UN FOCUS February 2015

UN FOCUSIssue 01, Volume 12 | February 2015

Ban Ki-moon Pays Solidarity Visit to Liberia

Blue Helmets Respond to Ebola

Liberia Moves Ahead with Decentralization

u n i t e d n a t i o n s l i b e r i a | a t w o r k t o g e t h e r

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UN FOCUS is published quarterly by the Public Information Office, United Nations Mission in Liberia

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Ebola Must Go


Quick Impact Projects Tackle Ebola

Helen Clark Lauds Community Volunteers

Refugee ID Cards Help Ensure Access

Reaching Bush Schools to Prevent Ebola

UNMIL Repositions Itself to Battle Ebola

Liberia Moves Aheadwith Decentralization

Women and Girls Bear the Brunt of Ebola

Ivorian Refugees Take Steps Toward Self-Reliance

Cross Border Technical Meeting on Ebola

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UN FOCUS | FEBRUARY 2015 FEBRUARY 2015 | UN FOCUS

Message from the Special Representative of the Secretary-General

Karin LandgrenSpecial Representative of the Secretary-General and Coordinator of United Nations Operations in Liberia

CONTENTS

CHIEF OF PUBLIC INFORMATION

Russell Geekie

STAFF WRITERS

James S. King

PHOTOS

Emmanuel Tobey

EDITOR AND HEAD OF PUBLICATIONS & SOCIAL MEDIA

Mathew Elavanalthoduka

DESIGN & GRAPHICS

Thomas S. Blidi

Thomas G. Karyah

CONNECT WITH US

www.unmil.unmissions.org

www.facebook.com/unmil2003

www.twitter.com/unmilnews

www.youtube.com/unmiltv

www.flickr.com/unmil

The Ebola crisis, which has posed the greatest challenge to Liberia since the end of the civil war, has had a profound impact across the country and the region. Thousands of people lost their lives or loved ones, and many children were left orphaned. Until February, schools remained closed, as did the borders, with a negative impact on cross-border trade and economic lifelines. Since the peak of the outbreak in Liberia in September 2014, the country has turned the corner and appears to be winning the fight in large part due to the resourcefulness and resilience of Liberians in taking preventive measures. Conquering Ebola should be a great source of national pride to all Liberians. For all its horrors, the Ebola crisis also shed light on ways that Liberians can come together to build a better Liberia.

Liberians can also draw inspiration from the success-

ful senatorial elections and the consultative process that preceded the polls despite the challenges posed by the Ebola epidemic. Election-related complaints were brought, as they should be, to the National Elections Commission and the Supreme Court, where they could be resolved peacefully. The launch in February of the National Deconcentration Platform, a key component of the National Decentralization Policy, is a major step forward. This policy is expected to improve access to ser-vices. Decentralization also has the potential to increase reconciliation, inclusion and cohesion in Liberian society, where many still feel excluded.

The post-Ebola period coincides with the resumption

of UNMILs transition. United Nations Security Council resolution 2190, adopted on 15 December 2014, contains many messages for the Government of Liberia. Chief among them is the resumption of UNMILs drawdown after the Ebola crisis subsides, with a handover of full security responsibilities to the Government by the end of June 2016. As the Security Council notes, the Govern-ment of Liberia bears primary and ultimate responsibility for security and the protection of its population. There-fore, security must be a high priority for the Government.

At the heart of the transition is strengthening the Libe-

ria National Police (LNP) and the Bureau of Immigration and Naturaliza-tion (BIN). These vital organizations need to intensify their efforts now to be ready for the transition next year. UNMIL continues to support institutional strengthening of the LNP and the BIN in areas such as leadership and management capacity, recruitment and basic training, professional standards and oversight, and financial ac-countability, as well as training in critical areas such as forensics, investigative capacity, border security and customs procedures, and community-oriented policing.

The justice system also needs to be strengthened in

tandem with efforts to improve the capacity of national security agencies. Liberia needs a justice system that people can trust and which is accessible to all. Too many Liberians have suffered from excessive pre-trial deten-tion. Juvenile justice is underdeveloped. Reports of sexual and gender-based violence continue to rise in the after-math of Ebola. Too few justice and corrections personnel are deployed outside Montserrado County. The Mission will continue to advocate for the Government to prioritize these issues.

UNMILs transition is broader than the handover of

security responsibilities, and the completion of the secu-rity transition will not result in the immediate closure of UNMIL. Ultimately, the United Nations Security Council will decide how to reconfigure the Mission and when to close it. As Liberia enters the post-Ebola recovery phase, I encourage Liberians to approach UNMILs transition with the same determination, consultation and pride with which they have turned the tide on the Ebola crisis.

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observed President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf during a combined press stakeout with Ban in Monrovia.

The Liberian Leader pointed out that the UN has been a strategic partner in rolling out programmes and activities to kick Ebola out of Liberia.

The UNs interventions have stimulated a forceful response to the Ebola crisis. This has helped putting in place practices of safe and dignified burials, community involve-ment and a whole range of positive steps to contain the virus, the Liberian leader pointed out.

These moves have brought progressive marks of change from where we were a few months back. We were slow in the beginning but with the UN and other partners, we now have a quick response that we needed to ad-dress the crisis, said the President.

Secretary-General Ban said his visit was to demonstrate solidarity with the peoples of Liberia and the West Africa region in the fight against the Ebola virus disease.

The United Nations has stood with Li-beria through challenging times before. We are committed to standing with you now as you face the threat of Ebola. We will be with you until this crisis is under control and the country has recovered, said Ban.

The Secretary-General praised Liberias progress in the fight against the Ebola virus disease.

The spread of the virus is slowing in Liberia. Above all this is a tribute to the dedication and commitment of Liberians. The response strategy is working.

Ban said the strategies for containing the virus have visible results across the country. More people are gaining access to treat-ment, more contacts are being traced, more areas are becoming safer and communities are mobilizing to protect themselves.

Ban cautioned that while these gains are commendable, there should be no room for complacency.

Now is not the time to ease our efforts. We have witnessed one case can trigger an epidemic.

He stressed that that getting to zero new Ebola cases in Liberia and the rest of the region must be everyones s goal. The


By Romeo Juwle Togba

In the midst of Liberias battle against Ebola, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid a one-day solidarity visit on 19 December to the country to assess the progress being made in arresting the spread of the epidemic. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has brought his global leadership mastery to the fold

in mobilizing the international com-munity to respond to the Ebola crisis

United Nations system is fully committed to supporting all affected and at-risk communi-ties to contain the Ebola outbreak and end this crisis.

We need more robust contact-tracing, we need a greater preparedness at the district levels. And the promising results that Liberia has experienced must be shared regionally to avoid the risk of retransmis-sion, he noted.

Ban said as efforts are underway to stop Ebola transmissions, it is not too soon to start working on post-Ebola recovery. We must scale -up our efforts to re-establish basic social services, strengthen health ser-

vices, support economic activities and build the countrys resilience.

We are ready to help Liberian gov-ernment and people to build your society more resilient and stronger, he said as he appealed to all national stakeholders to work together to preserve Liberias hard-won peace.

During his whistle-stop tour, Ban also visited an Ebola Treatment Unit and ad-dressed the UN personnel in Liberia.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with UNMIL SRSG Karin Landgren

UN SG Ban Ki-moon abides by Ebola prevention protocol upon his arrival in Liberia

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A UN peacekeeper follows Ebola prevention measures

UNMILs air assets help transport Ebola-related supplies

As Ebola broke out in Liberia, UNMILs blue helmets, in addition to patrolling secu-rity hotspots, UNMILs blue helmets have been provid-ing security for the movement of supplies to various Ebola logistics bases in the country.

The men and women in uniform were also involved in the construction of Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs) in various parts of Liberia. Chinese troops cleared and prepared the terrain for the construction of two ETUs sponsored by the German charity GAA in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, and Fish-


By Daniel Mensah Brande

Since the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease in Liberia, UNMILs blue helmets have modified their peacekeeping kit, adding new tools to enable them to effectively support efforts to contain the deadly disease.

town in River Gee County. Working 14 hours a day, the Chinese

peacekeepers fast-tracked the construction of the Chinese government-funded 100-bed Ebola ETU complex in Monrovia. The com-plex, known as the China-Aid Liberia Ebola Treatment Unit, has water, power, com-munication facilities, as well as sewage and garbage treatment. Pakistani peacekeepers also prepared the site for the construction of the WFP-funded ETU at the SKD stadium in Monrovia, and Ebola Screening Unit at the Star Base in Monrovia.

Additionally, UNMIL military observers are playing a major role in creating public awareness on the disease, navigating seem-ingly impregnable terrain to get to people in remote towns and villages with Ebola prevention messages. Being the eyes and ears of the Mission, crisscrossing the length and breadth of the country, the military ob-servers regularly provide the government of

Liberia with vital information on the EVD. Furthermore, UNMIL military has been assisting the Liberian government in logistic management and logistic support.

The inaccessible road network in Liberia appears to be one of the challenges under-mining efforts to stem the tide on the EVD as health workers find it extremely dif-ficult to access some of the Ebola hotspots. Moreover, many of the ETUs have been constructed in very isolated areas. The engineering battalions of UNMIL force confronted this problem head-on by creat-ing access roads to the ETUs and repairing some of the main supply routes. While Bangladeshi military engineers worked on the Ganta-Saclepea-Tappitta-Toe Town road, their Chinese counterparts took care of the Toe Town-Zwedru-Fishtown road, with the Pakistani Road and Airfield Maintenance personnel taking care of road works in the capital, Monrovia.

For the blue helmets, Ebola has been a new battleground, and they have proved their mettle in taking on the enemy head-on.

Working 14 hours a day, the Chinese peacekeepers fast-tracked the construction of the Chinese government-funded 100-bed Ebola ETU complex in Monrovia.

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The church had hosted several victims and survivors of Ebola virus disease (EVD) during the peak of the outbreak in Liberia, a gesture that participants, including UNMEER boss Anthony Banbury, termed as extraordinary service to humanity.Launching the new campaign, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf reminded Liberians that Ebola virus disease has not been completely eradicated from Liberia despite tremendous strides made by the Government and its partners resulting in remark-able decline in the rate of EVD cases.

Ebola Must Go

By James S. King

Choosing Christ Kingdom Harvest Church situated in New Georgia, in Gardnersville in Monrovia, as the venue for the launch of the Ebola Must Go campaign was deliberate.

The achievement of zero cases of Ebola can only be possible through intensification of the current efforts in all of Liberias com-munities with full participation of Liberians irrespective of their persuasions, said the President. She said the retreat by Ebola into hard to reach communities in late Novem-ber 2014 came as a result of intensified mobilizations of Liberians in their various communities to stop the spread of Ebola.

The campaign received a boost when

UNMEER made cash donations to the community of New Georgia. Drawing inspirations from the churchs humanitar-ian efforts, Banbury urged Liberians to emulate roles played by members of Christ Kingdom Harvest Church and New Georgia community as community and government joint activities are important tools to combat Ebola virus disease.

In recognition of their critical support to the fight against Ebola, Banbury com-mended the United Nations, Government of Liberia, United States of America, China, other aid contributing countries, and local and international aid organizations. With Liberia firmly on its way to eradicating Ebola Banbury hoped the gains made by Liberians will remain on course as the coun-try steadily resumes its pre-Ebola economic revitalization programmes.

Walker Dennis, Chairman of New Geor-gia Community, recounted how members of the community organized a parallel task force following the establishment of the national task force during the peak of Ebola outbreak in Liberia. Walker said residents were terrified and confused by the devastating impact of the disease on fel-

low residents, prompting the communitys interventions to trace suspected and prob-able cases of EVD amidst heightened fears of contracting the disease that had not only killed ordinary people but health workers in-cluding renowned Liberian medical doctors.

With 12 deaths recorded, community members tracked down and sent eight Ebola patients to the holding centres, seven of whom were accompanied by community members in a local transport vehicle with adherence to special precautionary medical measures that forbid close contact with EVD patients. In another brave move, 17 residents were quarantined in their community.

Truly their brothers keeper, New Georgia community residents and members of Christ Kingdom Harvest Church did not only provide food and relief supplies from their meagre resources for use by the sur-vivors of EVD, they inherited six orphaned children whose parents succumbed to Ebola virus disease.

New Georgia community residents did not only provide food and relief or use by the survivors of EVD, they inherited six orphaned children...

Scene from the official launch of the Ebola Must Go campaign at the Christ Kingdom Harvest Church

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But as Ebola suddenly struck Liberia, QIPs suddenly changed track to help tackle the outbreak and made available nearly US$500,000 for Ebola containment interventions throughout the 15 counties of Liberia.

The QIPs are funding a wide range of Ebola containment projects identified by UNMIL field offices in the counties in consultation with the local government ad-ministrations and county Ebola task forces.

Quick Impact Projects Tackle Ebola


Since its inception more than a decade ago, UNMILs Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) have had their focus on implementing small-scale, rapidly executable projects such as the construction or rehabilitation of police stations, courthouses, immigration posts and school buildings.

Though the QIPs-funded Ebola interven-tions vary from county to county, they provide the multiple effects needed to jump-start effective local community participation in the fight against the deadly disease.

QIPs funded the training of hundreds of traditional and religious leaders, local political leaders, health workers, community health volunteers and others in various aspects of EVD management, and deployed them across the country to perform differ-ent tasks associated with the eradication of the disease. Some were engaged in creat-ing public awareness on the disease; some involved in contact-tracing; some took up temperature taking; while others concen-trated on safe burial, and psycho-social counselling and support. More than 1,200 people benefited from the training in Bomi and Grand Gedeh counties alone.

Aware of the logistic challenges prevalent in a post-conflict environment, the QIPs procured a number of motorbikes, generators, fuel, mattresses, bed spreads, laptops, printers, cameras, internet modems, chlorine, faucet buckets, and toiletries to facilitate the work of the Ebola taskforces in the counties. The taskforce in Rivercess County received six motorbikes, while that in Bong County had two 5.5 KVA generators

for its newly established Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU), with the one in Grand Gedeh benefiting from the repair of the countys two broken down ambulances.

QIPs intervention further culminated in the erection of physical infrastructure in some counties: a six-bed isolation centre in Grande Gedeh, a triage in Nimba, and an EVD holding unit in Gbarpolu.

The QIPs also extended its Ebola roll-back activities to the Liberian secu-rity agencies, making available more than US$100,000 for training and procurement of personal protection equipment, ther-mometers, nose masks, and chlorine for the Liberia National Police, Bureau of Immigra-tion and Naturalization, Drug Enforcement Agency and Bureau of Corrections. The security personnel were not only trained in EVD, but also in law enforcement and human rights related issues associated with a state of emergency that was declared at the peak of the outbreak.

All in all, the timely intervention of the QIPs Ebola package spread across the country, provided the needed catalyst for mobilizing local community participation to speed up the fight against the deadly disease. And an elated Bong County Superinten-dent Selena Polson Mappy expressed her

appreciation, saying, All of us know what UNMIL has done in this country, and they continue to show to us that indeed, they are our friend. UNMIL, thank you.

UNMIL military personnel undergo Ebola awareness and prevention training

QIPs had to be realigned from infrastructural development to different kinds of support to confront the challenges posed by Ebola

The QIPs also extended its Ebola roll back activities to the Liberian security agencies, making available more than 100,000 US dollars for training and procurement of personal protection equipment , thermometers, nose masks, and chlorine...

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rain, and heading the Ebola Inter-Agency Logistics Team at Liberias Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, UNMIL lever-aged its logistics and human capital aimed at rolling back the disease. It made available its transport facilities for carting medical supplies and workers of UN agencies and charity organizations to various parts of the country. Some of the beneficiaries of UNMILs magnanimity included the newly established United Nations Mission on Emergency Ebola Response (UNMEER) headquartered in Accra, Ghana, WHO, UN-HCR, UNICEF and WFP, as well as some UN member states on Ebola eradication mission in Liberia.

In fact, UN-MIL not only helped deploy UNMEER staff to Liberia, it also provided them with office space, office equipment, VHF radios with established call signs, and internet services throughout the country. Ad-ditionally, UNMIL facilitated the air-lifting of UNMEERs vehicles, and equipment into Liberia. Furthermore, UNMIL loaned some of its staff to the Ebola mission, while UNMEER field officers in the counties co-located with their UNMIL counterparts, sharing information, and coordinating activi-ties geared towards the eradication of the Ebola virus disease.

With the presence of its peacekeepers across Liberia, UNMIL became the launch-ing pad for UN agencies and international charities going to remote parts of the coun-try for Ebola containment interventions. UNMIL military and civilian peacekeepers not only assist them to understand the social and cultural topography of their host com-munities, they also provide them with secu-rity support. In October this year, UNMIL Ghanaian peacekeepers rescued four WHO staff and two Liberian health workers on Ebola duty in Nimba County marooned by a damaged vehicle that had blocked the road on which they were travelling.

Aware of the logistic challenges facing Liberia, UNMIL donated 50 vehicles to the government to be used for activities geared

towards fighting the disease, while deploy-ing its engineering battalions to rehabili-tate main supply routes and repair access roads to Ebola treatment Units (ETUs) across the country. UNMIL also rolled out US$500,000 worth Ebola projects under its Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) to the 15 counties in addition to making available more than US$100,000 to support Liberian security agencies to implement projects to tackle the disease.

UNMILs Public Information Office, in close collaboration with national and international partners, mounted a relentless radio and outreach campaign on the disease with innovative radio programmes and mes-saging, and community outreach activities, distributing flyers, posters, banners, T-shirts, as well as erecting billboards in various parts of the country. The Public Informa-tion Office also engaged the services of traditional communicators, who toured the counties, using traditional songs and dramas to sensitize the people on the disease. A five-song music album, describing how to prevent the disease, was launched and cop-ies distributed to community radio stations across the country.

Above all, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Karin Landgren, who is also the Coordinator of United Nations Operations in Liberia, has been provid-

ing staunch support to the fight against the deadly disease with her hope-nourishing visits to the counties, re-assuring Liberians of the UNs unflinching commitment to sup-port the government deal with the epidemic.

The commitment of the UN is absolute to stay with Liberia and helping see Liberia through this catastrophe that has befallen, she declared during one such visits to Bong County. And in Nimba County, after turning-over a temporary Ebola screening centre to the county authorities, the UN top envoy told the people that, We are all in this together. I want to assure you that you have the continued support of the United Nations, and that we are all behind you, and that we will stay here for as long as it takes to support you through this.

UNMIL Repositions Itself to Battle Ebola


As the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) struck Liberia out of the blue, spreading panic and wreaking devastation, the UN Mission in Liberia assumed a new role as the support base for national and international efforts to combat the disease while at the same time continuing with its peacekeeping duties.

Since the Ebola outbreak, UNMIL has re-orientated and repositioned itself, enabling it to provide security, and logistic and human resource support to the myriad international and local organizations implementing Ebola contain-ment projects across Liberia. Having more than a decade of knowledge of Liberias transportation ter-

Law enforcement agancies also benefited from

donations

Vehicles being handed over to national authorities

UNMIL, through its Public Information Office, mounted a relentless radio and outreach campaign on the disease...

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Josephine Dolley, 32, was narrating her story to UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark, who sat next to her on a bench under a mango tree in the sandy Monrovia suburb of New Kru.

Helen Clark Lauds Community Volunteers

for Battling EbolaBy Romeo Juwle Togba

All of my family members in early August 2014 died of Ebola. I was the only one that survived from my household of 30 people. My husband and three children also died in the battle against Ebola.

Visiting Liberia in February, Clark had gone to the New Kru Town to see first hand the work of a group of community volun-teers called Active Case Finders.

The group had been working with UNDP in identifying Ebola cases and suspected Ebola patients in the New Kru Town com-munity.

It was through the Active Case Finders that my house was identified and I was sub-sequently taken to the Ebola treatment unit at Island Clinic, Dolley recalled. Their interventions helped me to be alive today.

The head of the New Kru Town Ebola Taskforce Baccus Karpeh said assistance from UNDP was crucial in pushing forward their activities.

UNDP provided stipends and mobile phones to us as we roamed the 25 communi-ties in this township tracking Ebola cases as well as suspected Ebola cases. That enabled us to mobilize over 200 active case finders, Karpeh said at a meeting attended by Clark in the New Kru Town community.

The assistance from UNDP further energized us to track 800 cases in this area. Our efforts helped in rolling back Ebola in this community which was previously considered a hot-spot for the Ebola virus disease. We were walking from community

to community making sure and locating the sick people and getting the ambulance team to pick them up.

At the beginning denial was the main obstacle to our work. But with support from UNDP and sustained awareness, the people began to accept the fact that Ebola was real and change their attitudes. Today as we speak, we have gone over 30 days without a case of Ebola, Karpeh noted.

Karpeh said even as they score gains in the fight against the disease, catering for sur-vivors of Ebola remained a challenge for the New Kru Town Ebola Taskforce, and urges the government, UNDP and other partners to help provide vocational and technical train-ing to the survivors to help them acquire skills to improve their livelihoods.

With your incredible work as volunteers coupled with what other actors are do-ing, Ebola is very close to being beaten in Liberia, UNDP Administrator Clark lauded the work of the volunteers. Lets salute the courage of every contact-tracer, those re-moving bodies and taking sick people away. Everybody owes you all gratitude.

Clark said the work of the Liberian com-munities in the fight against Ebola left an indelible mark of respect in the minds of the outside world.

I want to say that anything UNDP did to support you was small in comparison to what you did for your community. You are the real heroes. You made the difference.

Clark said that as progress is being made against Ebola, the next step is to help rebuild institutions affected by the outbreak. There are some big needs. And one of the reasons I have come is because minds are turning to how Liberia will recover from the Ebola crisis.

We are looking at what needs to be done to put a health system in place which can stop something like Ebola at the very beginning, Clark noted.

There are issues of social protection for children and families affected by the Ebola outbreak. And UNDP will be giving some support to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to continue its work because there are families who have lost ev-erything and they need to restart their lives.

And we also need to encourage devel-opment partners to invest in basic things like water and sanitation which is critical for stopping the spread of disease, Clark concluded.

UNDP Administrator Helen Clark

Helen Clark with Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General Antonio Vigilante


According to a survey conducted in seven of Liberias 15 coun-ties by UNMILs Office of the Gender Advisor in Novem-ber, 2014, women and girls bear the brunt of the epidemic.

In families where the disease has wiped out all women, girls as young as 15 years

Women and Girls Bear the Brunt of the Ebola EpidemicBy Daniel Mensah Brande

It has now become abundantly clear that the Ebola virus disease (EVD) crisis has gone far beyond being a health problem, and it has seriously impacted the social fabric and economic infrastructure of the country.

have taken over the responsibility of manag-ing the family; while the closure of borders and markets have resulted in the loss of livelihood for women engaged in agriculture and cross-border trade, the study reveals.

The survey, carried out in Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Lofa, Margibi and Nimba counties, some of the areas which experienced severe outbreak of the disease, is intended to generate a baseline assessment on the impact of the disease on women and girls to develop gender-sensitive and responsive strategies to cushion the negative impact of EVD on women. The acting head of the Office of the Gender Adviser, James Mugo Muriithi says the findings will be used to guide post-Ebola programming and reconstruction in Liberia.

In Bomi County, a 15-year old mother has assumed the responsibility of fending for her several siblings, breastfeeding her 8-month brother in addition to her own baby after the Ebola virus disease had claimed the life of her mother.

The increased burden on girls as house-hold heads, Muriithi notes, will likely expose them to all forms of exploitation, as they try to navigate the rough economic and social terrains to acquire food, shelter, and other basic needs, adding that enrollment in school remains a distant dream to such children.

Restriction on cross-border movement has had severe impact on women and their socio-economic activities as breadwinners of the family. It not only deprived them of their income and livelihood, it also made them spend their business capital on food, preventing them from paying back the loans they had taken. It also led to the collapse of their businesses as well as local micro-banking schemes.

Another humanitarian challenge created by the EVD epidemic, the report discov-

ered, is the large number of children whose parents have been killed by the disease. The number of orphans and unaccompanied children left behind by the disease is soaring in Lofa, Bomi, Nimba, and Bong counties.

The study further reveals that the closure of health facilities when health workers were infected with the virus at the beginning of the outbreak has adversely impacted on the delivery of maternal health and childcare services.

Most of the women who went to the health facilities were turned away for the fear of infecting health workers with Ebola; even traditional midwives feared attend-ing to pregnant women, the study points out, noting that this culminated in pregnant women seeking maternal health services from untrained birth attendants, and also receiving maternal health services from private clinics at exorbitant fees.

The study says there appears to be mistrust between health workers and preg-nant women. As a result, pregnant women are still reluctant to seek maternal health services even after the opening of the health facilities. This development is likely to erode the relative gains Liberia has made in maternal health.

Medical Director of CB Dunbar Mater-

nity Hospital in Gbarnga, Dr. Obed Dolo recently warned that Liberia risks losing ground in the fight against maternal mortal-ity if the distrust between health workers and pregnant women continues. Liberia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world: 770 deaths/100,000 live births, according to the 2014 UNDP Human Development Report.

In the area of child healthcare delivery, the survey discovered that since June 2014, newborn babies have not received any form of immunization.

The study concludes by calling for a more comprehensive effort after the con-tainment of the EVD to determine the full impact of the disease on women and girls in Liberia. As the impact of the disease re-mains skewed against women and girls, the study recommends the development of com-prehensive, sustainable community-based programmes targeting institutions that build on culture religious and traditional institu-tions, family, schools, political leadership, and legal framework to address entrenched values and practices that promote vulner-ability of women and girls.

A group of Liberian women at a health facility

Women groups, such as this one, have been actively involved in spreading Ebola awareness messages

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Although Liberias bush schools, which teach behaviors and rituals that prepare youth for adulthood in traditional society, have faced criticism, they still thrive in many parts of the country. In mid-January, Global Communi-ties, a non-profit organization that works with vulnerable people around the world, launched a Special Traditional and Cultural Engagement initiative to encourage traditional leaders at bush schools to actively engage in Ebola prevention.

Reaching Bush Schools to Prevent Ebola

By Alice Urban

As Liberia continues to hunt down the Ebola virus, traditional leaders are working to root out infections amongst

the countrys hard-to-reach and most secretive traditional institutions.

The goal is to stop traditional practices at these schools for now, because some practices support Ebola transmission, said Global Communities Country Director Pieter deVries.

It is believed that thousands of youth leave home every year to attend bush schools, forest camps run by zoes (spiritual leaders) where they are initiated into secret societies called poros for boys and sandes for girls.

Health messaging has permeated much of the country, but World Health Organiza-tion remains concerned that the last cases of Ebola infection and transmission will be the most difficult to reach. Practices in bush schools are not often discussed, but are said to include male and female circumcision as a means of initiation and other activities that could promote Ebola transmission. Potential Ebola cases would likely remain unknown to health officials due to the secretive nature of the rituals. To reach bush schools, it is necessary to engage traditional leadership.

The Special Traditional and Cultural En-gagement initiative, a component of Global Communities ongoing USAID-funded As-sisting Liberians with Education to Reduce Transmission (ALERT) programme, will help chiefs to travel and meet with bush school leaders to encourage them to halt cer-tain practices while Ebola remains a threat.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, Global Communities has worked closely with traditional leaders to spread preventa-tive health messaging. These leaders play a leading role in community meetings and dialogue sessions, particularly in remote communities and those with high levels of Ebola denial, said George Woryonwon, Environmental Health Advisor at Global Communities.

The National Council of Chiefs and Elders, Liberias traditional authority, is the only entity with the ability to monitor the bush schools activities. Access is limited to traditional leaders only. There is ongoing secrecy there. Non-members cannot go,

said Woryonwon. To ensure that Ebola messaging reaches

the schools, Global Communities will work directly with the Council by providing logis-tical and coordination support. Traditional leaders will take the lead with direct engage-ment with the schools.

We are in partnership with Global Communities to spread awareness, said Setta Fofana Saah, National Coordinator for the Council of Chiefs and Elders. Tradi-tional people are very innocent to Ebola. It is important to come together to teach them and solve this problem.

The initiative kicked off at Lofa Coun-tys Voijama city hall with a celebration attended by some 150 community members, government officials, NGO representatives and 18 chiefs representing all of Liberias 15 counties. The event included songs and

dance, a traditional welcoming and launch ceremony and speeches by, among others, representatives of various government agen-cies and Chief Zanzan Karwa, chairman of the National Council of Chiefs and Elders.

All the zoes, listen to me, said Karwa. We can teach you about Ebola. Let Ebola leave this country. He then formally launched the proramme, calling all zoes to suspend activities until Liberia is declared Ebola-free.

Following the launch, chiefs broke into six teams, which also included Global Com-munities and Ministry of Health represen-tatives, and deployed across the country. They will spend the next month traveling to remote communities often by foot to meet with zoes and work to put an end to one of Liberias remaining Ebola transmis-sion threats.

________________________ The writer is Communications & Reporting Officer for Global Communities.

Chief Zanzan Karwa, Chairman of the National Council of Chiefs and Elders

Members of the National Council of Chiefs and Elders in a special EVD response meeting at the Ministry of Internal Affairs

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Cross Border Technical Meeting on Ebola

By James S. King

In meeting the challenge of tackling the Ebola outbreak, a cross border technical meeting of the West African authorities played a significant role.

of the disease. In her address to the participants of the

meeting, Liberias President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said countries in West Africa par-ticularly Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, share a common history of armed conflicts, experiences, cultures and traditions that enable them to identify their enemies but Ebola was an unknown enemy difficult to identify and confront. These shared com-mon cultures and traditions in the region are what people rely on to eradicate Ebola from a region where leaders will not allow Ebola crisis to derail the gains made over the years, Sirleaf said. She said leaders in West Africa will collaborate and coordinate their efforts to eradicate Ebola.

Anthony Banbury, then Head of the UN Mission for Emergency Ebola Response (UNMEER), called for a redesign of cur-rent measures put in place to tackle public health challenges citing Ebola virus disease as one that poses risk to every nation. He

said the UNs development programmes are designed with consideration of national borders but that requires a change in the way we normally operate for quick response to Ebola crisis.

The porosity of borders between and amongst countries in the region presents obstacles to efforts aimed at integrating regional approach to eradicate Ebola virus disease, Banbury said. He said achieving a zero EVD incidence requires effective cross-border operations of communica-tions and information sharing in a practical way between and amongst EVD affected countries.

The Technical Meeting lasted for two days and led to frank exchanges of ideas and experiences. Authorities from Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Mali presented statics on progress and challenges in the fight against EVD. Nigeria, Cte dIvoire and Senegal were also represented at the meeting. Liberia reported a remarkable de-

cline in new cases of Ebola between October and December 2014 with Lofa County, once the epicenter of the disease, and many other counties recording considerable decrease in the number of cases.

The meeting held in Mon-rovia in December 2014 helped strategize, coordi-nate and integrate regional approaches to eradicate the disease that didnt show any sign of

decrease despite many months of battle by the Liberian government and international and local partners. The unprecedented spread of the disease and the lack of trained health workers, infrastructure and logistics presented obstacles to an early containment

Cross-border technical meeting in progress

A cross-section of the participants

Authorities from Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Mali presented statics on progress and challenges in the fight against EVD.

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The socio-economic and psychological impact of the pandemic will be felt by the country for a long time to come. The visible improvement in the EVD situation saw Liberia holding a successful senatorial poll, reopening of schools after a long hiatus, and the launch of a landmark document, the National Deconcentration Platform, a key component of the National Decentralization Policy intended to make quality services available and accessible to the people.

Liberia Moves Ahead with Decentralization


Liberia is slowly getting back on its feet after the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) killed thousands of people, leaving in its wake some 5,000 orphans.

Launching the Deconcentration Platform on 18 February in Liberias central city of Gbarnga, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf declared that the occasion sends a clear and strong message that our country is on course, and bouncing back, mighty and strong, in spite of the ravages that faced us from the Ebola enemy.

The Deconcentration Platform, put together in consultation with governance experts, government ministries, the Gover-nance Commission, development partners and the citizenry, spells out 45 public ser-vices hitherto accessed only in the national capital to be devolved and delivered in the counties. The services include issuance of drivers licenses, birth certificates, tradition-al marriage and divorce certificates, registra-tion of business, vehicles and license plates, issuance of ECOWAS aliens work permit, and adjudication of labour cases.

President Sirleaf described the Platform as a fast moving process for the delivery of public services out of the national capital to county centres in an efficient and coordi-nated manner to build synergies at county level among service delivery ministries and agencies of government to ensure that the people are effectively served.

In the words of Internal Affairs Minister Morris Dukuly, whose ministry spearheaded the process of developing the document, The Deconcentration will enable us spread critical and vital services throughout the country, rather than concentrating them in Monrovia.

At the heart of the implementation of the deconcentration blueprint are County Superintendents, who have been conferred the authority to coordinate and manage the service delivery process in their counties. The Superintendents, who would soon be known as County Chief Executive Officers, have also been empowered to coordinate the activities of staff of all line ministries and agencies in their counties. County treasuries are also to be established to make it possible for government employees to receive their salaries in their respective counties.

President Sirleaf used the occasion to induct into office executives of the newly

formed National Superintendents Council, reminding them of the increased responsibil-ity they had been given to be the bridge to the people. It is really you that are on the spot, the President told them, cautioning that, If you get it wrong, we are in serious trouble.

The Liberian leader announced that Government Centers would be established in the counties to house the service offices and facilities. County Superintendents have been tasked to make available 250 acres of land for the construction of the centers.

Also speaking at the ceremony attended by senior government and UN officials, donor partners and Liberians from various stations of life, was Deputy Special Repre-sentative of the Secretary-General for Gov-ernance, Antonio Vigilante, who hailed the Deconcentration Platform as a visionary decentralization roadmap to deliver better and more services to the people. Vigilante, who is also the UNDP Resident Coordinator in Liberia, expressed the continued commit-ment of the UN to support national efforts towards decentralization and development, and urged the leadership of the counties to approach the implementation of the Platform with the same zeal and determination they displayed in the fight against the EVD.

Launched under the theme Deconcen-

tration: Road to More Services, More Local Participation and Greater Democracy, Libe-rias decentralization policy seeks inclusive socio-economic growth and rights-based and gender responsive development with the overall objective of sustaining the ongoing peace-building and reconciliation process.

The participation of the citizenry in the implementation of the Platform is very cru-cial to its success. Traditional leaders also have a critical role to play in conflict settle-ment and consensus-building. President Sirleaf amplified this at the launch when she rallied the support of the traditional leaders for the document, saying, To the custodians of our traditions and cultures, we count on you to lead us in this process and confer it with the legitimacy, dignity and honor that you symbolize in your communities.

The successful execution of the National Deconcentration Platform will pave the way for the second and the final phase of the decentralization program, the sharing of political authority with local gover-nance institutions, leading to the election of County Superintendents, local councils, and sub-county officials, vesting them with the power to administer the affairs of their people.

Launch of the Deconcentration Platform

DSRSG Vigilante with local government officials in the Southeast

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refugee leaders who are able to detect any false information because of their detailed knowledge of the refugees home country.

UNHCR has printed more than 25,000 photo identification cards for refugees over the age of seven since the beginning of last year. Printing and distribution of the ID cards is an ongoing process with more cards issued to refugees every month.

These cards establish the holders legal right to reside in Liberia, which comes with freedom of movement and the ability to work, attend school, and gain access to social services. Previously, they had only ration cards to indicate their refugee status.

We give them documentation to allow them to benefit from all rights and services to which a legal alien residing in Liberia is entitled, explains Mariam Diallo, senior protection officer at UNHCRs branch office in Monrovia. Having proper identification is key to ensuring individuals maintain their human rights.

For the same reasons, UNHCR has encouraged and supported the Government of Liberia in issuing birth certificates for the thousands of refugee children who have been born in Liberia while their parents reside here.

Incorporating the issuance of birth cer-tificates into national procedures has made it easy for refugees to undertake birth registra-tion and obtain the needed certificates at all locations in the country, says Andreas Fiadorme, head of UNHCR Field Office in Harper, Maryland County.

Birth certificates and identification cards are important to securing individual rights, both for those who integrate into the local population and those who repatriate to their country of origin. Without documentation, individuals are at risk of statelessness in the event that no country agrees to afford them citizenship.

UNHCR worked with its government partner, the Liberia Refugee Repatriation

and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), to register the refugees, while also creating a refugee database and undertaking the print-ing of identification cards.

Refugee ID Cards Help Ensure Access to Legal RightsBy Carol Rowe

People fleeing violence often leave home with only the clothes on their backs.

In the rush to escape, they may leave behind vital documents that estab-lish their identity and ensure maintenance of their basic rights in the event they cross a border into another country. In such cases, the registration of refugees and asylum seekers be-comes a painstaking task of verifying a persons identity and those of their dependents, along with other critical information that will establish their legal right to live in their new country of residence.

Even those who cross a border with some kind of documentation must have their stories verified. That process typically involves government officials working with

Two refugees proudly display their ID cards. UNMIL Photo/ Emmanuel Tobey

These cards establish the holders legal right to reside in Liberia, which comes with freedom of movement and the ability to work, attend school, and gain access to social services.

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I was pregnant at that time. I used to solely depend on the UNHCR food rations and when there was no more food left in the home, I went to other peoples farms in the host communities to work for them in order to get food for my two chil-dren and my grandmother.

Last year, Josephine completed one of UNHCRs livelihood training programmes offered by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency and Center for Women Agri-culture Program.

Now I have learned a trade and can make enough money to support my family, Josephine says. I have already started making some batik on my own using my

own materials, which helps me get money to support my family. Very soon, when ADRA/CWAP gives me my startup materials, I will call myself a businesswoman.

Helping refugees like Josephine to be-come self-reliant has been a growing priority for UNHCR as it seeks to find durable solu-tions for those who sought refuge in Liberia

Ivorian Refugees Take Steps Toward Self-RelianceBy Carol Rowe

I lost my husband in the heat of the Ivorian civil war, says Josephine, 23, who fled her country in 2011 and is currently living in Bahn Refugee Camp in Nimba County.

from violence in Cte dIvoire. About 38,000 Ivorian refugees remain in

Liberia today, after post-election violence in Cte dIvoire forced over 200,000 to flee across the border. The Ivorian refugees in Liberia are spread out among three refugee campsBahn in Nimba County, PTP in Grand Gedeh County, and Little Wlebo in Maryland Countyand a handful of adja-cent communities.

The number of Ivorian refugees in Liberia peaked at about 220,000 in 2011, and 80 per cent of those have since re-turned to their country. Those that remain have been hindered from going home due to the Ebola crisis and resultant border closure.

Some 240 refugees completed skills courses in 2014. Courses included batik, tailoring, cosmetology, bread and pastry making, soap making, carpentry, masonry, two-stroke engine mechanics, plumbing, and computer applications.

Organizers say that many more refugees would like to be trained if the programme had enough money for ma-terials and starter kits. The refugees are awarded starter kits after graduation to help establish them in business coopera-tives or otherwise assist them in pursuing their new livelihoods.

Mamie, 24, a refugee who learned to make soap in the ADRA/CWAP skills programme, echoes Josephines pride in having learned a new skill. She says it has increased her self-esteem since she previously depended on men to support her and those men often let her down.

This skill will allow me to earn money that can keep me going, Mamie says, adding that there are many refugee girls who are not doing anything in the camp and this programme would help them to learn something for their future.

Monique Rudacogora, head of UNHCR Field Office in Saclepea and focal point on livelihood programming, says the goal is to enable refugees to acquire vocational skills that will offer them a sustainable income

and reduce the poverty level among people in the refugee camps and host communities. The skills also will be useful for those who voluntarily repatriate to Cte dIvoire.

In addition to the skills courses offered in the camps, training in agricultural practices is being conducted to enhance the refugees long-term food security, and more than 1,850 refugees have benefited.

Where backyard gardens or farming has been established, refugees are able to supplement their rations with rice, maize, cassava, and assorted vegetables they have grown themselves. Some refugees also are raising animals such as pigs and rabbits for longer-term income.

We came to this camp with nothing, said Felix, 54, who lives in Bahn Camp with his wife and six children. Life was so dif-ficult, especially with the number of people in my family.

But after joining the camps agriculture

programme, he said, I have thirteen 50kg bags of seed rice that I produced from the swamp right behind my shelter. Now we have enough food for our family, and we can sell a portion of the rice to settle some of our financial obligations.

A refugee lady leaves her farm having havested some of her produce

A group of women in a batik training class

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UN FOCUS, Vol. 11, No. 03A publication of the United Nations Mission in Liberia Public Information Office

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UN FOCUS February 2015