Ebola Survivors

Salesian missionaries are assisting the small village of Kumbrabai, 100 kilometers from the capital city of Freetown in Sierra Leone, which has been severely impacted by the Ebola virus. The village once had 270 residents but 82 villagers succumbed to Ebola and 65 more who were infected fled the village. Entire families were lost and some are left with only one member. Those who remained in the village were shunned by their own people who were afraid to enter homes where someone had died. The community was stigmatized and isolated by other villages out of fear.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Sierra Leone Chapter, in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Parliament, has at the end of March 2016, engaged various community stakeholders and MPs in the Western Area on raising awareness on gender based violence and stigmatization of Ebola survivors.

Delivering the keynote address and official launch of the one day dialogue forum, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Chernor Bah, praised the IPU and Parliament for their support to the educational sector on the issues of gender based violence in the country. Hon. Bah noted that violence against women and girls cuts across our society and urged all to take the training very seriously.

Monday 4^th April, 2016: EVD survivors still have substantial unmet needs in Sierra Leone. Yesterday’s demonstration with placards at the State House and around the country further reinforce many of the concerns EVD survivors face.