Border Communities educated on Ebola

World Vision Ghana (WVG), has admonished community members not to resort to prayer camps and other unorthodox means of treatment, whenever they experienced the signs and symptoms of the Ebola disease, but to seek for medical treatment at the nearest health facility.

WVG is an International Christian Non-Governmental Organization that focuses on the promotion of the well-being and welfare of children and women.

Ms Benedicta Pealore, the Operations Based Team Leader (OBTL) of WVG in charge of the Upper East Region, gave the advice during a community durbar held at Navio in the Kassena -Nankana West District of the Upper East Region to educate the people on preparedness to prevent the spread of Ebola virus.

Last December, WVG, with support from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service launched the Ebola Preparedness Project in the Kassena-Nankana West District, which shares borders with Burkina Faso, and Togo. Some parts of the area are also infested with bats. This informed the launch of the Project in the area.

The durbar which attracted communities including Tazika, Kasile , Samwo, Bagtua, Banyono, Navio, and Tibakure, makes it the 25 Ebola community durbar organized in the District, all aimed at educating the people on the prevention , signs and symptoms of the virus, and to caution them to report to the nearest health facility as soon as one experiences the signs and symptoms.

The OBTL told the community members that nobody was against them seeking prayers from prayer camps, but it was very important to report to the health facility whenever they experienced the symptoms, to seek medical care whilst they sought prayers alongside with that.

She stressed that unlike HIV/AIDS which a patient could manage and live with for a long period, Ebola was not so, indicating that Ebola virus killed faster than the HIV/AIDS and could not be toyed with.

She said it was against the background of the dangerous nature of the virus that made WVG to seek support from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives to implement the project in collaboration with GHS in the area which was closer to the other countries.

“Given the significance WVG attached to the Ebola Preparedness Project which is a health issue, WVG in collaboration with the GHS have so far oragnised 25 community durbars, trained 140 Ebola community Volunteers , hundred community Health Staff, 50 Ebola ambassadors and also provided 44 bicycles to enable community volunteers embark upon sensitization programmes from home to home as well as provided basic protective equipment to health facilities including 95 hand washing facilities to Churches, Mosques among others.”, Ms Pealore disclosed. .

She impressed upon the Ebola ambassadors, the Community Health Volunteers and Chiefs of the area, to continue to support her outfit and the GHS to embark upon education on the prevention of the disease to ensure that the area and the country as a whole were declared Ebola-free.

The Chief of Navio, Pe Adams Kwarase, who acknowledged the contributions of the WVG, the GHS and the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, gave the assurance that the Traditional Council would continue to sustain the sensitization programme, by organizing more community durbars, with the various communities including schools, as the targets.