A Long-Awaited Lifeline: How Social Cash Transfers Are Reaching the Forgotten Corners of Liberia

In the quiet village of Maaken Town, five miles north of Fish Town—the capital of River Gee County in southeastern Liberia—an elderly woman named Ma Cecelia Brown sits on her wooden stool beneath the shade of a thatched roof hut. She is soft-spoken but determined, her voice seasoned with years of waiting, hoping, and working just to get by.

For years, Ma Cecelia had heard whispers—stories drifting in from neighbouring districts—about families receiving what locals called “free money.” These were the social cash transfers: small but significant sums of money given to the most vulnerable households; no strings attached. She never saw it in her community, but she kept hoping. “I used to hear about it from people in other places,” she says. “I prayed and hoped that one day, it would reach me too.”

In 2025, that hope finally became reality.

Thanks to the Recovery of Economic Activity for Liberian Informal Sector Employment (REALISE) Project, financed by the World Bank, Ma Cecelia Brown is now a registered beneficiary of the Cash Transfer Program—part of a larger initiative targeting poverty and vulnerability across Liberia. River Gee is one of four counties currently benefiting from this program, which provides six rounds of financial support to each selected household.

For Ma Cecelia, who is in her late 60s, the support couldn’t have come at a more critical time.

Life on the Margins

Life has never been easy for Ma Cecelia. Widowed for several years and with no children to support her, she has survived through sheer willpower and hard work. Twice a month, she makes the long journey to Fish Town to sell vegetables at the local market—bitter balls, greens, and sometimes a handful of plantains. The profit is modest, but it’s just enough to buy half a 25kg bag of rice, the staple that keeps her going.

“There are days when I go without,” she admits. “Sometimes I sell everything and still can’t afford all I need.”

Her story is painfully common in rural Liberia, where elderly women like her often fall through the cracks of economic recovery. Decades of civil war, followed by the Ebola crisis and the economic impact of COVID-19, have left many parts of the country underdeveloped and underserved. Basic services—healthcare, education, and even food security—remain out of reach for thousands.

A Program Rooted in Social Justice

Liberia’s journey with social cash transfers began in earnest in the early 2010s, when government and development partners recognized that traditional aid and food distribution were not enough to combat structural poverty. Early programs, such as the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) scheme piloted in Bomi County, showed promising results—especially in boosting school attendance and improving household nutrition.

With the support of the World Bank and other partners, the Liberian government gradually expanded these programs. Today, the REALISE Project represents a scaled-up, post-pandemic response focused on the informal sector—where most Liberians work, often without contracts or steady income.

Hope, at Last

Back in Maaken Town, Ma Cecelia clutches her enrolment card like a treasure. “I felt like crying,” she says, recalling the day she was registered. “Not tears of sadness, but of joy. I knew this small help would change my life.”

“Even small money can bring big change,” she says.

For women like Ma Cecelia, the REALISE Project isn’t just another development initiative—it’s a beacon of hope, a sign that the forgotten are finally being seen. And in places like River Gee, that recognition means everything.