Participants at the a three-day Ebola awareness training of national stakeholders (Photo: John Monibah)

The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak has claimed over 4,800 lives and continues to claim many lives across West Africa. Liberia alone accounts for the highest rate of infections and deaths. The epidemic is severe to a point that every sector of the economy is being affected. Farmers, forest users and community dwellers in rural areas are among the worst affected as their livelihoods are being threatened.

The EVD outbreak in Liberia occurred with a strong venom on a scale that is unprecedented in width and breath, “devouring everything in its path,” said Liberia’s Defense Minister speaking at UN Headquarters in September 2014. Hence, the outbreak has killed people, affected livelihoods, instilled fear, restricted movement, and reduced agricultural activities.

Encouraging the adoption of healthy practices to reduce risk of exposure and transmission of the disease is a complex but essential process. A strong and multi-partner commitment is required. FAO Liberia’s Representative a.i., Mr Alexis Bonte, said: “FAO is fully supporting social mobilization and sensitization efforts in both rural and urban communities in the country. This will enable farmers and forest users to adopt preventive hygienic measures to stop any further spread of the disease.”

A three day Ebola awareness training of national stakeholders took place from 15 to 18 September 2014. It was jointly organized by the Government of Liberia and FAO for farmers and forest users under the theme “Rapid Response against Ebola Prevention and Control”. This training was decentralized and simultaneously conducted in Kakata, Gbarnga and Zwedru for the Western, Central and Eastern regions respectively.

Using the training materials and messages prepared and approved by the government, UNICEF, WHO, CDC, MSF and other partners, about 120 representatives from fifteen counties were trained in awareness creation and social sensitization in order to help in stopping the current human to human transmission of the disease. They prepared a proposal on what is needed to carry on a robust Ebola awareness-raising community-by-community in the next weeks and committed themselves to training minimum 20 persons each, after which  around 2,400 persons in the three regions are to be reached with the anti-Ebola messages through community to community and door–to-door outreach. The spread of the prevention messages are then expected to continue progressively among rural households.

To kick-start the post training sensitization campaign, FAO and partners in late October embarked on the provision of the required materials in line with the prepared proposal from the training sessions. Ministry of Health approved Ebola prevention posters, flyers and messages as well as hygiene materials and kits including megaphones, chlorax, faucet buckets and thermometer guns will be provided to trained representatives (youth groups, women’s groups and Farmers Union Network - FUN) who are committed to conducting further training in rural communities across Liberia. Following the distribution of the awareness-raising materials and kits, FAO and partners will work with the youth, women, and FUN groups in establishing proper sensitization and information-sharing linkages with the County Ebola Task Force and other local structures to ensure a well-structured and sustainable campaign effort in all 15 counties. As a follow up mechanism,  there will be a process of continuous and integrated  EVD awareness creation and social mobilization engagement of farmers and forest users along with FAO’S routine field activities.

The ripple effect is expected to be far-reaching for rural dwellers mainly in farming and forest communities where awareness-raising against the disease has so far been inadequate.

According to Vincent Martin, Head of FAO's Dakar-based Subregional Resilience Hub for West Africa: “FAO is presently supporting social mobilization activities in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Mobilizing communities in these three countries to stop transmission and prevent the spread of the disease is vital. This is the kind of positive snowball effect we need to protect lives and livelihoods and to safeguard food security and nutrition.”

Contacts:

Mr Alexis Bonte

FAO Representative a.i. in Liberia

Monrovia

[email protected]

John T. Monibah

Communications Officer

FAO Liberia

Tel. 00231-776-737-521

Skype: john.monibah