Special Report: Ebola Crisis
By Jennifer Cosgrove, Ph.D.
Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus, the Great Physician:
It is with heavy hearts that we see Liberia making international news due to the Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever crisis. Starting this past spring in the neighboring country of Guinea, this disease has spread in four West African countries, infecting over 3,500 people and killing over 1,900, including over 120 medical care workers (according to the CDC and other sources). Some local experts believe these numbers are underestimates by 25-50%. The situation was called “uncontained and out of control” by Ken Isaacs, a vice president at Samaritan’s Purse, when he spoke to the U.S. Congress. Hospitals and clinics are understaffed to the point of having to close. People are dying from complicated births, accidents, malaria, and other treatable conditions. There are not enough doctors, medical workers, isolation units and supplies.
While suspected and confirmed cases of Ebola have been found in all the counties surrounding the Kuwaa villages, their county, Gbarpolu, appears to be untouched (so far). For this, we thank God. We also thank you again for your support of the Kuwaa Mission’s work to provide hygiene and sanitation education, water filters, wells, and a medical clinic. These necessities are important to the health of a community at all times and are crucial in areas hit with a medical crisis such as Ebola.
How has this crisis impacted our work? Our last volunteer trip was in April to install the solar energy system and officially open the medical clinic in Kondesu. Since then, Liberia’s Ministry of Health has not been able to supply the clinic with medicines and other supplies as they are overwhelmed with the Ebola situation. We also need to continue well maintenance (e.g. check the quality of the water in the wells and chlorinate them, as needed). We will not send our local assistant to the area until/unless it is safe to travel there (the counties surrounding the Kuwaa region have Ebola and the government is restricting travel). While we cannot send State-side volunteers until the crisis is over (at least not until 2015), we want to help the Kuwaa people with medical and other health related supplies and we request your continued financial support for these efforts.
You may have seen solicitations for donations towards the Ebola crisis. We would like to suggest the following groups who have shown their dedication to this crisis and are known for their fiscal responsibility. These organizations have been overwhelmed by the situation and need funds for the support of brave volunteers and the medical supplies and equipment that are desperately needed. You can donate via these web links as well as receive the latest information about the crisis by “liking” their Facebook pages. Please “like” our page as well and invite your friends and family.
