Since March, the Global Communities team in Liberia has been delivering outreach messages on preventative hygiene practices to an at-risk population of 366,000 people, placing an emphasis on women, who are disproportionately affected by Ebola due to their role as family caretakers and health workers. We are also providing local burial teams with supplies and training on safe and effective burial techniques that will reduce further spreading of the virus.
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the largest, most severe and most complex outbreak ever faced. As of September 5, 2,097 deaths from the Ebola virus have been reported, with an additional 1,847 cases of infection confirmed or reported. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 20,000 people could be affected within the next nine months.
Global Communities is partnering with local leaders and working closely with communities to share Ebola prevention messaging that empowers residents to take control of their health by providing them with critical information on the history, signs and symptoms, how the virus spreads, and devastating impact of the Ebola outbreak. We are also providing local burial teams with supplies and training on safe and effective burial techniques that will reduce further spreading of the virus.
Our response to the Ebola epidemic is an extension of ongoing Improving Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene project. Through this project, Global Communities is helping residents in six counties in Liberia and targeted neighborhoods in Monrovia to improve their overall health through better water supply systems, sanitation facilities and hygiene practices.
This project has provided additional documentation in a DOCX file (projdoc.docx).
