Liberia Rural Workers Trade Union (LIRWTU) is a national trade union movement that recognises the urgent need for solutions that are led and understood by indigenous people not only to improve lives in indigenous communities, but also a resource for solving social, econcomic and environmental challenges in Liberia.
Witnessing poverty and recognizing it as a threat to development, LIRWTU addresses it through education and awareness campaign that demonstrates interest and commitment to assist indigenous people especially, when it comes to the land rights issuses which require great attention.
Its mission is to foster indigenous solutions and create partnerships and affiliations among indigenous people around the world, and to transform the relationship between urban dwellers and rural communities to one of mutual understanding and benefit, following these values:
Respect: Honor tradition and respect the idea of indigenous people
Responsibility: Recognise that indigenous peoples sholud speak for themselves and be responsible
Relationship: Engage with indigenous communities by understanding the nature of relationship among ancestral culture, land and spirituality.
LIRWTU provides indigenous rural workers access to essential traning in agriculture, holding seminars and workshops for both women and youth, to provide livelihood, develop communities, and contribute to food sovereignty. Its advocacy campaigns include preserving the indigenous people’s right to cultural diversity and the right to land, rendering legal assistance to trade union members in cases of arbitrary land disputes, suspension, or detention. It also works with people with disability and children who have been victims of abuse.
As a country-wide organization, LIRWTU strives to be a formidable and trusted labour union working for the interests of indigenous workers in Liberia and seeks to strengthen its ability to make its work more visible all over Liberia. It has coverage over two counties and its local chapters act autonomously within the framework of labor law. Its membership consists of native Liberian leaders including elders who serve as knowledge keepers, and other members of indigenous communities in Liberia.
