The first of ten 40ft containers of relief items for Ebola victims in Sierra Leone dispatched by the Sierra Leone High Commission in London will leave the United Kingdom for Sierra Leone this weekend, reports Sorie Sudan Sesay in London.

His Excellency Edward Turay (2^nd from left) was present during the loading of the container at Bedfordshire on Thursday November 13^th.

Relief items including food, provisions, mattresses and other useful household goods worth thousands of British pound sterling, were donated to the people of Sierra Leone for people affected by the Ebola virus disease by the Into The Light Ministry at Bedfordshire in the outskirts of London.

This was the outcome of a widespread public appeal by Sierra Leone’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom His Excellency Edward Mohamed Turay, to the Sierra Leonean Diaspora Community and friends of Sierra Leone for support to victims affected by the Ebola virus disease which has claimed hundreds of lives not only in Sierra Leone but also around the Sub-region.

The High Commissioner said he was delighted that Pastor Kaye and his Ministry were quick to respond to his call for support to Ebola victims at these difficult trying times in the country’s history. The head of the Ministry Pastor Colin Kaye said they have a 270 sq ft warehouse facility and they receive lots of tons of food and other valuables every week which they give out to people in need as part of their mission to help people around the world.

“We just want to see how best we can help the people of Sierra Leone during this difficult time,” said Kaye, who also disclosed that his Ministry is committing itself to give out 40ft container of relief items every month to Sierra Leone. He said the furniture and other housed items will help those families whose homes have been devastated and quarantined as a result of the Ebola and called on the authorities to ensure that the items reach the targeted people.

Managing Director of Presidential award winning Shipping Company Mount Aureol Shipping Agency Tunji Lightfoot Taylor, said his company has offered to ship the containers free of charge as part of their humanitarian contribution to Sierra Leone. Tunji called on other humanitarian organisations to come to the rescue of his country during this difficult period.

The next container of mainly food items including rice will be loaded for dispatch in two weeks time.

Source: Sierra Leone High Commission, London

Tuesday was a happy day in Kenema’s Ebola treatment center. Sierra Leonean Mamie Yongai was released to go home after defeating the virus.

Mamie Yongai’s husband and most people from the same house in Freetown died of the Ebola virus disease. Mamie came to the Red Cross Ebola treatment center in Kenema together with his sister-in-law.

Red Cross gave Mamie food, money, kitchen utilities, oil and a matress. She was also given new clothes because the old clothes of Ebola patients have to be burnt in order to avoid spreading the disease. However, most important was the certificate given by the treatment center, proving that Mamie has been cured.

Mamie Yongai returns to Freetown where her children are waiting for her.

Read more (in Finnish):

http://www.punainenristi.fi/uutiset/20141113/ebolasta-voi-selviytya

Operation Hope is a project set up by SLOF Ebola Campaign Team. The purpose of this charity project is to give back and help people in our country (Sierra Leone) and to help families and friends who have survived from the EVD and lost bread winners.

It is one of our values and mission to support those who are in need in times of sickness and emergency. In order to meet our values and mission, we are providing service to our fellow Sierra Leoneans back home. We rely on the generosity of individuals in the Sierra Leone community and friends in Finland for support. We would like you to donate old clothes and shoes to our Ebola Sierra Leone Charity initiative organized by SLOF ry.

Please, to read more about the operation, click the link below

SLOF_Operation-Hope_letter_2014-10-30

Operation Hope

Delivery Place and Time

Place: Pakilantie 11, Helsinki (nearby Maunulan Ostoskeskus)

Time: 12:00 -17:00

Date: 5^th of November 2014

Contact Phone: 040 838 9651 (Mr. Franklyn Kamara)

SLOF ry has launched its separate Ebola campaign with Finnish Red Cross in raising funds for Ebola. The money collected by SLOF members is earmarked for Sierra Leone Ebola disaster fund. SLOF is a partner of Finnish Red Cross.

SLOF team ready to collect funds for Sierra Leone Ebola outbreak on 30th October.

Our relationship with the Finnish Red Cross started in early August 2014. We think this strategic partnership between SLOF ry and Finnish Red Cross will benefit Sierra Leone. “We cannot just leave the work to Finnish Red Cross alone but Sierra Leoneans in Finland should join hands and work with the Red Cross in helping raising funds in eradicating Ebola in our country”, said SLOF Chairman Mr. John Bairoh at SLOF information meeting held on the 24^th October in Helsinki.

After collecting money at Kamppi shopping centre for the Finnish Red Cross, Mr. Franklin Kamara, SLOF General Secretary said: “We are proud to give our time in assisting raising funds for our own country.” “We have to stand up and do our best in eradicating Ebola in our country in one way or other, and I am proud to come out to shopping mall and collect money with Finnish Red Cross for my country” said Foday Mansaray, Vice Chairman of SLOF. Mr. Ali Mansaray, a Senior Adviser of SLOF said: “I am so proud of myself for what I am doing for my country now and I will come tomorrow and do it again and again collecting funds”.

Finnish Red Cross has built an Ebola Clinic in Kenema, Sierra Leone. They are still running it and supporting it. Few weeks ago Ms. Virpi Teinilä and Ms. Tiina Saarikoski who have been treating Ebola patients in Kenema came back.

Sierra Leone Organization of Finland SLOF ry is arranging a meeting to inform about the Ebola situation in Sierra Leone and the SLOF Ebola Campaign in Finland. Welcome!

Time: October 24th, 17:00 – 19:00.

Place: KEPA, Töölöntorinkatu 2A, 00260 Helsinki

Agenda:

• Ebola Situation in Sierra Leone
• SLOF Ebola Campaign in Finland
• How the Sierra Leonean community in Finland can help?

For more information, please click the link below.

SLOF_Invitation_Meeting_24_October_2014

A French expert in tropical diseases, Michel Gonza, has stated in an exclusive interview with Radio France International that Sierra Leone is in the right direction in the fight against Ebola taking into consideration the level of social mobilization, sensitization and the public response associated with the “Ose to Ose Ebola Tok Campaign” organized some few weeks back.

The French expert in his analysis said that in neighbouring Guinea information is not accessible to people and that has adversely affected the activities of the volunteers to achieve their aims. The horrible hostilities against health personnel, for example, the killing of nine health workers and undue harassment of health officials have far reaching consequences for the fight against Ebola in that country.

The Ebola Virus disease struck at a time when the country was strengthening and reconstructing the already compromised health system inherited from the previous government. Two weeks ago, President Koroma said at a high level UN meeting on international response to Ebola; “We were rebuilding our infrastructure, increasing our growth rates, enhancing our peace, and strengthening our democracy. We still had a long way to go, but the world was also lauding us for doing many things right, for being a symbol of fast paced recovery from war. We were gearing up our compromised health systems to fight the known ailments of our land like malaria and typhoid when Ebola struck.”

“As a country we have taken extra-ordinary measures, including declaring a state of Emergency, shutting down the country for three days to get over 27,000 health educators unto every household in the country, and reallocating millions of dollars from other vital services to this life and death struggle,” President Koroma said during his videoconference meeting with world leaders on the sidelines of the UNGA Summit in New York.

Source: Sierra Leone High Commission, London

UNICEF arranges support and security for children and works against discrimination faced by the children. For example, UNICEF is training adults who have had Ebola to help the children.

5-year old Rose from Sierra Leone lost her parents and sister to Ebola. She also got sick but recovered from the disease. Now she lives with her brother in a center supported by UNICEF and tries to recover from her ordeal. Rose is holding a certificate to prove she is not carrying the virus.
© UNICEF Sierra Leone/2014/Dunlop

At least 3700 children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have lost one or both parents to Ebola. Many are discriminated against because they are feared to carry the disease.

In Sierra Leone, for example, UNICEF is training over 2500 adults who have survived Ebola to support children who have been quarantined due to the virus. Those who have recovered from Ebola are immune to the disease.

UNICEF needs about 155 million euros to fight against Ebola for 6 months in five West African countries. Only 25 per cent of the funds have been donated so far.

Please read more (in Finnish):

https://www.unicef.fi/tiedotus/uutisarkisto/2014/tuhannet-lapset-jaaneet-orvoiksi-ebolan-vuoksi/