A message fromTerence Lovell | Save the Children UK
Dear Robert,
I wanted to send you an email to thank you for the East Devon Choral Society’s support of the ebola response and the generous donation of £250 from the collection which Judith Ezard recently told me about. Your work as a WASH Lead in Kerrytown will have made a huge difference too, and I wanted to express my thanks to you on behalf of all those people you will have helped.
I know that in your letter to Judith you were asking how the money will support the programmes post-ebola, and I wanted to share with you some information about the work that we are undertaking which this money will support. We are currently working to deliver the following:
- Increasing adoption of healthy behaviours that prevent Ebola transmission through transparent, participative community engagement
- Restoring health system functionality in order to increase access to treatment for non-Ebola conditions and longer term health systems strengthening:
- Strengthening capacity by training health workers on Infection Prevention & Control and through rehabilitating and supplying health clinics
- Training community health workers to identify and respond to cases of illness in their catchment areas
- Ensuring those living with HIV who are on antiretroviral drugs continue to be able to access them
- Mitigation of impact on essential services and livelihoods and rehabilitation of infrastructure and systems:
- Child Protection: ensure facilities are child friendly, and that children who have lost their care givers to Ebola are supported and looked after long term
- Work on family tracing and reunification to ensure children are able to stay with family members where possible
- Strengthening community based and national child protection systems
- Education: with children unable to attend school we must develop methods for home-based learning, including the distribution of learning materials
- Food Security & Livelihoods: ensuring families affected by Ebola are able to meet their basic needs
I hope this gives you some more information on the work we are undertaking. As you say, whilst cases are tailing off, Save the Children is still there delivering support and will continue to do so.
Thank you once again for your support and do pass on my thanks to all at the East Devon Choral Society.
Kind Regards,
Terence Lovell