Meet Kou Berpa, a farmer in Nimba County, Liberia. Once, Kou had a large stand of rubber trees that she tended on land belonging to her father, Samuel. But when Samuel died, Kou’s uncles took the land away from her, and burned her rubber trees to make coal.
Kou’s hope is that one day, all of Liberia’s women will enjoy equal rights to land. “When it comes to land business, I want women to be able to hold a portion of land as their own property,” she says.
On International Women’s Day 2018, Kou’s story is a reminder that in more than half the world, women still face barriers to their land and inheritance rights.
Read Kou’s story on Her Land Her Story, a campaign that Landesa is contributing to, in partnership with Cadasta and Land Portal.