New Clinic Brings Healthcare to 37 Rural Liberia Towns

Women in Arthington Back Bush, Liberia, used to carry pregnant patients in hammocks for nearly four hours to reach a hospital. Sometimes babies arrived before help did.

That desperate reality ended this month when Refuge Place International opened its sixth clinic in rural Montserrado County. The new Arthington Clinic now serves 37 communities where healthcare was once a life-or-death gamble.

The project started in 2017 after tragedy struck. A young woman died in childbirth while being transported to the nearest hospital, which required a 2.5-kilometer walk just to reach the main road, followed by an hour-long vehicle journey.

"When they arrived at the hospital, she had already died," said Franzetta Yanford, Chief of Staff at Refuge Place International Liberia. That loss sparked action.

The organization worked with local residents to build the clinic using a community partnership model. Every plank of wood came from the surrounding forest, harvested by community members who invested their own labor and materials into the project.

The facility includes a clinic building, a water pump, and plans for staff quarters and a maternal waiting home. It serves an area where nearly half of rural residents lack basic healthcare access.

The Ripple Effect

The impact goes beyond one community. Since opening its first clinic in 2014 during the Ebola outbreak, Refuge Place International has served more than 600,000 patients across five Liberian counties.

The results tell a powerful story: zero home deliveries and zero maternal deaths recorded within their service areas. Traditional midwife Bandu Kamara called the new facility "a rescue" after years of referring patients to distant hospitals in the dark.

Dr. Mosoka Fallah, who founded the nonprofit in 2009 and now serves as Acting Director of the Science and Innovation Directorate at Africa CDC, credits community ownership for the model's success. Local involvement ensures facilities stay maintained and health workers feel supported enough to stay.

Memah Moore, a local leader, said pregnant women will no longer risk giving birth on roadside journeys. Dr. G. Gobee Logan from Liberia's Ministry of Health acknowledged the struggle rural residents face and pledged government partnership to expand this approach.

The Ministry is working with organizations like RPI to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality across the country, where geography has long determined who lives and who doesn't. Now 37 communities have a fighting chance.