Ebola Crisis Response Update: Getting Supplies to Survivors
May 2014
confirmed the arrival of the deadly Ebola virus to Sierra Leone. Almost a year onwards and whilst the World
Health Organization has reported there have only been 67 cases of the Ebola
virus in the past 21 days with zero unsafe burials. But communities are still
reeling from the devastating impacts on their lives.
LemonAid
Fund’s Ebola Crisis Strategy activities are focused on education, psychosocial
support, food supplies, and especially wash and sanitation efforts. This focus
falls in line with UNICEF’s WASH program, for water, sanitation, and hygiene.
We often take for granted how easy it is to turn on a tap and use the bathroom-
but focusing on WASH has been particularly important in the past year in Sierra
Leone. It will continue to have this importance in order for Ebola to be
contained as well as progress to be made in minimising associated health risks.
The
organisation aims to halve the amount of people without sustainable access to
safe water and sanitation, to make sure that all schools have child-friendly
water and sanitation facilities and to teach children about hygiene education
in schools.
It is still so crucial to get
necessary supplies to survivors so all can get back to a normal pace of life.
In order to
help in this effort, LemonAid Fund has a shipping container just waiting to be
filled! Due to ship the second week of May, we need at least 30 barrels filled
to send this container.
Any of the
following supplies would be helpful, and it would be particularly useful for
each of the 10 schools to have a handheld thermometer that does not touch skin.
Medical: Aprons, bandages, First-Aid kits, hair protectors
(including shower caps), over-the-counter pain killers, protective gloves,
scrubs, shoe protectors.
Health: Disinfectant, disposable food containers, hand
sanitizer, insect repellent, liquid soap and bar soap, thermometers,
toothbrushes, toothpaste, wet wipes.
Technology: Flash lights and batteries, USB memory sticks,
old mobiles phones, scientific calculators, solar powered lights of any kind,
used or new laptops, notepads, a wireless connector.
Food items (Please ensure expiry date is at least a year
from when you are sending): Juice bags, energy snacks, milk powder, and
nutritious single-serving items.
School Supplies: Any learning-type game, backpacks,
bananagrams, children’s books (especially for young children 0-3 heavy
cardboard or material or plastic), crayons, flash cards, notebooks, number
games, paper, writing utensils (pens, pencils, rulers, rubbers/erasers etc.),
scrabble games, sturdy puzzles, white board markers, white boards.
Sports: Yoga supplies (mats, straps, blocks etc.), balls,
soccer jerseys, soccer shoes, swim suits, tennis balls and rackets.
General (please no heavy winter clothes or boots): foot wear
and socks (children’s/women’s/men’s), rain coats for rainy season and plastic
ponchos, sheets, pillow cases, used clothes (all sizes but especially
children’s), washable sturdy toys.
We are relying on the kindness of
others to help us and contribute any of the above items, or make financial
donations, to allow us to collect the supplies needed and fund the shipping and
storage of the container.
The cost per
barrel to ship and store is $300, or can be sponsored in parts of $100 or $200.
If you have goods but not the money to ship them, LemonAid Fund will be
fundraising to cover these costs. Shipping of these items is to (or from)
Maryland, so if you are in this area please feel free to drive over any items!
To find out
more on how to make a financial donation, or donate goods (or both!), please click this link!
We greatly appreciate your help and
we will keep posting on the blog as the container fills up, and with other
LemonAid Fund updates!
For more
information about the current status of the Ebola crisis, please click here!
