SLWT has been working tirelessly throughout the Ebola epidemic to protect and support some of the most vulnerable members of society. At the start of the epidemic, SLWT’s activities focused on preventative measures as they provided personal protective equipment to doctors and hand-washing facilities to densely populated urban communities. SLWT also worked with the local “okada riders” (motorcycle riders) to protect them and their passengers from getting infected through the innovative introduction of plastic raincoats. As the epidemic continued to rage and the UK Government began to recruit NHS Healthcare workers to join the fight in Sierra Leone, SLWT played an important role in the recruitment drive, organising a major media campaign, roadshows across the country and delivering cultural awareness training to the NHS volunteers prior to their deployment.
Thankfully the ebola epidemic is now coming under control and the rate of transmission in Sierra Leone is on a downward trend. However, in its wake, the ebola outbreak has left a devastating legacy as thousands of children have become orphans, having lost their parents to the deadly disease. SLWT is catering for the food and health monitoring needs of Ebola orphans under the age of five who are in the care of guardians and caretakers unable to cover the additional cost to the household but who are willing to provide a new home for these children.
With the re-opening of schools in Sierra Leone, SLWT will resume its work providing educational scholarships and mentoring support to school girls who as a group have been very badly affected by the outbreak with there being a risk of many of these girls not returning to school.
Your donations at the start of the outbreak enabled SLWT to join the fight against Ebola by supporting doctors, urban and rural communities and "okada riders". Please now help us reach our fundraising target so that through our "Hope For Tomorrow" project we can positively contribute to the lives of orphaned children who have endured terrible suffering because of the Ebola outbreak.
Thanks for your support.
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr
Chairperson of the Board of Trustees
SLWT