Physical Health Sierra Leone Project #19120

Survivors: a portrait of the Ebola crisis

by Mirabel Pictures / WeOwnTV

Project Report | Nov 5, 2015
Countdown to Becoming Ebola Free!

By Arthur Pratt | Director

Hello Global Giving Supporters,

Greeting to all our incredible supporters!

I wanted to reach out and thank you all again for the incredible support you have given us during this difficult time. We are nearing an important milestone here in Sierra Leone. If no new cases are reported by November 7th it will mark 42 consecutive days and Sierra Leone will be declared Ebola Free.

Everybody in Sierra Leone is ready to turn the page and begin rebuilding our country. At the WeOwnTV Freetown Media Center, we are still in production of the documentray capturing these last days and how our characters lives are changing as we enter a post-Ebola Sierra Leone. Margaret Kabba Sessay no longer works at the ICU as the facility was closed, but is still working as a community health nurse at a local clinic. Mohamed Bangura is still driving his ambulance and was again responding to community emergency's when we experienced serious flooding earlier in September.

We know too well how events like our civil war in the 90's can actually define how you are know to the international world. It is there for critical that we have a voice in how this history is written. We are very proud of what we have accomplished so far in engaging Sierra Leonean media-makers and community members in recording this history and we are eager to share our story with the world.

I recently uploaded a personal message about the importance of media participation that I would love to share it with you all:

A Message from Arthur Pratt

As we near the end of the year I ask that you continue to support our efforts in Sierra Leone. You can do this by sharing this campaign with other who might consider a donation, increasing your donation to the project and by simply reaching out to members of our team with words of support.

With my deepest gratitude,

Arthur Pratt

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Jul 7, 2015
A Positive Revolution

By Banker White | Director

Foday returns to school after 4 years

“We are telling stories that are so needed for our country’s healing process at this time. For me the greatest miracle is to make a change in the life of somebody." - Survivors co-director Arthur Pratt

We are thrilled to announce that the Survivors documentary has a received a prestigious grant from the Bertha/BRITDOC Journalism Fund. "The Bertha BRITDOC Journalism Fund is an international film fund dedicated to supporting long form feature documentaries of a journalistic nature...looking for films that break the important stories of our time, expose injustice, bring attention to unreported issues and cameras into regions previously unseen."

This is particularly special for us at WeOwnTV as the Bertha Foundation has been supporting us and the professional development of Sierra Leonean filmmakers since 2010. This award also marks significant professional achievement for our group as last years recipients included the Oscar & BAFTA award winning films Citizen Four and Virunga.

GlobalGiving is giving us a unique opportunity to turbo-charge our fundraising efforts and will match every dollar donated to our campaign. We are in late stages of production and need your support now more than ever to help bring these inspiring stories to the world. Please do what you can to help spread the word and donate what you can at the link below.

Although the infection rate in Sierra Leone has been falling, the Ebola outbreak is not over. In the past couple weeks there have been unexpected flare ups of new cases, especially in the informal settlements near Freetown. We will be continuing to film with our main characters through containment and into the post Ebola reality. Mohamed continues to work at the ambulance park, Margaret is transitioning from her work at the Emergency ICU to a clinic in Freetown and Foday has made an unbelievable transformation from living on the streets to the class prefect at Cathedral Primary School.

Thank you for your time and your contributions.

Banker White and WeOwnTV

"Are you back again? Are you here to stay?"

Links:

WeOwnTV

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Apr 7, 2015
Now The Healing Begins - Update from Arthur Pratt

By Banker White | Director

Survivors character Mohamed and his nurse Joyce

Hello Everyone,

The Ebola epidemic is not over in Sierra Leone, but the end is in sight! We are launching this campaign in support of our feature length documentray, Survivors which I am co-directing with Sierra Leonean filmmaker Arthur Pratt. Over the past months Arthur and the team in Sierra Leone has been hard at work, torelessly working to capture what is happeneing on the ground. Arthur checked in from Freetown with some important updates that we wanted to share with you.

"On March 20th, for the first time since the start of the Ebola epidemic, Sierra Leone recorded zero new cases of the disease. While flare-ups still occur, the containment of the outbreak ushers light into a dark tunnel. However, a new threat is on the horizon. Looming over the most acute medical pandemic of our time is a political issue that threatens not only to destroy the gains we have made in the fight against Ebola but create a state of long term instability thereby taking our country backward. Now, as peoples’ most immediate paralyzing fears are starting to wane, pent up frustrations are exacerbating the already tense social and political climate.

At this time, it is more important than ever to provide forums for expression and democratic debate, not just spreading awareness about the disease, but speaking out about how we are feeling and what we are thinking so that Sierra Leoneans feel that their voices are being heard. By putting a human face on the heroes of the Ebola crisis – nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, and families trying to protect their loved ones – we are telling stories that are so needed for our country’s healing process at this time." - Arthur Pratt

Throughout the month of April, GlobalGiving will match every dollardonated to our campaign. If enough supporters contribute $2,500, that means we’ll reach our goal of $5,000!

As Arthur tells us: “The road to the end of Ebola has been bumpy, but that has not dampen the spirit of the nation.” We are poised and ready to continue the fight against Ebola and to work towards positive change in Sierra Leone at this critical moment in the country’s history. Come join this fight with us by donating HERE.

Thank you for your time and your contributions.

Banker White and WeOwnTV

Links:

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