A Look at Ebola’s Long-Term Impact on Western Africa

By Mark Conlin, president of the Xerox Foundation

The Xerox Foundation has donated $100,000 to Save the Children’s Ebola Relief Fund. We s

upport a number of good causes throughout the year, and I won’t use this space to report on each of them. But I think it important to share what Save the Children has taught me about the West African Ebola crisis.

The latest news about Ebola from the World Health Organization is grim. The global health agency reported that new cases continue to develop in places in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. It said there are no signs yet that Ebola is under control in any of these countries.

It’s hard to think of worse news for children and families there, and that’s why Save the Children is there.

It’s a fight we can’t afford to lose, given the millions of children at the heart of the world’s worst-ever Ebola outbreak. Not only are children at risk of infection, statistics show that three of every four children who have contracted Ebola have died, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. Children are also orphaned and left defenseless and without proper care. Schools are closed and fragile health systems are collapsing, leaving children at grave risk from otherwise curable diseases, and women without prenatal care. Families are losing income — and years of progress they have made are being undone.

“The Ebola crisis is now at a tipping point, as the numbers of cases are likely to increase dramatically in coming weeks. We are especially concerned for the 2.5 million children under the age of 5 living in areas affected by Ebola. We must address this threat to these millions of children.”

– Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children

Here’s a look at some of the work that Save the Children is doing in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone:

• Constructing Ebola Treatment Units that will provide expert care and dignity to those with the disease.
• Piloting Ebola Community Care Centers in Liberia that will provide “close-to-the-community” care for those suspected of, and testing positive for the virus.
• Helping to prevent Ebola’s spread through community education and radio messages reaching tens of thousands of people.
• Providing health ministries and country health teams with medical supplies and disinfectants, and installing hand-washing stations.
• Supporting children who are emotionally overwhelmed by what they have experienced.
• Providing soap and other essential hygiene supplies to over 400 schools and health centers in Guinea.

Learn More About Ebola Relief

Logging Miles is a blog from Save the Children president and CEO Carolyn Miles. Recent articles describe the situation on the ground in West Africa.

How You Can Help

• Donate to the Ebola Relief Fund.
• Text to donate:  Text “EBOLA” to 20222 to donate $10 to Save the Children

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