The continued partnership of the National Peace Corps
Association and the Friends of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone organizations has lead to the funding of
local capacity building efforts against the Ebola epidemic. The NPCA, now in their third
round of applications, hopes to reach the most mortality vulnerable groups with
the next round of projects. Those groups include children, orphans, pregnant
women, and elderly.
The third round also calls for focus on healing.
Consideration for grants looking to counsel grieving individuals and stigma
awareness are of high priority. The cultural norms of death, burial, and loss
have been disturbed by the epidemic for the sake of sanitation and stop the spread of the disease.
Grant recipient of Round 2 include the following non-profit organizations; Priorite Sante
Guinee (PSG), Association pour Development en Milieu Rural (ADMR), Bien Etre du
Monde (BEM). Each group continues to
emphasize education of transmission, symptoms, and importance of hygiene, but they also
offer interesting individual initiatives. PSG focuses on educating solely
pregnant and breast-feeding women in week-long interactive programs in the Conakry neighbor of
Ratoma. ADMR in the community of Kaliah of the Forecariah prefecture, stresses the idea that Ebola is a real disease and a real threat to all communities and
the importance of seeking treatment rather than retracting from care in fear. BEM, based in Macenta, plans to work on grave
identification for victims and their families in addition to radio broadcasts in local languages for more widespread awareness.
A new joint venture with World Connect, has nearly doubled the funds for Round 2 and allows the NPCA to expand the number of grant recipients. More updates on project progress to come.
