More Than Disease from Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone was
crippled.

Or, rather, from May
2014 to November 2015, an outbreak of Ebola crippled Sierra Leone’s health care
system. There were 8,704 confirmed cases and 3,589 deaths in Sierra Leone
alone. Liberia and Guinea saw 4,162 and 2,187 respectively. We know this
because the World Health Organization reported it,
and because every major news outlet ran story after story about
the
Americans who braved it.

But in the almost
half a year since the outbreak, there has been minimal press or analysis about
the extent of the damage or, critically, about the resilience in and of
severely affected countries post-Ebola. At the height of the outbreak, media
coverage brushed over the humanity of the epidemic on the ground and instead
focused on sensationalized messages. Coverage from major media outlets turned
to the lesser threat it posed to the United States. Today, Sierra Leoneans are
gearing up for the 2018 elections and excited about what they still have to
come. In Sierra Leone, the conversation is about what to do next. As noted by
individuals on the ground at the time, this epidemic was nothing short of a war
and how the aftermath is dealt with is key just like any conflict. Today,
Sierra Leoneans are gearing up for elections. But where in American media could
you read that story?

***

At the height of
the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, locals took initiative to thwart losses in
their towns and continue to take precautions. Young men and medical students on
the ground sought to do what they could with the materials they had. Dr. Susan
Shepler, an Associate Professor at American University’s School of International
Service with 26 years of experience as an Anthropologist in Sierra Leone, noted
in a sit-down interview that young local men in medical school emerged as
heroes. Dr. Shepler witnessed young men improvising with plastic bags and
makeshift Ebola check-points at the height of the epidemic to spread the word
that Ebola was real. Dr. Shepler also spoke of a checkpoint in
Bo, Sierra Leone that was organized by the community.

Community members
continue to take initiative today: Local women’s organizations that normally
work solely on issues of gender equality shifted gears to support Ebola
survivors and victims. For example, the Fifty Fifty group, which aims to have women
gain fair representation in government, migrated to Ebola relief during the
epidemic. And Fambul Tok, a truth and reconciliation NGO, turned towards
strengthening communities as a result of Ebola. Fambul Tok began
using community members to reach out to rural stretches of the country,
informing others about Ebola and how to decrease transmission. Unlike large
western organizations, Fambul Tok, being local, was able to converse with
people. Fambul Tok integrated local Peace Mothers, a local women’s support
group, to create soap and distribute it for free in isolated areas. This
dynamic made locals directly involved in the process and a part of the
solution. It is unclear whether new civil society actors emerged from the
crisis—according to Shepler, there were already so many that it’s difficult to
say. She added that they continue to do their work, even after Ebola ended.

But it isn’t just
NGOs. The government of Sierra Leone also aims to improve the medical workforce
in the coming years. The Ebola outbreak was terrifying, but it taught affected
states to prepare for the worst. Because there had been no previous cases of
Ebola in Sierra Leone, the outbreak crippled an already weak medical
infrastructure While in Bo, Dr. Shepler noted the constant perception from
western organizations that physical Hospital buildings were the most important
takeaway from the epidemic. Locals and NGOs on the ground say otherwise, they
argue that a comprehensive and nuanced health system that involves training
locals and creating an internal system proves far superior to more buildings.

In a recent article
by the Awareness Times, Health minister Dr. Fofanah
reported his goal of creating a University teaching hospital. Fofanah noted
that, with a population of 6 million, the country needs at least 1,200 doctors.
Sierra Leone’s current record of registered medical professionals stands at
350. After the outbreak, the Sierra Leonean government realized they were
unable to act swiftly.  

Elections in Sierra
Leone are being held in 2018—and voters are looking to take on a comprehensive
health initiative in the wake of a tragic epidemic. In the meantime, state
officials have increased resources in hospitals in the event of a flare up, and
locals have been urged to continue hygiene practices that were common during
the outbreak.

***

The scars of
Ebola run deep. Victims are still reeling from the epidemic. In a phone
interview, Idrissa Funna of Freetown, said that Ebola survivors are still
discriminated against for fear of transmission. Funna also noted the slowdown
of normal cultural practices traditional burials, multi-generational homes, and
close contact are minimized even in the aftermath. The country is still
struggling financially. Big changes require funds and so far, Sierra Leone is
strapped for cash. With a decrease in exports, pull-out from investors, and
stigmatization, the country has major obstacles to overcome. But there are
still people surviving and thriving in Sierra Leone. They are so far from
helpless. Although there are people still feeling the effects of Ebola, most in
the country are looking to the future. Unlike Americans, they only make western
headlines when those headlines disingenuously read that they, as a country and
as a people, were crippled.