On behalf of the communities where 300 Wesleyan churches are located across Sierra Leone and Liberia please accept great thanks for your many prayers and financial gifts to help fight the good fight against Ebola. While the news grows worse in many places we can report some good news also.
In partnership with World Hope International and Wesleyan church leaders, most all Wesleyan pastors have been trained in best practices for avoiding Ebola infection. Other church fellowships are also counting on pastors to give leadership in this way. As respected members of their communities, they are able to foster healthy preventative practices in village after village.
Funds donated to the Wesleyan Emergency Relief Fund (WERF) are being used to support Kamakwie Wesleyan Hospital in Sierra Leone. An entire isolation unit has been added and materials and medicines needed for patient care have been provided. This bush hospital is the only one to serve over 100,000 people in a 50-mile radius in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone.
WERF funds are also being used to support drilling water wells at Ebola treatment centers at the request of the government. Our partner, World Hope, has long-established expertise at well-drilling and is working to provide the desperately needed clean water access.
An urgent priority at this time is for funds to purchase ambulances to help transport Ebola patients swiftly and safely to the right hospital facilities in the region. Because of isolation requirements, public transportation cannot be used. Funds have already been donated to purchase one new ambulance ($30,000), but more are needed for strategic locations. This is essential not only out of compassion for the sick Ebola patients, but also to protect the healthy population.
If you do not receive updates from our partner World Hope, here is the recent report of their work with us.
Sierra Leone National Superintendent Dr. Usman Fornah has expressed concern that hunger is a growing issue, due to Ebola. The economy has been at a standstill. Schools, businesses, and markets have been closed, and people are not receiving paychecks. Offerings in churches have almost disappeared. Food is growing scarce and expensive and our pastor and teachers, for example, have no way to get anymore. In a few more weeks this disaster will take on new dimensions
It appears that the number of Ebola cases in West Africa is doubling every 3-4 weeks and is not about to be contained. One only needs to do the math to know that millions will be affected by early 2015. Your prayers are greatly appreciated as we surely need God not only to bless and multiply our efforts, but that he would intervene and somehow stop the spread of this terrible disease that is reaching into the homes of so many families in West Africa and beyond!
For the new World Hope video Ebola update click here.
