The outbreak of Ebola in West Africa is having a deep social impact in Sierra Leone.
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Editor: Roda Muslimani contacted me via Facebook on 22 March, 2015. He was requesting assistance for the people of Sierre Leone who are still struggling with the effects of the Ebola outbreak in their region. On 26 March, Roda informed me that they were still under lockdown. The following story was composed on a mobile phone because that how it is in Sierre Leone right now.
EBOLA is a viral hemorrhagic fever which started in a small village in the eastern part of Sierra Leone in a place called Kissi, a chiefdom in the Kailahun District. The outbreak started in May 2014 and has left over three thousand people dead in our country. Ebola has left children as orphans and created widows and widowers. More so, Ebola has taken a large toll on our economy, education, families, and our social life.
Due to the outbreak of Ebola, we now have a large number of street children and orphans. Some lost their father while some have lost their mother, and some have lost both. In addition, Ebola has torn apart the family structure, women have lost their husbands, and men have lost their wives. The loss of life is only one layer of the serious suffering in Sierra Leone.
Ebola has seriously affected our economy. Sierre Leone has lost almost its international investors. This is extremely bad for our country. Future economic growth is now at a halt. The effects of Ebola on the family structure and the economy is also affecting the educational sector of the country. Since the outbreak, there has essentially been no school at all.
Teenage pregnancy is on the rise as well. Our families and social lives have become non-existent. No sport activities, no beach trips, no dances, no weddings, no birthday celebrations, no social life. Nevertheless, Sierre Leone has all hands on deck to alleviate the problems of Ebola in the country. In this fight we need support to take care of the orphans, the widows and the widowers, the teenage girls who will soon be mothers, and the other youth who must move forward.
Assistance in the area of non food items: clothing, medicine, skills training programs, educational support for children from four to eighteen years, and short or long term projects to help restore of society.
Ebola is still a problem in Sierra Leone and the solution needs helping hands, hearts, minds, and time. Once Ebola is under control, there will still be more work to do.
You can contact Roda Muslimani on Facebook
Panguma Town, Lower Bambara Chiefdom, Kenema District, Sierra Leone, West Africa
Photos courtesy of the author