After a year and half of the Ebola Viral Disease (EVD) that killed almost 3,955 people in Sierra Leone, the WHO declaration is welcomed and has been long-awaited. Everyone in the country is excited and celebrating the victory.
Everything came to either a slow down or a standstill during the height of the crisis. The EVD emergency impeded the socioeconomic, political, and cultural life of the country, as well as had a major impact on livelihoods, health, and other key sectors.
But hope is making a comeback, now that children and communities in Sierra Leone are beginning to see some normalcy. Schools have reopened, businesses across the country have restarted, and everyone is anticipating the situation will remain stable.
We did a lot and the road is still long
Since the first case of Ebola was discovered in Sierra Leone in May 2014, Plan International has been complementing the government’s effort to contain the virus in the country.
We raised awareness about Ebola through the use of community radio stations in Plan program areas. These community radios were the best means to reach remote communities with vital lifesaving messages.
When the situation worsened in July 2014, Plan reinforced its response and support. We extended our Ebola response programs to all the four program areas and also to areas where we were not working.
With the commitment of donors around the world, Plan was able to raise more than $16 million to support health centers, ensure adequate water and sanitation facilities in schools, reinforce child protection mechanisms, and provide psychological support to affected children. Raising awareness at community level and collaborating with the office of the First Lady to work with cultural and traditional leaders was also a success and helped us to reach crucial goals.
However, the road to recovery is still a long one, and we must learn from this experience in order to build resilient systems for possible future outbreaks and disasters. In Sierra Leone, the health sector needs rebuilding and strengthening and enrollment in schools will have to increase; basic social services such as safe drinking water and good sanitation will take a little longer to be fully restored, and the trauma created in the minds of the people will require healing time.
The recovery phase is a top national security priority for Sierra Leone and the other countries in the region that have been affected. Plan was present in Sierra Leone before and during Ebola, and no doubt we will be here for a long time after, with a long-term vision, working hand-in-hand with all partners.
Moving and working on a bright future for children and their communities
Even as we celebrate the declaration of Sierra Leone as Ebola-free, we are still at risk. Ebola is not over yet in neighboring Guinea. Therefore, surveillance is critical for the coming months in order to avoid a collapse of the gains that we have made.
The impact of the EVD on children and communities will last long after the Ebola-free declaration. We need to continue to mobilize adequate resources to support the recovery strategy. And because it is not over until we achieve an Ebola-free situation in Guinea, safe practices and vigilance must continue.
As we move into the recovery phase, Plan’s strategy is to focus on child protection – ensuring all children affected receive the appropriate support and are able to live in a nurturing environment that will contribute to empowering girls and boys in Sierra Leone. We will also continue to support safe and secured school environment that promote quality education. In addition, our recovery response will contribute to rebuilding national health systems and strengthening socio-economic resilience to prevent future outbreaks.