{"id":4541,"date":"2015-04-22T14:38:32","date_gmt":"2015-04-22T14:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.africlub.net\/awdf\/?p=4541"},"modified":"2015-10-27T15:27:03","modified_gmt":"2015-10-27T15:27:03","slug":"sierra-leones-disabled-women-girls-union-combats-stigma-in-ebola-epidemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awdf.org\/OldSite\/sierra-leones-disabled-women-girls-union-combats-stigma-in-ebola-epidemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Sierra Leone\u2019s Disabled Women & Girls Union Combats Stigma In Ebola Epidemic"},"content":{"rendered":"The outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus last year left in its wake not only over 10,000 dead in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, but the equally devastating impact of stigma.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fear and superstition of the haemorrhagic disease has led to Ebola survivors being repeatedly outcast from their communities, shunned and abandoned by family and friends, causing untold emotional and psychological damage.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Disabled Women and Girls in Sierra Leone\u2019s Kailahun District has led the way in breaking down those barriers through an innovative project aimed at mitigating the spread of Ebola amongst disabled women and girls in Ebola infected Communities in Kailahun District in Sierra Leone.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project\u2019s activities centered around the sensitization of caregivers of disabled women and girls in the localities about Ebola. The group provided thirty radios and hygiene materials to heads of families with disabled women and girls. The special high-frequency radios were chosen to facilitate prompt dissemination of information on Ebola.<\/span><\/p>\n

One outstanding example of the success of the project is the case of Isata Momoh, an Ebola survivor from the village of Borbohun. Shunned after her discharge from the Ebola treatment centre, she lived in isolation until the Disabled Women & Girls Union intervened. Through a skillful sensitisation program, the fears of the Isata\u2019s community were allayed, eventually leading to Isata\u2019s reintegration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before the involvement of Disabled Women & Girls Union<\/i>, there had been an increase in the cases of death and infection from Ebola in the targeted communities. \u00a0One contributing factor was that hundreds of discharged Ebola patients had sexual intercourse with their spouses and partners before the end of the recommended 90 days abstinence period, unaware of the risk of transfer. \u00a0Consequently, their spouses and partners were infected, leading to new cases of Ebola.<\/span><\/p>\n

In response, the Disabled Women & Girls Union project mounted intensive education in the affected areas. Seventy five out of \u00a0total of 85 Ebola survivors who had had unprotected sex before the end of the suggested mandatory period were reexamined for signs of infection or reinfection, leading to a reduction in the spread of the virus.<\/span><\/p>\n

One other result of the project was the introduction of new by-laws by chiefs and other community elders in the project communities to deter members from flouting the rules relating to the outlined issues. Penalties in the form of fines will be imposed on offenders.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the future, Disabled Women & Girls Union<\/i> plans to follow up on Ebola survivors to curb further hostility and stigmatization. They will also promote income-generating activities, and continue with psycho-social counseling to help them cope with the devastating effects of the disease.<\/span>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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