PRESS RELEASE ZEE-MAANEH-----------------------------------------ZEE-MAANEH (PEACE AND ENJOYMENT) FOYA LIBERIA…Tuesday Dec. 16, 2014 …Foya city in Lofa, the first epic center of the outbreak of the DEADLY EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE has told THE DIALOGUE that they expect a national apology from the Liberian government for STIGMATIZING them at the start of the outbreak in Liberia. Cuing from the district Education officer of Foya Robert Sarsiah, hundreds of people attending the latest and last edition of the IREX EBOLA awareness and fear and conflict mitigation sensitive series of THE DIALOGUE claimed that the Liberian government and the rest of Liberia had ignored their plight at the start of the outbreak of the EBOLA VIRUS in Foya when hundreds of their compatriots died between March to April this year. They said the government and other Liberians had rather mocked and labeled Foya and the Kissi people as EBOLA. Earlier, like a spokesman for the more than 400 people gathered at the Tamba Taylor Foya City Hall, District Education officer Robert Sarsiah alleged that the government ignored every basic general measure for the Foya people such as controlling public gatherings like markets, the shutting down of schools and borders with neighboring Guinea and Sierra Leone and the provision of protective gears for health workers in Foya. Rather than taking key measures whilst the disease was still contained in Foya, the government rather chose to label Foya and the Kissi People as EBOLA prone people. He said the government only took EBOLA seriously and began to act when the disease reached Montserrado County, where Monrovia, the seat of government is. Sarsia said the central government behaves like only people in Montserrado County or Monrovia are what he called blooded and the rest of the country, bloodless and this he claims was exemplified in the upsurge of EBOLA in Foya and Lofa. “Why did they not close down schools here in Foya, when EBOLA was raging the hell with us and only did so when EBOLA reached them in Monrovia?”, asked Sarsiah. Srasiah alarmed that school going age girls are getting pregnant while boys are marrying in remote towns and villages because of the boredom as a result of the continuous closure of schools. The Foya people argued that throughout the EBOLA crisis in their area, there were no deaths reported amongst students and as such there was no basis for keeping schools closed. The people therefore called for the immediate reopening of schools to allow their children to return to school. On another note the people of Foya have appealed to the government and partners to redirect monies being used on the construction EBOLA TREATMENT UNITS, ETU’S to the reconditioning and subsequent reopening of all permanent health centers across country. They even called for subsidies to private health facilities such as clinics and hospitals, noting that when such facilities are reconditioned and supported, the health needs of people even with other illnesses will be met. This appeal was buttressed by Foya Statutory district Superintendent Tenessee Farkonia who reported that his people still have problems with the treatment of other illnesses outside EBOLA by health centers. Farkonia said the government should not allow the opportunity of what he calls the huge infusion of monies by the international community to go into drains without any benefits for the Liberia people, contending that it’s for Liberians, Guineans and Sierra Leoneans that billions are being requested even by American president Barrack Obama and that such huge amounts should not just be spent on what he describes intangibilities. He said EBOLA TREATMENT UNITs, ETU’S are good but not tangible enough for Liberia’s current health sector which according to him, president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has told the World it’s broken down.. The forum at FOYA was the 12th and last in a series of 12 being conducted for five EBOLA hard hit counties. The counties are Bomi, Cape Mount, Margibi, Lofa and Montserrado. LMDI Director John Kollie says his organization and IREX have BEEN conducting the weekly public forums in 12 communities with messages ranging from the prevention of the deadly virus to rebuilding the apparent lost confidence in Liberia’s public health and general governance as a result of the pronounced break down of the public health system and doom messaging of EBOLA that has created fear, panic and conflict amongst the Liberian population. The 12 communities covered under the three month long USAID/IREX funded small grant project are are West point, Mt. Barclay, Brewerville, Tubmanburg, Klay, Sinje and Bo-Waterside. The rest are Barkedu, Foya, Dolo’s Town Wealla and Kakata. For all about us and our programs and other activities, please visit our website at lmdilr.org and our face book page at Liberia Media for Democratic Initiatives (LMDI)2 Please send your comments to [email protected], [email protected] , [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] John O. Kollie, DIRECTOR
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 00:14:01 +0000
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