Today I met with four of the Sierra Leone Alliance in country directors (World Hope, Edunations, LOL, and Jericho road). The purpose of this meeting was to encourage these brave leaders, discuss the needs related to the Ebola crisis, and to see if there is a way forward for a meaningful project now.
My heart was moved by this meeting. These leader struggle with that they are seeing because the need is great. They are in the communities and are visiting and doing things that sometimes puts themselves at great risk. They struggle with how to protect themselves and their families, yet at the same time realize how much they are needed as leaders. And in all this they are humble and faithful.
Saido mentioned with great sadness about how this time of crisis is bringing him back to memories of the civil war. The uncertainty is overwhelming and he is fearful of how much more Ebola will spread, and as a result my bring another season of social and political unrest to his country. He does not know how this crisis will end and this is very unsettling.
I asked these leaders to tell me what they are seeing as needs that we may be able to address and what I heard was sobering...
1. The need for food relief for the Ebola victims and their families who are quarantined. Normally in SL hospitals the food is supplied by families. But now the holding centers the patients are isolated and often treated with fear so are not fed. In addition, their families are quarantined in their homes for 21 days surrounded by armed guards and apparently are often left with little food or water. Some escape refusing to starve and thus the disease is spread.
2. The need for burial teams. Everyone had stories from their districts of bodies being left for days before the burial team could come to test for Ebola and then safely remove and bury the dead. The viral load in a dead Ebola patient is high and so these bodies are extremely contagious. They need to be handled with great care. Unfortunately, there are not enough teams to meet the demand and so the bodies decompose at the home or outside or on the street. Imagine how their families must feel. The safe and timely burial of all dead would be a huge way to contain the crisis. I was told of a faithful pastor in Makeni who has joined the burial team and of Kamakyie Wesleyan Hospital forming its own burial team.
3. Hospital gowns for Ebola patients. Patients are presenting to the treatment centers with only the clothes they are wearing. They are immediately isolated from their family and treatment centers do not always have the ability to provide gowns and do laundry. Patients who are vomiting and having diarrhea are sometimes left dirty and naked to fend for themselves.
4. Transportation. They need for more ambulances to carry the sick, hearses to bury the dead, and motorcycles to do the contact tracing is huge. Also fuel to maintain the vehicles. Many of the hard hit villages are in remote, hard to reach areas with horrible roads, and so the logistical challenge of just providing transportation to the teams is difficult.
After listening to the various needs, I simply asked what would you like to do together if your brothers and sisters in Buffalo would be willing to provide support? It was unanimously agreed that they would like to provide food support to the families in quarantine and all the patients in the holding centers in the 4 districts represented by our SL Alliance. This would alleviate a real need and would directly help in the fight to contain Ebola because those in quarantine will be less likely to run away if they have sufficient food and water. Then I asked, what do you need to do this? Fifteen minutes later, I had the basics of a proposal which I hope to present to Pastor Daryl Largis and our SL Allicance as soon as I return to Buffalo. This is a simple but profound way for all of us to work together to meet a real need.
All during this meeting as I was listening to these leaders describe what they were seeing, Jesus' words in Matthew 25 kept ringing in my ears, "when I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, when I was naked you clothed me, when I was in prison you visited me." Jesus when on to say that whenever you do this to the 'least of these' you do this for me. I don't think anywhere in the world right now there are people who better fit the definition of the 'least of these' than the Ebola patients and their families. Our partners here on the front lines are willing to humble act with great courage. Are those of us in Buffalo who hear of the needs, willing to help?
I came across a scripture from The Psalms this trip that I think captures the essence of why I feel compelled to write these daily email updates.
"When I kept silent my bones wasted away."
Thank you for faithfully praying for this trip, our team, and the situation in West Africa. Especially tonight keep Saidu, Samuel, Phebian, Pious, and Jusu in your prayers. I am healthy and our team is well. I will be home soon.
Myron.
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