Monrovia, Liberia: Feb 4- Monrovia: A photo story depicts the aftermath of last weekend's fire. Images and captions by Liberian journalist Thomas Neor, with introduction by jhr trainer Arwen Kidd.

Monrovia, Liberia: While there is a certain degree of growth, jobs and progress, the centralization of growth to Monrovia brings into question how much this translates to real development of the country.

Monrovia, Liberia: After more than a year living in Liberia, jhr trainer Arwen Kidd has a fresh, first-hand look at her home country's emergency health care...

Monrovia, Liberia: Who can be trusted and what is a "sense of security" actually worth in the reality of any given situation? As in many countries across West Africa, it is again the case in Liberia that struggles sometimes bring out the worst in people - but also the best.

Freetown, Sierra Leone: if a small West African nation at the bottom of the Human Development Index can practice religious tolerance, why can’t we?

Freetown, Sierra Leone: Freetown's only female taxi driver defies gender stereotypes

Monrovia, Liberia: The current by-elections in Monrovia - to elect a Senator for Montserrado county - was a shoddy, confused and negligent display of management yesterday by the National Election Commission (NEC). There were missing names on voter roles, closed or relocated voting stations, frustrating delays and much of the voting public stayed home, either jaded, or with little knowledge about the process or issues on the table. This is not a good sign for the upcoming Presidential election in 2011, with contentious national issues threatening to turn it into a very chaotic electoral season... Another aspect of elections in Liberia sparks fears (imagined or real) about ritual killings of humans for power, especially in Nimba County and South Eastern Liberia. In an article I wrote for Inter Press Service called 'Even the Devil Is Subject to the Law', I explore the history and current practices around human sacrifice for power...

Monrovia, Liberia: the daily battles of Liberian journalists

Liberia: As jhr trainer Bonnie Allen travels to community radio stations across north-central Liberia, she asks, "Where are all the women?" Identifying the barriers is the first step to breaking their silence.

Monrovia, Liberia: Tourism 'things to do'

Freetown, Sierra Leone: Words have the power to enlighten, no question, but they can also be used to confuse... used for good and for evil.

Freetown, Sierra Leone: a small revolution is at hand and I'm proud to be a supporter...

Monrovia, Liberia: With virgin forests becoming an increasingly rare resource around the world, greater debate should occur regarding the importance of both the forest and the trees, and how they can offer the maximal, long-term benefits to Liberia.

Monrovia, Liberia: Last summer (which is the rainy season here in Liberia), I accompanied an overnight patrol with the Emergency Response Unit (ERU), a unit of the Liberian National Police (LNP) and their temporary solution to combating armed robbery while they trained up more appropriate units. The ERU go through a strenuous vetting and training process, and are intended for riot control and combating insurgency. With over 200 men trained, they are outfitted in all-black uniforms and heavily armed with helmets, visors, vests, guns, grenades, tear gas... serious fighting machines. What is lacking, however, are radios, and a centralized 9/11 system. ERU personnel get calls on their personal cell phones, either from police HQ or a popular late night TV show called 'Crime Watch'. In between racing through Monrovia's pitch black streets to reported armed robberies, most of the ERU's time is spent dismantling makeshift vigilante checkpoints, and hanging by ELWA junction smoking cigarettes in full riot gear. I write about them, and what they are up against, in an article for Inter Press Service called "When the Mob Prevails..."

Freetown, Sierra Leone: Young girls in Sierra Leone are being punished for receiving educational opportunities

Liberia: When an Associate Magistrate is accused of raping a woman in his custody, high-powered officials get involved and jhr trainer and journalist Bonnie Allen encourages Liberian radio reporters to go the extra mile (or 100 miles) to investigate the story.

Liberia: jhr Trainer Arwen Kidd on the range of Liberian cuisine

Freetown, Sierra Leone: The old adage goes 'when it rains, it pours' and, although it's a cliché, there isn't a place that this is more apt than Freetown during raining season.

Monrovia, Liberia: Although Liberia's rape statistics are staggeringly high, rarely is rape reported or acted upon by local vigilante groups. So how were local women coping? In the poverty-stricken seaside neighborhood of West Point, I found a women's group who summoned the courage and power to say enough. The West Point Women's Action Group marched from their neighborhood to the Ministry of Gender and the Association of Women Lawyers, and never looked back. In my current article for Inter Press Service, "The Fight Against Rape A Brutal Wait," I cover the brutality of rape, the flawed courts, and the brave women who are bringing perpetrators to justice...