strain on the resources of host communities in north and south-east Liberia. Small-scale, local conflicts continue to erupt, mainly among returnees and communities of return that compete for land and resources and in urban centres due to scarce livelihood opportunities. While many Ivorian refugees are returning to Côte d’Ivoire, many others will remain in Liberia in the foreseeable future, due to the unstable security and humanitarian situation in Côte d’Ivoire.

DRC’s work in Liberia
DRC’s activities in Liberia focus on the protection, return and reintegration of Liberian and Ivorian refugees and IDPs, within a context of emergency response, general recovery and reconstruction, and peace building at the community level.

The programme aims at strengthening the communities’ ability to plan and prioritize their own development, which is being done through the formulation of community action plans.The programmes are implemented in collaboration with local authorities and the communities. The communities themselves often contribute with e.g. local materials, labour and land. Furthermore, labour-intensive strategies form an essential backbone of the program, which aims at improving and stabilizing the security situation through employment creation.

As of January 2012, DRC’s operations in Liberia receive funding from Danida, EC, BPRM, OFDA, UNHCR, DRC’s own funds and private donations.