THEY NEED ALL THE HELP THEY CAN GET
At CRCU, we believe every child deserves a strong start in life. Therefore, our Early Childhood Education Access and Quality program supports children and families by removing barriers to quality early learning and promoting access in rural communities in Liberia. We believe that most of the children who are living in the rural part of the country live in extreme poverty, or with disabilities, face abuse, stress, and limited access to essential services. Their caregivers often lack the resources and support needed to provide nurturing care, putting children at risk of developmental delays and lifelong disadvantages.
CRCU places child safeguarding at the center of everything we do. We actively protect children from violence, neglect, exploitation, abuse, and emotional harm. We create safe spaces, strengthen community protection systems, and educate families and communities about children’s rights. We take decisive action to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence, especially against girls.
CRCU recognizes that mental health is essential to children’s overall development and well-being, beginning from infancy. In Liberia, children are often exposed to poverty, trauma, family separation, community violence, and post-conflict stressors that put them at risk of mental health problems. These experiences can lead to long-term emotional, behavioral, and developmental challenges without early support. Our Infant and Children’s Mental Health program promotes emotional well-being and resilience from the earliest stages of life.
CRCU offers pre- and in-service training, licensing, and professional development for ECE teachers. We also lobby for funding to provide rural teachers who are not residents of that area but are willing to leave their comfort zone to serve in those rural settings with housing incentives and strengthen local leadership and community-based facilitators in ECD.
The CRCU Children’s Forum provides a structured and safe space for children to express their views on issues that directly affect their lives, such as education, protection, health, and community development. Children meet regularly to discuss issues affecting them, present community concerns to local leaders and stakeholders, and participate in civic activities (e.g., World Children’s Day, Day of the African Child).
We advocate for increased ECD financing and implementation of national ECD policies, build community capacity for data collection and ECD/EC monitoring, promote evidence-based decision-making through research and policy dialogue and conduct evidence-based policy research, follow the day-to-day legislative processes, and strengthen collaboration among policymakers and developmental research scientists in the country.
Parenting, Caregiving, and Family Engagement (PCFE) Program
Conduct parenting education and home-visiting programs.
We provide culturally appropriate caregiver materials and strengthen parent-child relationships
and family involvement in early learning.
Child Health, Nutrition, and WASH Integration (CHNWI) Program
We integrate child health promotion and nutrition education with ECD,
support school feeding programs and access to clean water and sanitation (WASH). We train caregivers and
children on hygiene and malnutrition prevention.
CRCU creates safe spaces, trains communities, and responds to violence, neglect, and exploitation—especially for girls.
We address childhood trauma and emotional distress through psychosocial care, trauma-informed teaching, and early support systems.
Through CRCU Children’s Forums, we promote child-led advocacy, civic engagement, and talent development in rural communities.