Darkness lifted... and helicopters rose

Election day in Liberia...  (Saturday, December 20, 2014)

The election was slated for October... then December. Sentatorial races were on... then off. Campaigns were launched... then stalled. It's been an "up-and-down" time for Liberians - amidst the crisis of the Ebola disease. And it does seem a strange time to hold senate elections.

But today, Saturday, the skies are filled with helicopters... and the streets are quiet. The religious revival (too close to my compound) ended at 5:00 a.m. and I started work this morning at around 6:00 a.m., on my small porch, coffee mug at my side. The first helicopter rose around 6:30 and they've continued circling and zipping across the cloudless sky.

I have to admit my ignorance around the whole election process here in Liberia. I've been too wrapped up with Ebola... to have much time to follow the proceedings. But, from what I gather... this is a hot race in Monrovia... between independent candidate and son of the President, Robert Sirleaf and football legend, George Weah.

There have been skirmishes... campaign parades and posters. But, it's a subdued time... partly because of the Supreme Court wranglings over the timing and processes of these elections. The Courts finally decided, last Saturday, to allow the elections... but with reduced campaigning.

Ebola is here... and some of these campaign activities are "petri dishes for the disease" (ABC News). But, they're going ahead with this process "to avoid a Constitutional crisis" (Lib News Agency).

I love a good parade... and have been entertained on several occasions... but I can't help wondering how this will affect the nation - amidst the Ebola crisis.

One little effort... one big impact...

Late Thursday afternoon - before the "big event" - the Joint Communications Group of the Liberian Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism met to discuss the "Ebola Must Go" campaign... billboards, media messages, banners, videos, radio jingles, etc. On that Group are Ministers, GoL representatives, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, African Governance Initiative, UNICEF, WHO, IREX and Internews (among others). We met in the Minister's conference room... and a plan was hatched. Now to execute... 

My small job was to find a "button/pin" maker (in Monrovia) that was still open and who could create buttons for President Johnson Sirleaf, Ban Ki Moon, Margaret Chan and other dignitaries. 

Rukshan, from UNICEF, suggested a place and I dashed out of the Comms Group meeting... to create something for these very high level folks. Traffic, wrong turns, wrong shops, wrong addresses... but... mission accomplished. And, wow... there they are. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Ban Ki Moon wearing the very recently created "Ebola Must Go" buttons/pins... created by the Internews guy - yours truly - just in time for the visit, the meetings and the photo opportunities. Thirty buttons/pins for dignitaries and officials... How cool is that!? 

Check out the photo on this story.
http://micatliberia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2089%3Aban-ki-moon-visits-liberia-commends-pres-sirleaf-for-fighting-ebola&catid=268%3Aebola-update&Itemid=402

Time's Person of the Year...

Really? Well... this is having an impact here... in a positive way. The announcement that Time magazine made "Ebola fighters" their "person of the year" is an interesting thing. And, from where I sit in Liberia (at the moment) it's made us all feel a little better. Actually, it's encouraging...

http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-ebola-fighters/

Let's keep Ebola on the radar... since even ONE single case is cause for concern.

Wrangling over Ebola messaging...

At the request of the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Lewis Brown, and the Ministry of Health... the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, African Governance Initiative and Internews (me) spent the weekend putting together a national campaign to rid Liberia of Ebola. Yes... a daunting task.

But, here's the plan... Imagine... If everyone in the country did this stuff we'd be Ebola free. Wow...

Today, December 8, 2014, President Sirleaf launched the campaign in a small community called "New Georgia" on the outskirts of Monrovia. The community has come together to identify sick people, help quarantine folks including giving them food, water and encouragement, and getting sick people to treatment centres. This community is a success... and have reported no new cases of Ebola in over 2 months.

As the disease progresses, the strategies to fight the disease have to change... Now, as Liberia reports between 8-15 cases a day, it's become a community-driven fight - door-to-door - to eliminate the last case... because even one case means the battle is not over.

Ebola Must Go

Stopping Ebola is Everybody’s Business

EVERYBODY must:

Speak out if you know of a sick person

• ·      Always call 4455 and tell your community leader
• ·      Do not hide sick people
• ·      Do not let others hide sick people

Bury all dead bodies safely

• ·      Allow only trained people to handle a dead body
•     Do not touch, bathe or bury a dead person. Do not hide dead people
• ·      Families can still pray and make decisions about the funeral – the only rule is never touch a dead body

Keep sick people away from others

• ·      Do not touch sick people or things they have used
• ·      Keep them in their own area and stay 4 steps away
• ·      Get the person treatment quick quick – call 4455 and tell your community leader

Help find everyone who touches a sick person

• ·      Anyone who touched a sick person is a “Contact” who could have Ebola
• ·      Help health workers find these “Contacts”
• ·      If you touch a sick person, stay home and tell your community leader

“Contacts” must stay to one area with food and water

• ·      Anyone who touches a sick person must stay to their area for 21 days
• ·      Make sure these “Contacts” do not run away
• ·      Give them food and water and encourage them – talk to your community leader

Protect yourself. Protect your family. Protect your community

(These messages are approved by the IMS Messaging and Materials Sub-Committee).

UNMEER - Global Ebola Response... using one of my images!!!

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What We Need

Members of the Health For All Coalition in Sierra Leone, using megaphones and carrying illustrated posters, provide information on Ebola virus disease (EVD)
© UNICEF/Photographer: Stephen Douglas

To rise to the challenge ahead and to prevent the further spread of Ebola, a number of urgent requirements are needed critically on the ground.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released the Overview of Needs and Requirements  on 16 September 2014. It outlines the resources considered critical to effectively address the crisis across a range of objectives over the next six months by national governments, the World Health Organization, the UN agencies, funds and programmes, and some non-governmental organizations.

Priority requests

We have compiled a list of priority in-kind requirements for the Ebola response which will augment and multiply the impact of the resources identified by OCHA. This is now being shared with all Member States. These include:

• air lift, particularly helicopters, and maritime transport capabilities, fuel, vehicles
• mobile laboratory facilities capable of movement throughout affected countries;
• static non-Ebola medical clinics;
• emergency medical evacuation capability for movement of international aid workers potentially exposed to Ebola to locations for appropriate medical care;
• 3.3 million items of high quality personal protective equipment; training
• provision of Ebola Treatment Centres.

The UN will do its part, but this requires collective support. We are not only looking to Member States, but to a wide cross-section of actors and non-traditional partners, including the international business community.

Priority requests for private sector engagement

To contain spreading the Ebola, it is imperative we mobilize all resources and efforts. The upsurge in the response efforts by the private sector is welcome; but we must do more, and we must do it faster. For this reason we are turning also to private sector to engage with the overall Ebola outbreak response. Refer to Business Engagement Guide if you are a private sector actor wishing to contribute to these efforts.

Trust Fund

The UN has established the Ebola Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund, which will ensure a coherent UN system contribution to the overall Ebola outbreak response. The Fund is guided by the strategic priorities set out in the OCHA Overview of Needs and Requirements, totalling almost $1 billion.The Trust Fund seeks contributions from Member States, regional legislative bodies, inter-governmental or nongovernmental organizations, businesses and individuals. If you would like to contribute please go to http://mptf.undp.org/ebola. 

You can also contribute to the United Nations Foundation Ebola Response Fund.

CANADIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO DATE – EBOLA OUTBREAK RESPONSE

I'm proud of what the Canadian government is doing for West Africa... and very glad to read that nothing has been donated directly to the Sierra Leone government. Support to WHO, Red Cross and MSF is vital... and absolutely the right way to go. I've seen the work of these organizations first hand... and believe they're doing everything in their power to help the people affected by Ebola. 

Here's what the Cdn government is doing... as of October 3, 2014

Financial contributions:

· On September 25, the Minister of International Development announced up to $30 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help meet the immediate needs of the people affected by the Ebola crisis in West Africa.

· This support will be provided to experienced humanitarian partners within the United Nations system, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement—including the Canadian Red Cross Society—and other Canadian and international non-governmental organizations.

· This funding is in addition to the $5.4 million previously committed by the Government of Canada in support of humanitarian and security interventions to address the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa, including funding to the World Health Organization (WHO), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Technical contributions:

· The Public Health Agency of Canada has deployed teams of experts to Sierra Leone to assist in the response on the ground.

· The current team of Agency scientists has re-established a mobile laboratory at the Kailahun site in Sierra Leone to provide rapid diagnostic support, which will help ensure that those infected with Ebola receive supportive care and are isolated to reduce the risk of transmission. The team is working alongside local health officials, MSF, and the WHO for this important humanitarian effort. Another Agency scientist is currently providing laboratory support for the response to the separate Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

· Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada is also covering the costs for four Canadian Red Cross delegates deployed to Guinea and Sierra Leone as well as seven experts deployed to Sierra Leone and Liberia to support UNICEF.

· On September 15, Health Minister Rona Ambrose announced that Canada will make available for donation over $2.5 million in personal protective equipment (PPE) to the WHO.

Experimental vaccine:

· Canada is also donating between 800-1,000 doses of the experimental vaccine, VSVEBOV, to the WHO. The final number of doses provided will be based on the amount required for applied research and clinical trials.

· The Public Health Agency of Canada is providing the vaccine to the WHO in its role as an international coordinating body, in the hopes that the doses can be made available as an international resource.

· The WHO, in consultation with partners, including the health authorities from the affected countries, will guide and facilitate how the vaccine should be distributed and used.