Ebola Survivors Initiative

Project Overview

West Africa - Liberia - Sierra Leone - Guinea

Youth Action International,YAI - Clinical Research Management, CRM and World Surf League, WSL are returning to Sierra Leone and Guinea with Waves For Water to bring more clean-water systems throughout West Africa to thousands of survivors of the recent Ebola outbreak.

YAI is our field implementing partner and CRM is primary funding partner. As in Liberia in June, the YAI and CRM field teams have once again been working shoulder-to-shoulder with us in our effort to enhance the lives of all those who have survived both the horrific Ebola epidemic and the ongoing war against water-borne disease.

Joining us in this effort is the WSL, who have been helping W4W get safe water to remote regions around the world. See video and updates of phases completed so far and stay tuned for upcoming field reports from our ongoing efforts to improve quality-of-life for thousands of West Africans.

WEST AFRICA - EBOLA SURVIVORS INITIATIVE

Phase 2 // Sierra Leone - September, 2015

Phase 1 // Liberia - June, 2015 - see Field Update below

For detailed report on current health conditions in West Africa, read this article: Ebola Isn't Over Yet by Craig Spencer New York Times Aug 17, 2015

Project Overview

In March, 2015, on World Water Day, Waves For Water team (Jack Rose, Mady Slater & Ethan Lovell), in partnership with Youth Action International (Kimmie Weeks), implemented our Ebola Prevention Initiative in Liberia.

Using schools as training and distribution hubs, we helped make safe drinking-water accessible to 10,000 people; set up hand-washing stations, and distributed non-touch, infrared thermometers, in schools throughout Monrovia. http://www.wavesforwater.org/project/liberia2015

Phase One Ebola effort has led to the formation of a new partnership with Clinical Research Management http://www.clinicalrm.com for the purpose of returning to Liberia in June to expand our March impact by a factor of ten, with the shared goal of getting more water to more people ASAP . . . and measuring the before-and-after quality of drinking water sources - and documenting the impact of introducing the bucket-filter clean-water systems across Liberia.

This project will provide access to safe drinking water to 100,000 people who would otherwise continue to suffer the harsh consequences of water-borne disease. Project is funded by Clinical RM, via a Gates Foundation grant.

Official project start date is 13 June - with the distribution of 1,000 clean- water systems (bucket & filter) at the Ebola Survivors Health Fair in Monrovia -

Building on the success of this project, CRM will continue to advocate for more resources to be directed to West Africa, to expand our Ebola Survivors Initiative throughout the three countries now recovering from the Ebola epidemic: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

A special 'Thank you' to our collaborators for both Ebola projects:

USA partners:

1 - Damian Handisides Family & Cyclocross - project sponsor.

2 - Artists For Trauma - donation of thermometers

3 - Airlink - http://www.airlinkflight.org

Liberia partners:

4 - Youth Action International - continuing over several years.

5 - John Strader, a physician assistant for over 35 years, came to Liberia as a consultant with Strader Health Services for Clinical RM for the Ebola clinical trial working with Ebola Survivors, and continues to this day to work on behalf of an entire country trying to recover from this disaster.

On current Ebola Survivors Initiative John is collaborating with:

6 - Korlia, an Ebola survivor himself, and physician assistant on front-lines in the battle to stop this terrible disease, is president of the Ebola Survivors Association of Liberia.

7 - Darlington, a lab technician who worked shoulder-to-shoulder with:

8 - Dr. Jerry Brown - considered to be a hero (TIME magazine cover) for his tireless work in defeating Ebola.

9 - Peter - current reigning surf champ of Liberia and local w4w leader.

Day after day, throughout the epidemic, these five (and many others) walked through the valley-of-the-shadow-of-death to catch the fallen. Now they are working to help the survivors, and Liberia, to rise up and carry on. It is an honor for Waves For Water to work every day with such gifted and dedicated people to help improve quality-of-life for the people of Liberia.

Photo Credit - Ethan Lovell and Jack Rose

Jul 20 - 2015Field Update // June 2015

Ebola Survivors Health Fair was an all day event on Saturday, 13 June at the Monrovia City Hall. Event was organized, funded and implemented in collaboration between Liberia Ebola Survivors Associ... read more

Ebola Survivors Health Fair was an all day event on Saturday, 13 June at the Monrovia City Hall. Event was organized, funded and implemented in collaboration between Liberia Ebola Survivors Association, Clinical Research Management, Waves For Water and Youth Action International.

On the day of the event, 700 survivors received a preassembled bucket-filter and instructional training on proper use & maintenance of their new clean-water system. Day included meals for everyone and several guest speakers in the City Hall auditorium - Speakers included heroic doctors who helped the people of Liberia navigate and survive, the devastating, horrific Ebola epidemic.

The entire day was honoring and supporting all the survivors who endured immeasurable suffering and loss throughout the epidemic, and have since been cruelly outcast - the untouchables.

Our initiative is an ongoing effort to help survivors get back on their feet, and reclaim their rightful place in Liberian society. Each attendee of the health fair returned to their home neighborhoods with the new ability to provide safe drinking water for immediate families, and to many others nearby.

Not only were these victims left for dead, they are now returning from this tragedy with a means to help prevent more sickness and death from the decades-long epidemic of water-borne disease. (Cholera, Giardia, Typhoid, E-Coli, Salmonella, worms, parasites - all the bacteria that cause diarrhea, dehydration and death - in millions of children worldwide).

Liberia's neighbor to the north, Sierra Leone, is where we are going next - to replicate our efforts in a place even more dire than Liberia - where Ebola is still active. Our key partner for this next effort is Dr. Kimmie Weeks, Chairman of the Board of Liberia Water & Sanitation and founder & director of Youth Action International (can google Kimmie Weeks to see his life story).

Kimmie has already gone to Sierra Leone, distributed W4W clean-water systems in Ebola quarantine areas, and reported back to us the urgent need for more. Clinical RM has already pledged 200, and, before we return in August, we hope to get other organizations (who did amazing humanitarian work in West Africa throughout the Ebola epidemic) to match CRM - perhaps helping us get 400, 600 or more clean-water systems to the still 'hot' zone in Sierra Leone.

NOTE: Waves For Water has been doing clean-water projects with Dr. Weeks at schools and villages throughout Liberia for the past four years. When Ebola hit, we were ready to jump in with resources, talent and expertise, to get safe drinking water, hand-washing stations and non-contact thermometers to schools in Monrovia - to students and staff in the harshest neighborhoods who otherwise had received no assistance from international relief efforts.

Kimmie Weeks & Jack Rose YAI + W4W working together for years helping more people get more water… Liberia population = 4 million – we won't stop until everyone has access to safe drinking water . . .

Bringing safe water to the Kendeja school and village

Vicki Tifft, founder of Clinical RM, with son, Morgan and project facilitator, John Strader – helping 700 people train and receive clean-water systems at the Ebola Survivor Health Fair - Monrovia City Hall on Saturday, June 13, 2015.

One of many schools that now have safe water, hand washing stations and non-contact thermometers.

Joe, Mady, Jack, Vicki – W4W + CRM = the 'Get it Done' gang . . . bringing a total of 1,100 clean-water systems to Liberia.

Amara, Jack, Mady & Peter . . .

One of many wells across West Africa that now enjoy safe drinking water.

who we work for . . . imagine, every person in Liberia gaining access to safe drinking water.

One of many schools that now have safe water, hand washing stations and non-contact thermometers.

One of many wells across West Africa that now enjoy safe drinking water.

Korlia, President of Liberia Ebola Survivors Association with: Emmanuel, John, Peter & Ethan.

Ebola survivors giving back, not giving up . . . our kind of people.

Dr. John Fankhauser and Dr. Jerry Brown of ELWA hospital in Liberia, learning how to turn water that takes away life into water that gives life . . .

Dr. Mady Slater – w4w field doc – on front lines in the war against Ebola and water-borne disease.

Kimmie and Jack - we never stop – thanks to the steady support of CRM and many organizations and individuals who agree with us: In West Africa, the ongoing issue of providing safe drinking water is a solvable problem.