The increasing prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in Liberia and the impact on the socio-economic development of the country informed the Government of Liberia and the United Nations Theme Group on AIDS to commission this study on the socio-cultural barriers against HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives.  The results of the exercise would be helpful in developing appropriate STD/HIV/AIDS awareness strategies.  

A two months intensive mission was fielded from 23^rd April to 23^rd June 2001 , during a tension-packed period following the imposed United Nations sanction on the country in May 2001 and an ongoing civil conflict in the northern counties of Liberia .  In its response, the Government restricted the movement of the officials of Diplomatic Community and the UN agencies to only Monrovia .  Consequently, the study had to be re-adjusted from the originally conceived national coverage to only Monrovia , which has ethnic settlements.  The exercise was carried out by Prof. Pauline N. Otti (an international consultant) and Dr. S. Benson Barh (national counterpart and co-consultant), supported by national research assistants and facilitators.  

The mission’s findings and recommendations were based on the prevailing situation at the time, available literature, in-depth interviews with Government officials, heads of UN Agencies, experts, programme managers, people living with HIV/AIDS, representatives of NGOs, influential and community leaders, qualitative data from discussions with 54 focus groups supplemented by quantitative data from respondents. Personal interviews with people living with HIV/AIDS brought out vividly the personal pain and sadness, stigmatization and loneliness of the victims.  It is hoped that the findings and recommendations of this study would be useful for timely intervention not only by the Government of Liberia and the UN Theme Group on AIDS but also the collaborative partners and people of Liberia to save the country, which is at the brink of a major social calamity, from the expected steep rise in HIV/AIDS epidemic. We therefore present the report of this study with humility in the knowledge that we are all equal before the AIDS virus and the time to urgently respond is today.