The Republic of Liberia is a small country along the coast of West Africa. It is 43,000 square miles, slightly larger than the state of Ohio. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on its west, Guinea on its north, Côte d'Ivoire on its east, and the Atlantic Ocean on its south. Liberia, which means "Land of the Free," was founded in 1822 with support of the American government, for free-born and formerly enslaved Blacks. It declared its independence from the American Colonization Society (ACS) in 1847. The ACS was formed in Washington D.C. for the expressed purpose of removing Blacks, free-born and ex-slaves, away from the United States.

The population of Liberia is 3.3 million. English is the official language, with sixteen indigenous languages spoken throughout the country. Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world, following 25 years of political unrest, social upheaval and a civil war, which devastated nearly all the country’s infrastructure. Life expectancy is 44 years and unemployment and illiteracy are both estimated to be above 75%. Liberia, a nation which in the 1970s had achieved middle income status and food security, is a shell of its past. Gross domestic product (GDP) declined from $1,169.00 in 1980 to $119.4 in 2005. Exports declined from nearly $500 million in 1980 to a meager $10 million in 2005. Over the last twenty-five years, unmitigated decline permeated every sector of life in Liberia.