Africa Resilience Initiative

THE LANCET by Kate Zinszer and others.                   Aug. 24,2015

In a speed outpacing control efforts, the Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic in parts of west Africa spread across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone infecting an estimated 26 800 individuals and claiming more than 11 000 lives as of May 15, 2015.¹ Mobile populations coupled with porous borders^{1, 2} and commercial air travel patterns³ affected the frequency and breadth of Ebola virus transmission.

THE PATRIOTIC VANGUARD   Aug. 20, 1015

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone --The Chief of Staff in the Office of the President Saidu Conton Sesay (pictured) has described the role of civil society as very vital in strengthening good governance in Sierra Leone.

He made this statement during a meeting with a consortium of civil society organizations Tuesday 18th August, 2015 at State House, Freetown. The purpose of the meeting was to work in collaboration with Office of the Chief of Staff in the implementation of the National Ebola Recovery Plan to enhance trust between citizens and government.

The Chief of Staff promised that his office is ready to work with civil society organizations in the implementation of the post-Ebola recovery plan not only to help establish public trust, but also keep informing each other about areas that need attention.

"The better society we have, the better the governance," Sesay said, adding that his office has posted two officers each to all districts - one facilitator and one analyst who will be engaging local councils to update them in detail. He expressed desire to meet with the consortium upon the return of officials assigned to the districts for better planning and understanding.

THE GUARDIAN   by Sarah Bosley                              Aug. 20, 2015
FREETOWN--The long-running Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leoneis all but over after nearly 13,500 cases and almost 4,000 deaths, those fighting the disease believe.

             People celebrate being released from Ebola quarantine on 14 August 2015. Photograph: Sunday Alamba/AP

The last case in Sierra Leone was an eight-month-old child, who was hospitalised nearly two weeks ago and died four days later.

None of the 29 people who had contact with the child and were moved from the densely packed Freetown slum of Magazine Wharf to a voluntary quarantine facility have so far shown signs of illness.

globalcommunities.org - August 13, 2015

100% of 284 Open Defecation-Free Liberian communities reported they were Ebola-free

Research evidence points to a strong correlation between Community-Led Total Sanitation and Open Defecation-Free status and reduced risk of Ebola

Global Communities today released results of a study to examine whether communities in Liberia stood a better chance of resisting Ebola during the outbreak of the past 18 months if they participated in efforts to achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) status. The study confirmed that a representative sample drawn from 284 Liberian communities that achieved ODF status by participating in the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) process were Ebola-free despite their proximity to Ebola hotspots. Communities that began but did not complete the CLTS process also experienced significant protection and were 17 times less likely to experience Ebola Virus Disease infections.

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