After years of fighting in Liberia’s civil war, Massi Gissi now has “something to hold on to.” Recently trained as a baker, she now dreams of opening her own bakery shop.

Twenty-one-year-old Massi has lived most of her life not knowing whether she would make it through each day. Like many Liberians, she was forced to take up arms for a cause she did not understand. Once the war was over, she struggled to support herself while dealing with the psychological side-effects of her time as a combatant. 

Massi’s newfound hope has been kindled by the Liberia Community Infrastructure Project (LCIP), funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by DAI. Through LCIP, Massi attends counseling sessions to help her cope with her past and learn how to reconcile and live peacefully with former enemies. Along with 60 other women, she is training to become a baker. She will be able to sell her bread—an important staple in the Liberian diet—at local markets.

During 14 years of civil war, many of Liberia’s towns and villages were overrun as residents fled into the forests. The country’s infrastructure was devastated and its citizens left scarred and hopeless. In Bopolu, Massi’s hometown, 1,500 of the 5,000 refugees have returned; two-thirds of those who have returned were armed rebels in the war.

LCIP began in April 2004. Designed as a comprehensive effort to help participants support themsleves and rebuild their communities, its goals are to provide reconciliation and counseling services, create jobs, and offer learning opportunities for ex-combatants and their communities. Projects such as the reconstruction of roads and schools provide temporary employment and help refurbish vital infrastructure. The baking classes are just one of many vocational training options available. 

While baking courses may seem to be a small step toward Liberia’s recovery, for participants such as Massi they hold the promise of a bright and promising future.