Executive summary The West Africa Ebola outbreak is the largest Ebola outbreak in history, both in terms of case loads and geographical spread. Since the first cases were confirmed in March 2014, National Red Cross Societies in affected countries have taken a lead role, complementing their national health systems with support from the membership of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
This document, first published in August 2014* and revised periodically since then, is targeted mainly for member National Societies and IFRC Secretariat offices with current and future Ebola operations, and is meant to describe the overarching strategic intent of those operations IFRC-wide.
The strategy must cope both with the size and scope of the outbreak and its changeability. At the time of publishing, incidence was at last decreasing, but reappearing in new areas, further broadening the scope and demand on resources. Concurrently, cumulative cases surpassed 20,000, a reminder that Ebola continues to spread and that until all countries are declared Ebola free, the priority is still stopping the epidemic.
At the same time, any overarching strategy must look beyond this imperative. Containment has also meant prioritizing preparedness, particularly in neighbouring countries. Effective coordination is essential, both within IFRC and with external partners. Moreover, as the lead agency for safe and dignified burials,
IFRC has specific obligations that require their own coordination structure. Lastly, even as efforts focus on a coordinated response to epidemic control and preparedness, actions are urgently needed that assist recovery from the loss of livelihoods and other social and economic resources. The overall strategy is therefore organized around five outcomes:
• The epidemic is stopped
• National Societies have better Ebola preparedness and stronger long term capacities
• IFRC operations are well coordinated
• Safe and dignified burials (SDB) are effectively carried out by all actors
• Recovery of community life and livelihoods
These five outcomes are meant to be necessary and sufficient for National Societies to meet their current obligations, consistent with their roles as auxiliaries to their respective governments and in harmony with the Movement’s Seven Fundamental Principles.
Strategies draw on learning from previous large scale disasters. Stopping the epidemic has depended on the now-familiar five response pillars: community engagement/social mobilization; psychosocial support; surveillance and contact tracing; case management and treatment; and safe and dignified burials and disinfection.
This strategy is being put into action through five country-level Emergency Appeals, a complementary Africa coordination and preparedness appeal, and 12 preparedness operations using the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) as well as through bilateral actions of IFRC member National Societies.
It is expected that IFRC members active in the Ebola response reflect on, comment and ultimately agree on the content of this strategic framework. Once this is done, the strategic framework can be put to use as a reference in initiating new or revising existing operations; to inform regular coordination and review at the country level; and as an accountability framework to guide regular review and reporting of IFRC-wide progress and relevance.