By Nanci Cole | Project Leader
The news from Liberia just gets better every day. While not at zero yet, there are few new ebola cases and they are once again far from Kakata. Hospitals and clinics have reopened, the government is back to work, markets are open, schools are reopening. People don't shake hands anymore in Liberia. People don't hug much. Thumbs Up is the standard greeting these days! Across the country there is a new awareness of the importance of hand-washing.
Last month we were awarded a second grant from Global Giving for our work during the ebola crisis - keeping our communities safe and healthy. The first grant provided funding for ebola education and purchase of materials to build hand washing stations. This latest grant provides funding to hire and train ten new community health workers, including funds for uniforms, health kits, and bicycles. Dr. Chris has already started the search for these next ten trainees.
Like everyone, we've been doing all we can in terms of prevention - educating people, placing buckets with a continuing goal of placing them in every school, church, mosque, and marketplace in Margibi County. Our clinic is busier than ever still treating fevers, malaria, diarrhea, sore throats, wounds, typhoid, STIs, and deworming just as we have always done. Our emphasis continues to be on community health, keeping people and communities safe and well. Last week we saw a spike in malaria cases, every week it is something different.
As a result of the ebola crisis, there are new requirements for all clinics in Liberia to establish triage areas, where incoming patients are evaluated. If there are questions about a patient's health status during triage -- perhaps the patient has an extremely high fever, or some other symptom -- the patient is sent to an isolation area where the patient is further tested. But if patients don't show any symptoms, they can enter the clinic's waiting area confident that they won't be exposed to the disease. We are in the process of implementing these new procedures.
Good progress is being made on the construction of our new Medical Center. The Ground Breaking Ceremony was held on January 7. All of the workers are local, from the communities we serve. Cement and soil blocks are being build on site and all the materials for this construction phase are being purchased locally. So many young men have been put to work, new construction jobs created, new skills being learned.
The goal is to have the walls build and the roof completed before the raining season begins in June. About 80% of the required capital has been raised, we still need to raise over $100,000. The first Global Giving Bonus Day this year is Wednesday, March 18th at 9am EDT! Matching at 30% up to $1,000 per donor per project. There is $60,000 available with two $1,000 bonus awards - for the highest number of individual donors and $1,000 for the most money raised. This is a great opportunity to double your donation.
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