VOA Community, Robert Field Highway, Montserrado County – A few years ago, Justina Kiazolu laid a handful of goods on a plank table at the VOA Community General Market and waited for customers. This Monday, she welcomed a World Bank Task Team to a 20-foot container stocked with goods of many kinds.
The Task Team was visiting under the Recovery of Economic Activity for Liberian Informal Sector Employment (REALISE) Project. It came to see how a business grant has changed the life of one market woman and her family.
A Business That Outgrew Its Table
Before the grant, Ms. Kiazolu sold only a few items. Her stock was limited by what she could afford to buy, and her plank table left her goods exposed.
Today her container holds a wide range of goods. It is a secure, permanent shop that draws regular customers along the busy Robert Field Highway.
“Before the grant, I had a small table and just a few things to sell. Some days I could not even buy enough stock to fill it. Today, I have a container, and my customers know where to find me.” – Justina Kiazolu
Each beneficiary of the SSB received the amount $900.00 in two tranches
The Visit
The Task Team and the REALISE PMT toured the businesses of several grant beneficiaries in the VOA market including Justina. They asked about her stock and sales, and heard how she used the grant. They also asked what challenges she still faces.
“We came to see with our own eyes what the REALISE Project is doing for people on the ground. What Madam Kiazolu has built shows what is possible when a small business gets the right support.” – Robert Chase, World Bank Practice Manger for Social Protection and Jobs in West Africa.
Ms. Kiazolu thanked the Government of Liberia and the project’s partners, and said she intends to keep growing.
“I want to thank the Government, the World Bank and everyone who made this possible. I am not stopping here. I want to add more goods and help other women in this market do the same.” – Justina Kiazolu
About the REALISE Project
REALISE is a government-led initiative to revive economic activity and create jobs in Liberia’s informal sector. It is backed by international financiers with a total portfolio of $42 million: the World Bank contributes $30 million, France $9.5 million and Sweden $2.5 million
The project has six components:
- Grant support to vulnerable households to revive or start small businesses
- Temporary employment and employability support for vulnerable workers
- Program implementation, capacity building and coordination
- A contingency emergency response component
- Community livelihood and agriculture support
- Social cash transfers and strengthening of the national social protection system
It is implemented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE). LACE leads the business grant component, which provides basic business management training and grants to beneficiaries in communities in Montserrado and Margibi counties.
The support goes beyond cash. In a recent rollout for West Point fishmongers, beneficiaries received training in financial management and proper use of funds before disbursement Participants are also selected through an open raffle, which keeps the process fair.
A Story That Speaks for the Market
For the traders of VOA, Ms. Kiazolu’s container is proof that a modest grant, paired with training and hard work, can change a family’s future
“[If you work hard and use the support well, you can grow. I started with a table, and now I have a container. Other women can do it too.” – Justina Kiazolu
