HISTORY AND OVERVIEW OF YONER LIBERIA:

 On August 18, 2003, the Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed by the warring parties of the Second Liberian Civil War. The August peace agreement marked the end to Liberia’s second civil war in less than a decade and the start of Liberia’s transition to a democracy.

The end of Liberia’s 14 years civil war marked a period of transition, where many youth including child soldiers needed to be reconciled with their families and reintegrate in their communities.

 A lone young man in pursuit of higher education and dreaming for better opportunities in the capital, Monrovia, Jarius Andrew Greaves encountered many young people like himself: with the desire to make something of their lives, but lacking the support systems. This challenged Jarius to look beyond his personal needs, and he began mobilizing youth for community work and other services from which they could earn minimal livelihood.

After many years of incubation, Jarius established YONER Liberia on February 4, 2008 in Harmon Field Community, Duport Road, Paynesville City, Liberia as a young and community development organization to support the rehabilitation, reintegration and reunion of former child soldiers with their families and communities and pursue their dreams, and become independent men and women.

YONER Liberia is a legally established youth-focused education and entrepreneurial development hub and tech education accelerator reimagining education and employability in Liberia. At YONER we accelerate technical education and learning, that facilitates the reimagination of education, employability, and entrepreneurship. We do this by fostering access to higher education, promoting sustainable agriculture through education, innovation and entrepreneurship and facilitating the adoption of technological innovations for education, employability and entrepreneurship.

 By its more than decade-long work, YONER Liberia has directly reached and impacted the lives of over 100,000 youth, students, women, and disadvantaged Liberians in six of fifteen counties of Liberia including Bong, Grand Bassa, Margibi, Montserrado, Nimba and Rivercess Counties. To date, YONER has raised and managed over US $600,000 in grants.

Over the past 5 years of rebranding, YONER’s program designs have specifically focused on facilitating young people and local community self-reliance, independence and preparedness for quality education, job and business opportunities across multiple sectors (including agriculture). YONER has raised and managed in grants over US$335,227.

·       With partnerships from the University of Delaware (USA), US Embassy Monrovia and the U.S. Department of State’s Office for GIST Initiative, we trained and supported 800 high school students from 50 high schools in entrepreneurship and social business model development and hosted 5 edition of pitch competitions, and 20% of these businesses expanded across the agribusiness, African fashion, and design sectors with established customer and sales channels

·       35 Alumni of the high schools in entrepreneurship have used the skills and gained admissions at top universities through YONER in Rwanda, India, Europe and USA pursuing various academic fields relevant to Liberia’s economic growth and development

·       We trained over 5,000 university students with various entrepreneurial and technological skills. We have facilitated the development of over 50 business solutions and seen more than 30% of these businesses expand.

·       25,212 people attended information sessions across Montserrado, Grand Bassa, Nimba, Bong and Margibi Counties. And One Hundred Seventy-Five (175) students including 74 young women have benefited and are pursuing both undergraduate and graduate studies in various academic fields relevant to Liberia’s economic growth.

·       55 students successfully participated and completed IELTS TOEFL Tutorial Sessions.

• Through the European Union PARTNERS Programme, YONER trained and supported 360 Mother Groups (MGs) and Small Holder Farmers (SHFs) and Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) members selected from 30 communities in District #3 of Grand Bassa County.

Over the past five years, YONER Liberia has been partnering with, and receives funding from the European Union PARTNER PROGRAM (Welthungerhilfe -WHH, Concern Worldwide – CWW, ZOA and SPARK. YONER Liberia has also enjoyed the opportunity of partnering with the US Embassy Monrovia’s Public Affairs Section and the US Department of State’s Office for Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) Initiative. YONER Liberia enjoys an annual partnership with the University of Delaware and Horn Entrepreneurship Program, to host annual High School Entrepreneurship Competition (or Diamond Challenge) in Liberia. This innovative program has received national recognition. YONER Liberia has received funding from UNDP in collaboration with the Global Innovation Network – UNLEASH – over the last two years for the implementation of Liberia’s first-ever Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). We also partner with government institutions, including the Ministries of Youth and Sports, Education & Health and Paynesville City Corporation. We also partner with the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY), Starz University, Nobel Liberia, Tamma Corps, NVTI, Ducor Mineral Water Factory, REOCOMM Groups, Liberia Broadcasting System, ECOWAS Radio, SHE-CAN, CERATH Development Organization, amongst others.

Our vision:

We envision a society in which every young person is equipped with employable, entrepreneurial and technological skills and tools, and able to take advantage of available opportunities to enhance economic self-reliance.

Our Mission:

We build networks of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled productive youth and young professionals, capable of surmounting contemporary challenges and contributing to community and national development.

Our Aspiring Goal:

We aspire to equip by 2031, 250,000 young people with employable entrepreneurial and technological skills and tools, facilitate the commercialization of social business ideas to establish and scale up 100 thriving small and medium size enterprises of young people, and thereby create 10,000 quality jobs.

Our Value and Guiding Principles:

The following seven values guide our actions at YONER: Integrity, diversity, inclusive, Teamwork, Commitment, Transparency, and Accountability. 

Our Team:

YONER Liberia is powered by a team of engaged young volunteers, early career professionals and a small group of youth enthusiastic professionals with many years of experience doing volunteer youth work in Liberia. In the area of youth employment and entrepreneurship innovation, YONER is a pioneer in Liberia. We have successfully collaborated with local, national and international government and non-governmental agencies and foreign missions.