16 Feb Ebola Relief Supplies at Work in Sierra Leone

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

Rev. John Pessima, bishop of Sierra Leone National Conference, reports that the distribution of items gathered by United Brethren churches in the Eastern United States has gained the attention of local and national radio, TV, and print media. With the assistance of the Christian Health Association of Sierra Leone (CHASL), 50% of the items are being sent to the western region, 20% to the north, and the remaining 25% to the south. CHASL has also been instrumental in clearing the containers with port authorities, including the container that delivered the pallet of food items and the 40-foot container of medical supplies we had the privilege of underwriting.

In addition, Ebola relief supplies have come from the United Brethren church in Berlin, Germany, which consists largely of immigrants from Sierra Leone. Dr. Ladipol of the Berlin congregation has spearheaded efforts to provide for Ebola relief, including for our own Mattru Hospital.

Continue to pray for the complete eradication of Ebola. According to the Associated Press, a quarantine was imposed in a fishing district of the capital city, Freetown, after at least five new Ebola cases were confirmed there, an official said on February 14.

The report said Sierra Leone has seen nearly 11,000 confirmed, probable, and suspected Ebola cases during the worst Ebola outbreak in history. That’s the most of any country, according to the World Health Organization. Despite a drop in cases, transmission in Sierra Leone remains widespread, with 76 new cases confirmed in the previous week, according to WHO.