The End Of Ebola?

A few days ago Sierra Leone passed 42 days with no new confirmed cases, meaning that person to person transmission is no longer considered a threat.......for now.

 

I saw some celebrations on the news, but in my area celebrations were pretty muted and understated.....most people I know have taken it as a time of prayer and reflection, remembering those they lost and praying for those who survived.

 

The AHS Hospital at Waterloo, which was first closed and quarantined in August 2014 then later commissioned as an Ebola Holding and Treatment Centre, reopened as a general hospital this week. The doctor and staff are glad to be getting back to normal after living and working under restrictions for so long.

I went to the reopening and as well as being a day of celebration it was a day of reflection, remembrance and prayer. It was an honour to be mentioned as one of the organisations that has helped them through the Ebola crisis and the hospital pass on their thanks for the help that Transform Salone and our supporters have given them since the start of the crisis.

The doctor was so eager to get back to work that he was seeing patients as soon as the tour of the hospital at the end of the reopening programme was over!

 

It's a great testament to the doctor, his staff and the people that came to help that while the hospital was operating as an Ebola centre no staff were infected with the virus.

 

People are very aware that there are still Ebola patients being treated in neighbouring Guinea and that it's a real possibility that we could see further cases.

Wisely people are being advised to continue with precautions such as avoiding unnecessary touching and hand washing.

 

I think people are afraid to get too excited in case it all starts up again - they don't want to celebrate prematurely.......I think most people accept that there's a good chance there will be more cases here and there, but at least the country can start to recover now.

 

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office have updated their travel advice and are no longer advising against all but essential travel to Sierra Leone.......so we are ready to start welcoming volunteers to come and help us with our community work and the sponsorship scheme. If you'd like to come and help out please get in touch!!

An Ebola Orphan - Angel

I've been spending quite a bit of time with a young lady I know who survived Ebola, because of the stigma attached to Ebola I'll call her Angel rather than using her real name here.

 

Angel's father became sick so her mother took care of  him.......when her mother started to get sick Angel took over looking after her father.......then Angel became sick too. They were all taken to an Ebola treatment centre. Angel's mother died first, then her father died two days later. Angel waited to die as well, but she surprised herself by recovering - after seeing her parents die she'd fully expected that she would die too.

Angel has three younger sisters and a younger brother, fortunately they all tested negative for the virus.

When Angel was discharged from hospital and returned home everything she owned was destroyed when the house was cleansed. She is now living with her Grandmother along with her younger siblings.

 

Angel is around 18 years old, at the time Ebola was at it's height she should have been starting Form 5 in school (SSS2), but the schools were closed to try to stop the virus spreading. Now that the schools have reopened there is no one to pay for her to go to school. Although the government are paying school fees there are other costs such as uniforms, text books, supplies, extra lessons....the list goes on. Her Grandmother who has suddenly found herself with 5 extra mouths to feed can't afford it.

 

All of Angel's previous school reports were destroyed when the house was cleansed - but she tells me that on her last school report she ranked 8th in her class. Her favourite subject is Cost Accounting and when she leaves school she has dreams of being a bank manager. She has 3 more years left of basic education.

Although she is keen to return to school Angel is scared to go back to her former school because some of the other students know that she had Ebola and she thinks they will mock her......she told me that they laugh at her.

She has already missed the first term of school since the schools reopened, so we have planned to enrol her in a new school when the new school year starts in September.

She is such a sweet, shy, caring, gentle lovely young lady who deserves so much more than life has thrown at her so far.
 

If anyone would like to help Angel with her education please contact me.

Sierra Leone.....An Update

I've settled back into life quickly here in Sierra Leone, within a day it always feels as though I've never left. I'm always surprised how easily I slip to and fro between my two lives......although I think it takes me longer to settle back into life in the UK than it does to settle into life in Sierra Leone - I guess that's because I'm in SL more than I'm in the UK.

A group of kids from the local primary school have taken to popping in to see me during their break time, which is nice. Some of the UK forces who were working here at Kerrytown Ebola Centre left a lot of biscuits and cake with me, so we are sharing a few of these out with the kids whenever they come around.

Yesterday was my first day back in the office - I'm borrowing a classroom again at the Hosetta Abdullah school. They only have morning lessons, which leaves the classrooms empty in the afternoon and the headmistress has kindly offered me the use of a classroom in the afternoons. I'm so pleased that I'm able to base myself there again, it's such a nice environment.

I will be meeting with between three and five sponsored students and their guardians each day so I can check how they are getting on and make sure they have everything they need.

It's the beginning of the rainy season here - so while it's still hot and humid during the day most nights there are storms. I'm going to try growing some vegetables and flowers and I'm told now is a good time to sow them, so we are going get started on that this weekend.

Ebola has diminished a lot since I left here just over a month ago, both in new cases and in the minds of people. I remember a few months ago it was the main topic of conversation, there was fear in the air, people were suspicious of each other........that has declined enormously now. When I arrived there was a form to fill in and a temperature check and there are still handwash stations outside a lot of businesses.....but it doesn't seem to be at the forefront of people's minds anymore.

I will be visiting Dr Koroma of the Waterloo Adventist Hospital at the weekend - they plan to close at the end of this month as an Ebola centre and then work on reopening as a hospital. It will be such a relief for everyone when hospitals go back to operating as normal again as it has been so hard for people to get medical treatment these past few months. It will be a relief to me personally as that's the hospital I go to if I get sick - I've been a bit worried about getting sick and not being able to get treatment.

I've been following the Weightwatchers eating plan for just over a month - I'm following the online program as I didn't want to go to meetings and the application makes it easy. I wasn't sure how well I would stick to it when I was in Salone, but so far I'm getting on ok with it. I have my usual cereal and a banana for breakfast, then a light lunch and rice in the evenings where I substitute plassas for tuna or chicken. For snacks I have bananas - I never used to like bananas, but just recently I can't get enough of them.....and the bananas here might not be the most attractive to look at, but they are SO tasty!! I have a banana tree in the garden - I'm looking forward to the day I can have bananas from my own tree!!

I went to the supermarket to stock up on some provisions to make it easier for me to stick to WW - rice cakes, hotdog sausages, lots of fruit, potatoes and some salad. It was my first weigh in since I arrived back yesterday and I've lost another 1.5lbs......which means I've lost 5% of my original starting weight! I might just celebrate with a rice cake!!

In the past I've drank a lot of coke and sprite - but I've replaced that with water so I'm sure that will help with my weight loss. Since I started Weightwatchers I've lost 9lb.

This and That

This last fortnight has been a funny couple of weeks - schools are supposed to be opening in a few weeks, but many parents don't want their children to go to school until there is no more Ebola......and for the ones that are going back we are waiting on the schools to start enrolments and publish their book lists. I've been checking with the schools every couple of days, because I'm at the point now that I can't do anything else on the sponsorship side of things until we know for sure when the schools will reopen.

The main topic of conversation here at the moment is the Vice President first being expelled from leading party, then going into hiding and requesting asylum from the US Embassy, then being sacked! Who knows where that's going to take us!! There is quite a lot of upset about it all, I just hope and pray that however it is resolved that it will be done peacefully.

A young man that I've been helping for a few years with his schooling is working on a burial team - to say I'm worried about him would be an understatement. Not only is there the danger associated with the job, but he's also being shunned by friends who won't go near him since they found out about his job. Ah, I feel for him. It's such a brave move for someone so young. I an praying that he will remain safe from the virus.

The new Ebola case numbers are still fluctuating daily, it's definitely a lot better than it was in November/December, but it is not over yet. I have seen two burial teams in the last few days collecting corpses - it's such a shocking, scary thing to see.

 

Sierra Leone is to be locked down for 3 days from 27th March, with everyone staying at home. Teams will visit each household in an effort to identify any unreported Ebola cases.

I've stocked up on groceries - Aunty won't be coming during the lockdown so I'll be cooking for myself. The shelves were quite bare by the time I got to the supermarket, but I got some basics......definitely enough to see me through to the end of the lockdown. I swapped my empty cooking gas cylinder for a full one, got plenty of phone credit and topped up on drinking water - I'm all set!!

I'm getting the spare rooms ready in the hope that friends will visit later in year......once we've seen the back of Ebola. When I rented the compound I had at least seven people who were planning to visit, who understandably had to cancel. I fully understand that people are unable to come at the moment, and I think that's sensible......but it has left me with a slight worry about how I'm going to cover the rent when it is due in August. I know that God will provide, but sometimes......when I think too much it does worry me. I have at least four friends who I know will visit as soon as they are able, so I'm getting their rooms ready.

 

I had a nice catch up with Mr Sullay, my former driver - he doesn't change and he always makes me laugh! We've spent so much time together over the last few years that we know each other so well and have grown to be good friends. We had a wonderful time catching up as, although we often talk on the phone, we'd not met up for a few months. One big worry he has at the moment is that he's not working - something that will hopefully change in the near future.

 

If you feel able here are a few thing I'd appreciate prayer for:

• People will cooperate with the lockdown and it may signal the beginning of the end of Ebola
• The schools will reopen only when the time is right in a way that is safe for the students
• The country will remain stable and peaceful as political issues are dealt with
• My worries about the rent for the compound my be eased
• My young friend on the burial team and all those doing this dangerous job - that they will stay safe and not be shunned
• That Mr Sullay will find a job so he can provide for his family

3 Day Lockdown

It seems that the rumours are true for once and there will be another 3 day lockdown in Sierra Leone from 27th to 29th March.

It's not too much of a hassle for me - I'll just stock up on food and use it as a chance to get some jobs done in the house, catch up on admin work and finally get started on the vegetable garden I've been planning.

 

For others that don't have the luxury of being able to fill their cupboards in preparation for the lockdown, for people who live day to day, it won't be easy. Most people I know buy their food daily - what they earn in a day is used to buy food that is cooked for that evening's meal........what are they going to do when they aren't allowed to leave their homes for three days? How will they feed their families?

 

We will be providing rice for as many of our families and blind beggars as possible to help them through the lockdown.

 

If you feel you would like to help toward the rice distribution a donation can be made using the 'donate' button at the top of this blog - for other ways to make a donation please email me.

For £13 we can provide a 25kg bag of rice to a family. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

To School or Not to School

I had a post all typed up and ready to publish about the schools reopening here in Sierra Leone on 31st March.......then I heard this morning that the reopening of the schools has been pushed back two weeks until 14th April!
I'll just edit the dates and post away......

It's been announced that the schools here in Sierra Leone will reopen on 14th April .............but the number of confirmed Ebola cases is still in double figures most days.....with the majority of cases being in Western Area Rural - which is where I and most of our sponsored students live.

BECE students were to start back at school on 16th March and sit their exams on 24th March, this has also been pushed back but I'm not sure by how much yet.

The plan is to have one long term that will run through to July - but I don't see how a while year's teaching can be fitted into 2.5 or 3 months.
 

 I would love to hold a parents meeting to discuss what best to do about our students, but that's not possible because public gatherings are currently banned here. I am meeting with the parents, family or guardians of each sponsored students individually and talking it over with each of them. The general consensus so far seems to be:

• the families of the primary school children want to wait until September for their children to go back to school
• our BECE (Basic Education Certificate Examination - the exam students sit at the end of their third year of secondary school) students will sit their exams on the date yet to be announced  (was to be 24th March, but this has been delayed)
• for the other secondary school students we are going to monitor things over the next few weeks and take each one on a case by case basis....but unless the Ebola numbers go down drastically I think a lot of the families will keep their children out of school until September

I want the decision of when the students go back to school to be made by the students and their families. The students need to feel safe in school and the families need to be able to relax when their kids are in school and not spend all day worrying if they will get sick by attending school - I will go along with whatever each family decides.

Sponsorship donations that have been made while the schools have been closed have been added to the student's accounts and will be used to provide extra lessons and additional text books......so when they do finally go back to school they will be well equipped to catch up on the schooling they have missed.

A Day of Two Halves

Today has been an interesting day.......

 

The First Half

This morning I was invited to meet some UK medics that have been working in Sierra Leone and talk about why I'm here and what I do here. I was SO nervous, but I think it went well. They were all really nice and a few people were interested in sponsoring students - which is fantastic!!

 

People tell me that I'm brave to come here, but really my risk is minimal and I feel I have to be here with the people that I've grown to love over the years.

The people I met today are amazing, they have chosen to come here, to help rid us of this sickness, possibly putting themselves at risk, to help perfect strangers.......it restored my faith in humanity to meet people so selfless.

 

After my short talk we all had lunch and I had some time to chat and catch up with an old friend that I'd not seen since 2008!!

 

I'm going to help them by distributing aid that they have collected but were unable to share out.

 

The Second Half

This afternoon was a totally different kettle of fish........I went to the house of Alhaji the boy who fell in boiling water over the weekend (click here to see the post about him). The doctor who had promised to visit did come after I'd left yesterday, and was due to return again this morning, but still hadn't arrived by 3pm.

 

Alhaji was pretty much the same as yesterday, still in an enormous amount of pain - but even so, when I arrived  he stood up to say "hello aunty". He wasn't dressed today, but rather had a sheet draped over his shoulders which I think is probably better for him.

 

I decided that it would be better if I went to the hospital first without the boy to see if there was a chance of admitting him, rather than put him through the pain of the journey unnecessarily. When I got to the hospital they told me that it was now an Ebola holding centre. I carried on into town to the big government hospital and found the children's ward - they told me that if we took him there they might be able to admit him.

 

I've also called Doctor Koroma to ask him to advise me what he thinks will be best for the boy - hopefully we'll be able to talk in the morning.

 

I'm hoping that tomorrow we'll be able to either get Alhaji admitted to hospital or work out a way to ensure he gets the treatment he needs at home.

 

On a side note......some things I don't think I'll ever get used to, nor do I want to - when I drove past the mortuary today there was a hearse with a team of people in full PPE unloading a body.........Ebola may be on the wane, but it's still very much here.

King George VI Home For The Elderly

I have known King George VI Home for the Elderly since my very first visit to Sierra Leone in 2006. Mission Direct used to have an office/team house in the King George compound so I would be there most days and got to know the residents very well.

 

King George was relocated to Grafton a few years ago when their compound in Kissy was purchased and redeveloped as an industrial site. I am not able to visit as much as I used to, but I try to get out to their site in Grafton at least every few weeks to see how everyone is doing.

 

King George has always been one of my favourite places to visit, and when I'm able to I love to spend time with some of the residents just chatting and passing time.

 

I popped in there yesterday to see how everyone is......worryingly some of the staff there told me 'Ebola don don' (Ebola is finished) - which is obviously not true as their near neighbours St George Foundation are currently under quarantine after losing one of their staff a few days ago to Ebola.

 

It was great to catch up with the staff and residents, including these two gentlemen, who I had a lovely chat with:

 

Mr Davis





Mr Joseph

Sadly since my last visit one long term resident Mr Prince has passed away. He was a lovely, friendly polite gentleman and he'll be missed by the other residents. RIP Mr Prince.

Rest in Perfect Peace Mr Prince

Lifeline Nehemiah Project

I was really happy to catch up with the wonderful people at the Lifeline Nehemiah Project in Kissy this week.

Wow, they have been busy the last few months!! Here are just some of the things they have been doing:

• Along with Medair they have built and are running a 20 bed Ebola treatment centre
• They have built an extension to their boys home to take in Ebola orphans
• They have been providing care packages to quarantined homes
• They've been sending people out to educate and sensitise people to Ebola.

The work they have been doing is seriously impressive, and it's inspiring to see the way they work together for the good of the Nehemiah family, the good of their local community and the good of their country.

I got to meet some of the Ebola orphans they are taking care of and it was lovely to see them so relaxed,  playing ball and having fun - they are obviously well cared for..

This is the extension to the home that will allow them to accommodate even more children:

Ebola Fatigue?

People's attitude to Ebola has changed here in the past couple of months........I think that most people are just thoroughly fedup with it and the changes it has caused.

 

I've noticed that the people I spend time with aren't nearly so careful about avoiding body contact as they were the last time I saw them.

 

People aren't talking about Ebola now they way they were - before it cropped into most conversations, now if it's mentioned its mostly to say that it will be gone soon. Instead of talking about Ebola, now people are talking about the investigation into the suspected misuse of donations made to the government to help with the fight against Ebola.

 

I do think it's a good thing that Ebola isn't completely dominating the lives of people here in the way that it was at the end of last year.......the strain of living under the threat of such an awful virus takes it's toll - I know that and I had the luxury of being able to come and go.........imagine how much worse it is for the people who don't have that option - who had to stay here no matter how bad it got..

 

Someone told me that Ebola has been beaten, but the authorities are pretending that it hasn't so that people will keep sending money in.........dangerous talk, I really hope it's a very small minority of people that believe this.

 

I'm worried that people are becoming too complacent about it - the situation is much better, but it's far from over yet.

 

Today I heard that St George Foundation, one of the first projects that I worked on in Sierra Leone, has been quarantined after a staff member tested positive for the Ebola virus........proof, if any is needed, that the fight isn't over yet.

I'm About To Get Busy!!

As usual I quickly settled back into life here, not much has changed during the two months I was away.

One noticeable change is the week after I left a new rule was bought in that all trading would cease at 6pm daily......I can't speak for other areas, but in my part of town that means al street traders, all shops, all restaurants and all bars have to be closed or stop selling by 6pm. This is bad news for the new restaurant that had opened just down the road from me, in November it was doing really good business and was attracting a lot of customers, particularly in the evenings.....I drove past at 6.30pm yesterday and it was all locked up, I hope they are getting enough trade during the daytime to keep them going.

Compared to when I left in December there are hardly any Ebola ambulances around, I've seen one or two teams but nowhere near the number we were seeing in November an December when there were 100+ new cases confirmed some days. The official statistics indicate that Ebola is reducing and that does seem to be the case.

I got a call from the BMI office about my missing luggage and they say it will arrive on the flight tomorrow (Sunday) and I can pick it up from their office in town on Monday - it will be a huge relief to get my hands on that bag!!

While I was away an electric pump was fitted to the water well in my compound (HUGE, HUGE thanks to those who helped with this!!), it allows us to fill the water tanks that feed the house and the compound with water from the well - this is just great as previously the tanks only filled with rain water, so no rain = empty tanks. The only other way to get water was to lower a bucket into the well and pull it up manually - I tried it once and it was really hard work! It's a real weight off my mind knowing we can now fill the tanks so easily.

I am enjoying living in the new compound and while I'm here I'm going to get the spare rooms ready so that friends can come to stay later in the year. I'm going to get a local carpenter to make one bed and one clothes rail and if they turn out ok I'll get the same made for each room.

I need to find a new office as I've decided that it's better to work away from home, so my hunt for office space starts tomorrow....I have a couple of ideas of places that might be suitable.

The schools are due to reopen here towards the end of March, so there is a lot of work to do to get the students enrolled and ready for school. It is such a relief that they will be able to begin attending school again after all this time - I am hoping to arrange a meeting with the Ministry of Education next week so I can find out if we will have to pay fees for just the last term or for the full year........or if the rumour that fees will be subsidised by the government are true - if this is the case we will use the funds reserved for fees on extra lessons for our students.

I need to find out if public meetings are still banned as I would like to hold a parents meeting to let the parents and guardians of our students know how we are going to be dealing with the reintegration of our students into the schools - if we are not allowed to hold a parents meeting I will have to go over it with each parent or guardian individually.

Now that most quarantines have been lifted I will be able to visit out sponsored students in the provinces, I will be planning a trip in the next couple of weeks and will probably be away for 3 or 4 days. I'm looking forward to my trip to the provinces!

We are continuing to distribute rice to those who need it most. Thank you so much to everyone who had donated to our rice fund. It's not too late - if you would like to provide rice for a family in need then you can either make a donation using the button at the top of this page or contact me and I'll let you know other ways you can donate......any amount is welcome and will make a huge difference to the families we are working with.

I'd very much appreciate your prayers that I may stay healthy. I can't take anti-malaria tablets, this isn't usually a problem because I take precautions and I'm tested monthly for malaria - I haven't had malaria for over a year now. When I do get malaria I usually go for treatment at the Adventist Hospital at Waterloo. The problem at the moment is that the symptoms of malaria can be similar to the early symptoms of Ebola.......any high fever is being treated as suspected Ebola, so I can't afford to get malaria now. On my first night back I noticed there were a lot of mosquitos around, since then I've been putting on my 'mosquito lamp' at night and I didn't see or hear any at all last night (it's a lamp with a purple light that somehow deters the mosquitos).

Prayer would also be much appreciated for the following:

• That I find a suitable office space for a reasonable rentage
• That the people I will be dealing with in the schools will be honest and open
• The people helping me here will stay healthy
• Our students will reintegrate into school ready to learn all teachers have to teach
• The parents and guardians will be supportive of their children going back to school

Thank you xx

Heading Home to Freetown

I came back to the UK to spend Christmas and New Year with my husband, then decided to also stay for our wedding anniversary which we celebrated this past weekend.....and now I'm preparing to go back to my home in Freetown. It has turned out to be the longest time I've been away from Sierra Leone in the last 8 years!!

 

Apart from my husband there are few things that I will miss about the UK. I enjoy the food when I'm in England, perhaps a bit too much as I've put on a lot of weight! I will miss tiger bread, grapes, roast dinners, ham and potatoes!!

 

I am very excited about going back to Sierra Leone and catching up with my families there. The Ebola situation seems to be very much improved since I was there at the end of last year although it will be a long time before the country recovers.

 

It's going to be a busy time for me from the moment I get back to Freetown. Some of the areas I'll be working on are:

 

Sponsorship

I have a lot of work to do  on the Education Sponsorship Programme, getting the students ready for when the schools reopen in March.

Way back in August we got uniforms made for most of the students before it was announced that the schools wouldn't be opening - I hope the kids haven't grown too much and that the uniforms still fit!!

We also purchased school bags and supplies for the students in August, so they are ready to be given out.

 

I need to get all the students enrolled in school, pay the fees and arrange extra lessons for our exam year students. I'm also hoping to meet with the Ministry of Education to find out their plans for helping the students to catch up on work they have missed.

 

Then there is the ongoing job of checking attendance and performance. Making sure our students are allowed time to study at home and identifying areas they need extra help with.

 

Rice

We are continuing to supply rice to families who are struggling to make ends meet and to the blind beggars. If anyone would like to help with this you can make a donation using the button at the top of this blog, or email me for further information. For £13 we can supply a family with a 25kg bag of rice.

 

Getting Ready for Volunteers

Over the next couple of months I will be getting the house ready to accommodate volunteers later in the year who will come to Sierra Leone to help with the work we are doing. I'm going to ask a local carpenter to make beds and furniture for the spare bedrooms.

 

Medical

Because a lot of people are unable to afford medical treatment they come to me when they are ill - I have a medical fund that supporters can donate to. The medical fund is used to provide emergency medical treatment to people who would otherwise be unable to avoid treatment.

As the Ebola situation improves basic medical care should become more accessible again and I look forward to working again with the Adventist Hospital at Waterloo.

 

Happy New Year!!

I know I'm a bit late, but Happy New Year everyone!

 

For various reasons 2014 was a difficult year for me and I'm not sad to see that back of it.

 

I apologise for the recent lack of posts - I've not had an easy few weeks. While I had a lovely Christmas and New Year with my husband, I also struggled a lot knowing that my Sierra Leone family are having a hard time, what with Ebola, rising food prices, restrictions on movement etc. It's hard to celebrate when people I love are suffering.

 

I've got a couple more weeks in the UK before heading back over to Freetown. We are going to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary with a champagne weekend in London and I will travel to Sierra Leone shortly after that.

 

Good news! There are plans for the schools in Sierra Leone to reopen by the 2nd week in March - so I will have a busy few weeks putting everything in place for our sponsored students so they can restart their schooling as soon as the schools reopen.

 

It seems that Ebola peaked when I was there in November, when the daily statistics were reporting around 100 cases each day - now were are  seeing much lower rates of infection being reported, some days single figures!!

 

We are continuing to provide rice for families and the blind beggars so if you feel that is something you can help with please get in touch with me by email or you can use the 'donate' button at the top of this blog to make a donation.

 

Here's to a fantastic 2015!!!

Waterloo Ebola Treatment Centre

There has been a slight change of plan for the Adventist Hospital in Waterloo. After the quarantine period it was decided that the hospital would be reopened as an Ebola holding centre, but this has now changed. The hospital is no longer going to be a holding centre for Ebola - it is going to operate as a treatment centre for Ebola.

 

A holding centre is where suspected Ebola patients are taken to be tested, if they test positive for Ebola they are then transferred to a treatment centre.

 

The Doctor and staff that I spoke to at the hospital are pleased with this decision as they feel that a treatment centre is a safer environment than a holding centre for staff.

Leaving Salone

I've returned to the UK to spend Christmas with my husband, but I almost missed the flight.........

I didn't consider this form of transport!

I decided to drive around to the airport - I didn't want to spend hours at the airport so that ruled out the water-taxi, and I didn't fancy getting the ferry because there are reports of a lot of Ebola in the area around the ferry.....so driving around via Port Loko seemed the best choice. I'd driven around to the airport when I flew to the UK in September, so I didn't foresee any problems.

The day didn't get off to a good start, my car broke down......but that was ok - I arranged to rent a car. I got just past Waterloo and the car I'd hired broke down too! We eventually got the car going again and continued with the journey.......running a bit behind time, but still with plenty of time to catch the flight.

We got through the first couple of checkpoints with no problems at all - just a quick temperature check and we were allowed on our way. At the third check point I was asked for my pass.......I'd never been asked for a pass before so I wasn't expecting this. I explained that I didn't know a pass was required and that I was on the way to the airport to get a flight and in the end they let me carry on..........the same thing happened at the next 4 checkpoints - with the added problem that it was now after 5pm and the checkpoints close after 5pm and no-one is allowed to pass........oh dear! I was very fortunate that after explaining my plight at each checkpoint I was allowed to continue my journey after temperature checks.




Temperature 35.8 - OK to fly!

What with the breakdown and the extra time it took me to get through the checkpoints I got to the check-in desk at the airport just as it was closing - another 5 minutes and they wouldn't have accepted me on the flight.

At the airport there was an Ebola form to fill and another temperature check to see if I would be accepted onto the flight.

I was given a form to fill in on the flight that I had to hand in when I got to the UK - but first I had to transit through Brussels and Munich. Once on the flight I was given a form to fill in and hand in in Brussels. As we disembarked the plane people were waiting to take the forms and take our temperatures again.


The flight to Munich was uneventful, and there were no further checks when we landed in Munich.

On arrival in London I was to make myself known to Border Control - they were waiting just after passport control with a list of passengers they were expecting from Ebola affected countries.......so some reason my name was not on the list. I told them where I had came from and was taken to an interview room for a quick interview, hand my form in and another temperature check. I was told to check my temperature twice daily for 21 days and told that I didn't need to restrict my movement.

So, as far as checking and information goes it's improved a lot since September......except that unless people make themselves knows to border control there are no checks......it would have been easy to walk straight past them

Ebola Assessment Form

Ebola Information

Ebola Story - Ibrahim S

This article is written by a young man I know about how he feels about Ebola. I think he has a real talent for the written word......

MY EBOLA STORY

By Ibrahim S

"I may say boring, yes it is boring. But on the other hand it is affecting me greatly. How can I listen to teaching on the radio? That's silly. I don't go to the beach no more, don't move in crowds no more, and most of all don't go to school.

Can't say no more, but for some time, it has been six months since I left school and I'm eager to go back to school. I only have thee more months to end my senior secondary school career and I want to enjoy these three months with my friends.

The death rate aggravates me, I sometimes agitate over it asking myself when will this end. some others don't want Ebola to end but it really pissed me off. I'm even afraid to go to church because I don't trust anyone. But all the same I thank God for the life.

I don't attend lessons, not because of the Ebola but the fees are flying upwards and I'd rather study at home than pay that sum of money.

Staying at home is really agonizing but I don't have an option other than to stay at home.

If I am asked to summarise this whole situation I will start by blaming the people for not.......believing, and the government for not responding fast. It's because of their carelessness that people are suffering today. All they do care about is the money and nothing else, I'm just tired. All I do pray for is to see the end part of this big pain and loss in our country.

Depart from us. I want to return to school and have fun with my friends for the last time in my school uniform. I want to play football and hang out with my friends, go to the cinema and have fun with pals but I'm missing all this because of Ebola. I hate this virus, just hope it all ends soon.

In Jesus name Amen"

Ebola Story - Mohamed K

This article was written by a student I know who was due to sit his end of junior secondary school examinations (BECE) this year. (I love the final line of his atrticle).

EBOLA IN SIERRA LEONE, WEST AFRICA

By Mohamed

"Ebola came to Sierra Leone at around May fifth to the tenth, 2014.

It came in through Kalihun district, another part of Sierra Leone. The outbreak came into Sierra Leone seven months ago and it has killed about one thousand one hundred and above people in Sierra Leone.

And it came to the capital city Freetown a couple of months ago, which I could not remember.

But when it came to the capital Freetown it finally affect me in a way that I fail to fight against Ebola me myself alone. Because it affect me against my education because I should have been through with my Basic Education Certificate Education (B.E.C.E.).

But we only thank God for the West Africa Examinations Council (W.A.E.C.) for bringing us the teaching programme on our radios which keeps us busy all the time in our studies. Never mind that not each and everyone can afford radio in our various communities.

The public health infrastructure in Sierra Leone is being severely strained as the outbreak to Sierra Leone grows.

How Ebola Affect in Sierra Leone

Symptoms = vomiting, bleeding, fever, headache, joint pain etc

Ebola leads to the loss of our doctors and nurses all in the name of Ebola.

May God save our beloved country Sierra Leone"

Ebola Story - Abu K

This article was written by one of the students who regularly hang out in my office:

WHERE EBOLA STARTED AND HOW IT AFFECTS MY LIFE

By Abu

"First the headline, the Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 when an outbreak of the Ebola haemorrhagic fever occurred in Zaire and another later in the same year in Sudan. Each outbreak had about 300 victims, but did not spread much larger than that because of the remoteness of the areas in which they occurred. The Zaire Ebola virus has one of the highest fatality rates of any pathogenic virus affecting humans.

On the 25th March the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that the Guinea Ministry Of Heath had reported an outbreak of the Ebola virus in four (4)  of their southern districts, there were also suspected cases in the neighbouring countries Sierra Leone and Liberia.

In March 2014 when the outbreak started in Sierra Leone it first stated in one (1) district called Kailahun District. During that time when the disease enter in to the country people did not believe in the disease because there are so many information about the disease. Some were saying the disease is not real, they are taking the influence that the government of the nation is finding somewhere to raise money, some are taking the disease as politics, others are saying  the disease is from cows not rom human beings.

In August and September when high rate of deaths started occurring 70% of Sierra Leoneans believed and 30% still did not believe, some were saying during these months we were experiencing a disease called cholera and typhoid fever that was the main reason why some were not believing in the Ebola virus. The signs shown for Ebola virus is similar to the signs of cholera and typhoid fever. During the same month the government of Sierra Leone, UNICEF WHO and some other organisations in Sierra Leone and the world came together to fight against the Ebola virus.

Really, the Ebola outbreak has made things difficult in our country Sierra Leone. The disease has made business places, and companies not to function well and even affect educational  institutions like schools and universities. The education background in our country is not too good as compared to the olden days, the virus has stopped children going to school, like me, I'm supposed to be now at SSS4, I should have been now preparing to sit my WASSCE examinations.

Thank God my life is still existing, lets pray that the Ebola virus will leave our country Sierra Leone and the world as a whole."

Ebola Story - Ibrahim B

I asked some students to write an article or story about Ebola and how it affected them and their country, it could be factual or fictional, statistical or about life. With their permission I am going to share some of their stories........

 

This one is written by Ibrahim B

 

 

LIFE THROUGHOUT THE EPIDEMIC (EBOLA) - A MONTH DURING EBOLA

By Ibrahim

 

"At first it was just a rumour, our people could not believe it because they have never seen or heard anything about Ebola. Some say it is a curse, for others it's a witch sign. As for me, anything is possible.

 

Ebola entered Sierra Leone in the early month of March but was not taken seriously. It then spreads gradually until it becomes a national concern, seeing our politicians action it was of no serious concern. It then turns into an international issue.

 

Unluckily for us, the school going pupils, it is a big blow because school wouldn't reopen until further notice. Being at home doing nothing is the same as babysitting, it was really boring missing the fun you get at school. But it all became worse when our President decided to close all social activities. During this period life sucks and it was like being in jail.

 

The worst part of it was hearing the number of confirmed cases increasing drastically. My face was full of pain.

 

One day I was home listening to the radio as usual when I saw an ambulance passing and park just a few meter (40m) from our house. At first I thought they were out of fuel or something, but suddenly I saw four men dressed up like astronaut ready to enter a rocket. They entered the compound and bought out a sick man, entered the ambulance and left. It was agonies I was in my house for four days without stepping my feet outside, I was panicked and cannot trust anyone. The compound was later quarantined for 21 days and then everything was ok. Just imagine how much days I was indoors, four plus twenty one days, that's twenty five days indoors and my only friend was my family which I can't trust hundred percent because they go out there and return in the evening. But really the month of Ebola was a sad month and it's still a sad month because Ebola is still killing people out there, lets just hope it gets better."



Mr K is Ebola Free!

I recently posted about Mr K, the father of one of our sponsored students.  Mr K was quite sick and had been tested for Ebola.

Thank heavens the test result was negative! Mr K was treated for his ailment and he's been discharged from hospital. He's still a little weak, but he's recovering at home.