MONROVIA, Montserrado – The Millennium Challenge Account Liberia has donated over US$8,000 worth of office equipment to the Gender Department at the Liberia Electricity Corporation.

MCAL is the Liberian government agency administering the five-year compact fund of the U.S. government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation.

An MCAL press release said the office equipment included furniture, computers, air conditioners, and other office tools. Provided on March 27, the equipment is meant to “strengthen the capacity of the department to promote gender and social equality within the public utility and in the delivery of services.”

The support is part of the compact’s strategic assistance to strengthen gender and social inclusion units within implementing government agencies, including LEC and the ministries of Lands, Mines and Energy and Public Works.

The agency has identified the need to “create opportunities for marginalized groups, including poor women, disadvantaged youths, micro, small and medium enterprises, among others, to participate in and benefit from the compacts Energy and Roads projects,” the press release added.

“It is vital that gender is mainstreamed across the functionaries of the LEC in line with the National Gender policy and the Social and Gender Integration Plan so that vulnerable people are empowered to benefit from the Millennium Challenge Compact projects,” Mardea Martin-Wiles, MCAL’s gender specialist, said during the turning over of the items.

LEC noted that the equipment will help its management more effectively to gender-based issues in the field and institute a gender disaggregated data collection and reporting system, in addition to developing policies and plans for addressing gender and social inclusion barriers to electricity access for poor households.

Featured photo courtesy of MCAL