International Matters – October 2014
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Liberia Scouts Embark on Ebola Awareness Campaign
Liberian Scouts create awareness and demonstrate conveying sick Ebola patient on a bike
The motto of scouting is ‘Be Prepared’; and its slogan is: ‘Do a good turn daily’. In fulfillment of the scout slogan, a local community troop of the Liberian Scout Association located in the community of Bernard Farm, the outskirts of Monrovia, has embarked on a month-long Anti-Ebola sensitization and awareness campaign.
Over 30 scouts are involved in the exercise. The main objective is to reach over 5,000 locals within the Bernard Farm-FDA community and its environs with the ‘STOP EBOLA’ message. Several methods are employed by the scouts during the sensitization including messages to wash hands, avoid shaking hands, touching dead bodies and sick people, eating bush meat, coming into contact of bodily fluids of sick persons, among others. In addition, the scouts have creatively developed public dramatization of their messages. The exercise has galvanized community members into taking preventive measures and alerting each other for signs and symptoms of the virus. The locals have applauded the initiative of the scouts.
We make no apologies for highlighting the Ebola crisis and a glimpse of how Scouts and Guides are playing their part in the STOP EBOLA campaign.
Scouting is active in all the countries presently experiencing the spread of this deadly virus and is mobilizing in extremely difficult circumstances to help wherever possible.
Below we tell the story of Scouts in Sierra Leone who are involved in an awareness campaign led by their Chief Commissioner, Agbawo.
In Sierra Leone
The Councillor of Ward 376, Constituency 106, Western Area Urban, who is also the Chief Commissioner of Scouts, Abubakarr Nylender-Kargbo, popularly called Agbawo, has reported that since the outbreak of the Ebola virus, he has mobilized 5,000 scouts to embark on sensitization in Waterloo, Lumley and central Freetown. He said the aim is to break the culture of denial to prevent the spread of the virus and observed that some people are finding it difficult to abide by some of the preventive measures such as shaking of hands and avoiding body contact that are age old traditions.
Abubakarr Nylendar-Kargbo also implored Sierra Leoneans to continue in prayers for God to intervene, have mercy on the people and eradicate the plague and implored all to put aside their political differences and join hands to contain the plague.
According to the Councillor of Ward 376, the outbreak has exposed the country's weak health system and appealed to Government tostrengthen the system after containing the virus but commended it for setting up the Presidential Task Force on Ebola comprising various stakeholders.
Concluding, he urged all to work with the President to end the plague as well as visit epicentres and hospitals and to encourage the sick to report to the hospital.
BBC News explains why the disease is so dangerous - in 60 seconds here:
Leaders will no doubt make their own decisions about how to include the Ebola crisis in the section programme, and two options for donating are:
UK disaster relief charity ShelterBox has offered equipment supplies to government and medical charities in the battle to contain Ebola
Emergency shelter specialist ShelterBox is on standby to help the UK Government and international medical charities contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which has already claimed over 4,000 lives.
At the moment the most pressing shelter need is for large scale medical tents to create field hospitals, but ShelterBox’s family tents have seen service over the years as recovery areas, such as after the Haiti earthquake in 2010 where there was a cholera outbreak.
ShelterBox’s operations HQ in Helston has contacted colleague charities including Medicins Sans Frontieres, Save the Children and Care International, and well as the UK Government’s Department for International Development, to say it is available to help if required.
ShelterBox has pre-positioned stock, including tents, at Ghana on the African coast near to the worst affected areas of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Further stock could be airlifted from Dubai if needed.
To donate visit:
The Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) Ebola Crisis Appeal
The explosive spread of Ebola in West Africa is not just killing the infected but ripping apart health services, devastating communities, and destroying people’s ability to support themselves.
DEC member agencies and their partners are working urgently to help stop the spread of the disease and providing support to those affected by the crisis. You can help stop the spread by donating NOW.
Visit to learn more.
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