The Civil Society Ebola Response Task Force, born in July 2014, is a coalition of more than 35 different organizations based throughout the country and the capital Monrovia. Under our leadership, the coalition produces and distributes messages designed to raise awareness on the disease, prevent violence, promote greater coordination among local actors, and conduct outreach activities in local communities. We also distribute food and sanitary materials in areas affected by the virus or quarantined.
We launched a broader strategy in October 2014, defined by three key components:
- Public health services
- Information and Technology
- Advocacy
The objectives of the strategy are:
- To analyze the social, security, and economic implications of the Ebola outbreak.
- To monitor the coordination mechanisms of the government and its international partners.
- To raise awareness about Ebola and improve access to information on the most recent trends.
- To advocate for taking effective measures to contain Ebola and providing sufficient personal protective equipment, benefits to health workers, and adequate treatment centers.
Public Health Services
Several initiatives are being undertaken with respect to public health services. The task force is providing coordinated support for contact tracing, community sensitization, case finding and investigation, burial and disposal, changing social behavior to interrupt and eventually halt transmission, and ensuring a right to food and livelihood.
In quarantined and affected communities, we distributed washing supplies, such as chlora, hand sanitizers, and ReXoguard, giving a presentation on how to measure chlora per gallon of water, and showing local residents how to interact with others and properly wash their hands to avoid being infected.
Information and Technology
We are working to create a multi-tiered “Situation Room”, capable of receiving information on a daily basis from communities and civil society organizations in Monrovia, via radio. Useful information can then be sent out via text messages, phone calls, emails, social media and mapping tools. The Liberia Media Center and the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia already have existing structures and human resources in place to collate and analyze information, and will act as co-managers on the project.
Advocacy
Recognizing the importance of strategic engagement with policy makers and the international community, this aspect of the project is designed to utilize the collective findings of our analysis to engage in constructive policy discussions with various stakeholders and leaders. The goal of these dialogues will be to effectively implement the Ebola National Action Plan, filling in gaps where needed. To this end, weekly updates and a monthly-consolidated report on the Ebola situation across the country will be published. These reports will provide an expert analysis of the trends of the disease as well as what is being done to curb its spread. The “Situation Room” team will be responsible for the policy dialogues and newsletter publication.