THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Dominant stories selected for today’s media summary include United Nations Missions In Liberia’s donation to the Foreign Ministry as well as the donations from the both India Community in Liberia and the UK-Based Liberians for the fight against Ebola.

Dominant Stories

UNMIL Capacitates Foreign Ministry’s Printing Bureau‏

According to the New Dawn Newspaper, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has donated a consignment of printing equipment and accessories to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs valued at over thirty-eight thousand United States dollars (US$38,000.00). The two sets of printing equipment with accessories were presented at a ceremony at the Foreign Ministry on Capitol Hill. The handover ceremony was attended by Foreign Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan and other senior officials of the Ministry.  Ms. Karin Landgren, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations led an array of UNMIL officials to make the donation. A Foreign Ministry release quotes Ms. Landgren as saying that the printing equipment and accessories will be used for the printing of legislations. She said the donation was part of UNMIL’s strong commitment in being a part and parcel of securing Liberia’s future peace and security which is reliance on the rule of law.

Related Captions:UNMIL Capacitates Foreign Ministry’s Printing Bureau(In Profile Daily), UNMIL Capacitates Foreign Ministry’s Printing Bureau(Insight Newspaper), UNMIL Capacitate Foreign Ministry’s Printing Bureau (Heritage Newspaper), and UNMIL Assists MOFA(New Democrats Newspaper)

Indian Community Identifies With Gov't

According to the New Dawn Newspaper, the Indian Community in Monrovia has donated food, plastic buckets and other items to the Government of Liberia to assist in the ongoing Ebola fight. Speaking Wednesday 28 August at the General Service Agency or GSA in Monrovia, the head of the association of Indian communities in Liberia Ujit Singhn Saachera, said the items will buttress government's effort in combating the deadly Ebola virus. Mr. Saachera said Indians here were in solidarity with the people of Liberia, saying "We cannot watch and allow government alone to suffer without doing anything to help." Items donated include: 2,000 bags of rice, 2,000 plastic buckets, 1,000 faucets and 100 mattresses. Mr. Saachera said a 14-16 seated Ambulance was underway to enhance effort of the national task force on Ebola in responding to the needs of the public. In receiving the items, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf commended the Indian community and said this is a clear indication that Indians here are true partners in progress. President Sirleaf also noted that it is easier to criticize the government, but it takes a man more courageous to demonstrate his effort in being a patriotic citizen for his country.

Related Captions:Indian Community Donates Ambulances, Ebola Gears (Frontpage Africa Newspaper),Ellen Lauds India’s Commitment To Liberia(Daily Observer Newspaper), Indian Donate To Ebola Task(Focus Newspaper), Indians Gives Big Package(The Inquirer Newspaper), Indian Community Donates Over US$200,000 Of Items To National Task Force(Insight Newspaper), Big Boost For Ebola Campaign(Heritage Newspaper), Indians Rescue Ebola Team (NewDemocrat Newspaper), and Indian Community Contributes To Ebola Fight(The Analyst Newspaper)

UK Airlifts First Aid Supply to Liberia

The New Dawn Newspaper reports that the UK- Liberia Ebola Taskforce established by the Union of Liberian Organizations in the United Kingdom (ULO-UK) has airlifted the first of two consignments of assorted protective medical supplies to Liberia to assist the Government in the fight to eradicate the deadly Ebola virus from the country. The supply is expected to arrive in Liberia over the weekend on SN Brussels airline. According to the Liberia Dental and Medical Association in the United Kingdom who spearheads the initiative on behalf of ULO-UK, the initial supply will be sent to the Phebe Hospital in Suakoko, Bong County because of the vast catchment communities that benefits from that regional referral hospital. The hospital has been closed for a little over three weeks because of fears by health workers to contract the Ebola virus due to the lack of protective equipment to treat suspected cases of Ebola at the hospital. Officials of ULO-UK who physically participated in stocking the materials including Dr. Kokulo Waiwaiku, Dr. Velma Troko, Dr. George Flahn, Mrs. Lena Marshall, Mrs. Evelyn DeShield and Mrs. Robena Vincent, the plight of medical practitioners in Liberia who have lost their lives in the execution of their duties is of great concern and everything should be done by all Liberians to encourage their return to active duty. The effort of ULO-UK was complimented by the Liberian Embassy in the UK who negotiated with SN Brussels Corporate Office in London for airlifting the 1200 kilograms of medical supplies to Liberia on gratis.

Related Captions:UK-Based Liberians Send Ebola Medical Supplies To Liberia(In Profile Daily), and More Donations For Ebola Fight(Heritage Newspaper)

USAID announces US$5m for Ebola fight

The United States Agency for International Development or USAID has announced additional five million United States Dollars for the ongoing combat against the Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa. The virus has claimed over 1500 lives in the sub-region, including healthcare workers, doctors and ordinary people. Speaking Wednesday, 27 August at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism’s regular press briefings on Capitol Hill, USAID head of directors Jeremy Konyndyk, told reporters that it will take coordinated effort by the entire international community to contain the spread of the deadly Ebola virus. He said the United States is working closely with the World Health Organization, the governments and officials of affected countries, and other international partners on ground to identify the greatest needs and deploy critical resources where they are urgently needed. The USAID boss said the donation is intended to buttress efforts of governments of the affected countries: Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria) in combating the virus, writes the New Dawn Newspaper.

Related Captions: USAID Gives $5m To Ebola Response(Focus Newspaper), and USAID Gives $5m More To West Africa Ebola Response (Insight Newspaper)

Other Stories

'EBOLA SURVIVORS INCREASING IN LIBERIA' - ELWA ADMINISTRATOR

The FrontPage Africa Newspaper reports that Dr. Rick Sacra acting administrator of the ELWAhospital says more people who were diagnosed positive of the Ebola Virus are surviving and returning home. Dr. Sacra said: “We have a lot of patients going back home in the last three days; these are people who were positive and are now cured of the infection. People should not be confused about it why there is no specific medication if the person can be kept alive through IV fluid, ORS for two weeks most people own immune system can build resistance to the virus.” Sacra in an interview with reporters said the issue of capacity is a major challenge facing the Liberian government and expressed hope that the issue will be shortly addressed to give opportunity to people sick with Ebola to be treated. He made the comments Wednesday when he received assorted food and non- food items from a group under the banner “churches of Christ in Liberia” to be used by the isolation center at the ELWA hospital in Paynesville. Dr. Sacra an American Missionary working with the ELWA hospital warned the public that the virus is not yet contained because according to him every time a center is opened for Ebola, within a few days it is occupied by patients.

POLICE ACADEMY COMMUNITY BEGINS DOOR-TO-DOOR EBOLA AWARENESS

As the Ebola crisis deepens some communities have begun setting up local networks to buttress government’s effort and one of such is the Police Academy community in Paynesville, which under the banner Police Academy Development Association [PACDA] has gathered residents who are public health and community development practitioners to train volunteers in helping to combat the outbreak. PACDA has divided the volunteers into various teams and some of the youths are responsible for carrying out Ebola awareness messages while others are making contact tracing and helping to refer Ebola suspects by calling the hotlines. The Chairman of PACDA David Lawor said, the Ebola fight is beyond the government adding that it requires the collective efforts of all Liberians. Lawor said, the best way for the government to combat the Ebola outbreak is working through community structures.  Lawor continued: “We as community development practitioners know that the farther away you are from the community it is going to be difficult to develop the community.” The PACDA chairman urged the government to use community structures in combating the outbreak, says FrontPage Africa Newspaper.

NOCAL supports ‘Feed the Future’

The National Oil Company of Liberia or NOCAL has provided several items to a local organization, ‘Feed the Future,’ as part of the ongoing Ebola fight. Items donated on Wednesday, 28 August include a consignment of Clorox, heavy duty rubber gloves and detergent soap.  NOCAL also provided mattresses, buckets, clothing, assorted food items as well as other basic commodities. According to a press release, the donations were in response to an appeal from ‘Feed the Future’ to help its campaign to contain the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.  Presenting the items, NOCAL Assistant Vice President for Corporate Social Relations, Pete Norman, said the company was saddened by the effects of the virus on the Liberian people, says the New Dawn Newspaper.

Related Caption:NOCAL Donates To Organization In Ebola Fight(In Profile Daily)

Drop-Off Point To West Point

According to the Daily Observer Newspaper, Liberian law enforcement has been enabling personal contact between quarantined residents of West Point and the general public, including persons who want to drop off food provisions and other essential items that those quarantined might need. According to citizens who stood in line at the checkpoint on lower Mechlin Street at Waterside, they have been able to bring items such as food, charcoal, cosmetics, rice and other necessary items that their relatives in West Point might not otherwise have access to as a result of the government-imposed quarantine. “This is my third time in line and I always make sure to bring exactly what my mother says she needs here. Sometimes I leave small thing with the police to make sure that she gets everything that I send,” stated Princess, who stood in line patiently for her turn. Assistant Minister for Public Affairs at the Ministry of Defense, David Dahn acknowledged the arrangement, saying that in spite of the quarantine order, “the opportunity exists” to convey goods in and out of the quarantine area “but with the coordination of the law enforcement officers”.

My Mandate: To Stop The Spread Of Ebola

A special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General to Ebola affected countries, Dr. David Nabarro has disclosed that he has been mandated by his boss, Ban Ki-moon, to stop the spread of the Ebola Virus in affected countries. “My mandate from the Secretary General is clear. Stop the spread of the virus; help attend to the well-being of the Liberian people and help government address the economic consequence of the outbreak. Restoring the confidence of the people and the rest of the world that the virus can be beaten back is also very cardinal,” Dr. Nabarro indicated. Countries that are to benefit Dr. Nabarro’s interventions include Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinean and Nigeria. U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon, early last week, appointed Dr. David Nabarro as Senior UN Systems Coordinator for Ebola, prompting his immediate visit to the most affected countries of the outbreak. He will also meet key partners in the government-led effort against Ebola during his three-day visit to Liberia. Ahead of a high-level delegation, Dr. Nabarro met with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at her Foreign Ministry office last weekend. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General to Liberia, Karen Landgren, led the delegation to the Office of the President, reports the Daily Observer Newspaper.

Make Ultimate Sacrifice For Country

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has told health workers across the country that their work is the ultimate sacrifice in line with Hippocratic Oath that compels them to save lives. The Liberian leader pledged that with the sacrifices health workers are making, government has no excuse not to act in creating the environment for smooth operation. “The government is doing all within its power to supply the equipment which you need to protect yourselves and the Health Ministry is going to do that immediately,” she promised. She was speaking at the Liberian Government Hospital in Tubmanburg on Saturday August 23, 2014, when she visited that county. Bomi County, along with others in the western region, has been quarantined for some weeks. The measure was aimed at helping to contain the spread of the Ebola virus. The Liberian President commended healthcare workers in Bomi County for going the extra mile in the wake of the Ebola virus outbreak in the country, noting that she was impressed by the courage and enthusiasm demonstrated by the healthcare workers in such an emergency situation which has claimed hundreds of lives, including those of their colleagues, asserts the Daily Observer Newspaper.

Phebe Hospital To Re-open Shortly

The Chairman of the Bong County Legislative Caucus, Senator Henry Yallah, has disclosed that efforts are underway to reopen the Phebe Hospital in Suakoko, Bong County. Phebe, which serves as a regional referral hospital for Lofa, Bong, Margibi and Nimba counties, was shut down after five of its health workers contracted the deadly Ebola virus, INSIGHT Newspaper reports.

Related Caption:Phebe Hospital To Re-open Shortly (Focus Newspaper)

ECOWAS Call For End To Border Closures Over Ebola

West African states have been asked to re-open their borders and end flight bans put in place to halt the spread of Ebola, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said on Thursday. A Reuters report said the ECOWAS countries and airlines will make their own decision on flight bans and borders, but the view of the main regional body, expressed at a meeting of ECOWAS health ministers in Ghana’s capital, is likely  to prove influential, “We must implement containment measures but we must not implement measures that will isolate or ostracize the affected countries,” Ghana President John Mahama, who is also ECOWAS ‘s current chairman, told the meeting. “Excessive restrictions of travel and border closures will adversely affect the economies of the sub-region, he said, New Dawn Newspaper writes.