The Effect of the Ebola crisis on the education system’s contribution to post-conflict sustainable peacebuilding in Liberia
The Ebola Crisis in West Africa between 2014-15 had a devastating effect on Liberia’s citizens and infrastructure, while the efforts of more than a decade of post-conflict reconstruction and development were threatened. The outbreak of Ebola itself revealed the uneven nature of post-conflict reconstruction, particularly in the social sectors, including health and education. This research looks at the effects of the Ebola crisis on peacebuilding efforts through education, asking questions about how it has interacted with the Liberian education system’s longer-term post-conflict recovery. In so doing it seeks to reflect on the relationship between different types of crisis and shocks, including conflict and disease outbreaks, and their various impacts on education. Addressing these questions in the context of the Peace Building Education and Advocacy (PBEA) program in Liberia, the research seeks to support both post-Ebola and post-conflict recovery processes through the national education system, with a view to contributing to the promotion of sustainable peace and development in Liberia.