Monthly Archives: October 2014

SLOF & Finnish Red Cross Ebola Campaign for Sierra Leone

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.

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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 24th 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.

 

SLOF Ebola Meeting, October 24th

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

Sierra Leone hailed in the fight against Ebola

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

Thousands of Children Orphaned due to Ebola

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.

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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/

High Commissioner to UK Cautions Sierra Leoneans

Edward Turay

His Excellency Edward M. Turay, Sierra Leone’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (up)

Sierra Leone’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom has called on Sierra Leoneans to put aside their differences and join hands in the fight against Ebola.

His Excellency Edward M. Turay said this is the wrong time for finger pointing and political propaganda and called on his compatriots to stop politicising the Ebola outbreak in the country.

“This is a very difficult and frustrating period for the government and people of Sierra Leone and the only way we can overcome this Ebola virus is when we come together as a nation and join the fight against Ebola.”

A lot of Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora have embarked on a campaign of sabotage and political propaganda in a bid to score political point in the Ebola virus, but according to the High Commissioner, they have only succeeded in making ridicule of themselves.

“Ernest Koroma loves his people, he loves his country, that was why he has succeeded in transforming Sierra Leone to a large extent in so short a time before the outbreak of the Ebola; beside it is not only our country that is affected by Ebola but also Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and lately Senegal.”

The High Commissioner wonders why Sierra Leoneans especially in the Diaspora should embark on such practices rather than strategising to contribute in the fight against Ebola.

Turay expressed disappointments over the attitude of some Sierra Leoneans who for whatever reasons have embarked on hiring people in faking videos aimed at blackmailing their country.

“Nobody will fall for these cheap propaganda – beside, do you expect these foreigners that you hire to make these blackmailing videos which you post on social network sites to feel about you?”

He said funds donated for Ebola are not handled by the Government but by the special task force known as the Ebola Operating Committtee comprising of representatives of WHO, UNICEF, Red Cross, KPMG and other stakeholders and therefore the question of government officials transforming Ebola funds into private use is just too ridiculous and vindictive.

Source: Sierra Leone High Commission, London