This is one of the most challenging situations that I have ever faced in my 15 years of working in emergencies. I have never seen such fear around Ebola, even in distant countries like India.
On my flight from Brussels to Freetown, the plane was half empty, and most of the other passengers were from other international agencies responding to the Ebola outbreak. But as always happens during any disaster, when I arrived, it was clear that the human spirit is indomitable and always looks to overcome a grave situation.
At the airport, it was heartening to see the screening measures including hand washing and temperature checks. The exciting journey by boat to the Freetown showed the tourism potential the country might have had before the Ebola outbreak. Hotels are full, but the people staying there are international aid workers, rather than the tourists who are greatly needed to support the economy.
I have never known a health emergency that has captured the world’s attention so much - not just because of the human causalities, but because of the lack of preparedness within the country to deal with it at all levels. Socially, it is difficult to control the epidemic in cities like Freetown where the Chiefs are dormant and have no influence in households, especially amongst youths. In more rural areas, the Chiefs play key roles in raising awareness of the disease and controlling the epidemic, particularly through the neighbourhood watch committees that ActionAid has set up. One of the ways we are trying to increase awareness in the urban areas is through newly formed neighbourhood watch committees with literate youths who educate communities on how to break the transmission.
Ebola affected communities that ActionAid and our local partners are working with face an uphill struggle economically, with so many people having lost their sources of income. This is particularly hard for families where the head of the household has passed away because of Ebola. When women here are left to become the head of the household, the impact is even greater on both them and their children. The increased burden is of securing an income by working in the fields, on top of doing the housework, and caring for children, the elderly and the sick. The Krio tribal community in Western Rural Area is just one of many whose main source of livelihood, petty trading, has been severely affected by the outbreak. An alternative means to earn a living used to be stone mining, but that has also been closed until the outbreak is over. Left with no choice, now their main sustenance is gardening in the backyard which can hardly sustain them.
Life has been on hold here in Sierra Leone for months now. People are saying that they miss the hugs and handshakes which were a common part of daily culture. Many cultural events have been cancelled, or are so severely restricted that the soul of celebration is missing.
What started out as a health crisis has now devastated all other parts of life including livelihoods, education and women’s rights to name just a few.
But there is hope. The new cases have already gone down from 50 per day in December to single digits – 5 per day as per the latest official reports. 11 of the 14 districts are currently showing no new cases, which is a definite sign of containment of the disease. But should we be satisfied with the mere control of the disease, or should we treat this disaster as an opportunity to improve the lives of Ebola affected communities? Can health standards improve the overall health situation of the country? Can the educational institutions improve their quality and also take care of health of the children? Can we find alternative and improved livelihoods for men and women in families affected by Ebola, as well as strengthening the traditional livelihoods? Can we help children whose parents have died due to Ebola have a better future?
The answer is yes to all these questions, provided that we approach the challenges with a positive attitude and spirit, and look at the opportunities in this emergency. This also calls for international assistance on a large scale especially over the longer term to support communities once the outbreak is over. The New Year and any new disasters should not make us forget the enormous support that the communities of Sierra Leone urgently need to rebuild their lives for a better future.
ActionAid has already supported over 177,000 people affected by Ebola in Sierra Leone, through public education on Ebola prevention, providing sanitation supplies to health facilities, food and sanitary items to quarantined households and orphans, and education packs to children. But we will also be here for years to come, with our local partners helping communities, particularly women, to regain their jobs and go back into education, but also campaign for better health services in Sierra Leone. We will also work closely with communities making sure that they are better prepared for any future health crises.