To seek Survival

                                 

By: Christiana Mabande 

Margibi Liberia- Not only is charcoal the most popular cooking fuel in Liberia, but for most of the country’s rural population, who are primarily middle-class to lower-class, it is also a key source of revenue. 

According to the official national poverty line, the Ebola epidemic and the 2015 economic slowdown were the main causes of the rise in poverty, which occurred from 54.1% in 2014 to 58.9% in 2016.

“I know this is not good for my health and security, but I can’t just leave it because it is the only means of survival. How do I provide for my children and send them to school”,  Ethel Gargar explained  

Gargar in her late 30s lives in a two-bedroom mud hut here. She has been helping her underprivileged husband burn charcoal to provide daily meals and retained two of her seven kids in school.

A World Bank 2019 Research states that approximately 337,000 metric tons of charcoal, valued at US$46 million, were traded in 2018. As per the data, Montserrado was the primary consumer of 337,000 metric tons that year, making up over 65 percent of the overall demand, which was more than ten times higher than any other county. Margibi, Bong, Nimba, Grand Bassa, and Bomi counties, in that order, also saw a substantial demand for charcoal, according to the World Bank’s report. 

Due to the lack of work prospects, hundreds of millions of people—especially women—have turned to burning charcoal, a “men’s” trade, as a means of subsistence and to keep their children in school.

“We have to sleep in the bush for the longest until the charcoal is bought by our customers, due to the high criminal rate in this area.  Gargar continues “And sometimes we get sick before the market even finishes.” 

For hours, women who produced charcoal would cut trees, split them into firewood, and stack the pieces in makeshift kilns.
Among the few impoverished ladies in this place is Gargar. She clarified that although the job  is more difficult than people may believe, they must stick with it since it is their only way out of this difficult economic climate. 

Producers of charcoal are concerned about health risks and hazards. When handling burning wood, workers are more likely to be injured or exposed to hazardous vapors because they typically do not have on safety gear. 

During the preparation process, harmful chemicals and particulate matter are discharged into the air, which can cause respiratory issues, long-term health issues, and eye pain. Liberian women continue to work in this male-dominated field in recent years despite the dangers to their health and the environment. 

Meanwhile, 50-year- old Mamie Smith, a Quazahn Town native and mother of five,  testified  about her experiences working in the trade. 

Many things have changed; women indicate that the lack of profitability in their trade has a greater impact on their output and ability to meet their family’s demands on top of other obligations. 

“Sometimes I make 50,000 Liberian dollars from my sales but because a lot of people are now involved in the business it is difficult to make that amount.  Smith continues “Most times we give the goods to customers on credit and it becomes extremely difficult getting them to pay because of that we are unable to pay our children’s school fees and do other things.”

              

The production of charcoal has significant environmental challenges in addition to physical strain and health risks. Although they are slightly threatened by the production of charcoal, Liberia’s woodlands, which span an area of more than 3 million hectares, are also a hotspot for global biodiversity.