OPINIONEbola — a viral enemy The Ebola outbreak could derail a decade of postwar reconciliation and progress in LiberiaBy Leymah GboweeAugust 7, 2014When my 65-year-old mother visited my foundation’s office recently, she was covered from head to toe in a long winter coat and headdress despite it being 28C. She explained that she wanted extra protection against the Ebola virus.As the outbreak worsened I urged my parents to leave Monrovia. But my mother, a vibrant and protective member of her community, refuses. She is the sole carer for my grandmother, a centenarian who is too frail and stubborn to travel. She stays because she loves her home and her community. She stays for Liberia.Last year, Liberia celebrated the 10th anniversary of the end of a long and bloody civil war. We proudly marked the milestone and were optimistic about the future. Half a generation of children have no memory of war. Businesses have grown, students attend schools, and many compatriots have returned home. When I travel internationally, I proudly display my Liberian passport. After the election of Africa’s first female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and the 2011 Nobel peace prize awards, my country was famous for something other than child soldiers and a despot.But now we face a new enemy from within. Liberia is battling a virulence that threatens to destroy our progress. The Ebola outbreak has closed all schools. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and two airlines have stopped flights to the country. Ebola is resurrecting old traumas for Liberians who survived the war. Those with the right passports are able to leave. Those with resources can buy soap and protective gear to keep safe. But people cannot conduct their business as usual. Children no longer attend classes, and many are shuttered inside their homes. My brave sisters, who protested along with me against the civil war, are back again. Clothed in white T-shirts, they gather together to pray for a reprieve and offer passersby water with which to wash their hands.The response to the crisis was initially underwhelming. Our healthcare providers lacked necessary supplies, such as gloves, masks and bleach. This week’s US-Africa Leaders Summit - hosted by Barack Obama in Washington - underscores the point that Africa’s development is in every nation’s interest. But it is the needs at local level that worry me most.Before the outbreak, Liberia had fewer than 300 doctors for a population of 3.5 million people. With so few doctors to care for Ebola victims, non-related ailments are overlooked. For children and the elderly, treatable diseases are much more deadly. For pregnant women, the few facilities for childbirth have narrowed.Last week, a friend was turned away from the hospital. Her first child was delivered outside the maternity ward.A month ago, Saint Joseph’s Catholic Hospital in Monrovia welcomed with a fanfare a new ECG machine. Its director, Dr Patrick Nshamdze, caught the virus last month and died on Saturday. The hospital is now closed.People need direct funds to care for their families as the government scrambles to create a cohesive health response network where none existed before. The outbreak will end when individuals understand the disease and adopt safe and sanitary practices to feed and care for each other. My foundation organised two information sessions, for community groups from across Liberia to distribute posters and fund prevention and outreach efforts. Some groups drove up to eight hours to receive material. Since efforts at the macro level are flailing, Liberians must be vigilant with their own families and communities.This epidemic is rewriting how we care for one other. But we must also equip communities with the resources they need. A slapdash government response has aided Ebola’s spread . The purpose of the US-Africa Leaders Summit is to secure development funds for governments. Let’s also provide resources to the people who are most vulnerable to Ebola. Liberia has so much more to give to the world.— Guardian News & Media 2014Leymah Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist, president of the Gbowee Peace Foundation and a 2011 Nobel Peace LaureateShare this FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL Most Popular in Opinion Time to take a call on Al AssadListen to East Europeans on Russia sanctionsUnmasking a baseless Israel claimUrgent need for improved Saudi-Iran relations
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 00:12:05 +0000
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