Q1 Monthly Progress Report: Christian Aid Ebola Response | OFDA Grant

Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). The project aimed to support the government's efforts to contain the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in five districts: Bo, Bombali, Kambia, Tonkolili, and Magbema. The project's geographical coverage included 15 chiefdoms in these districts. The project's main objectives were to reduce the incidence and prevalence of EVD cases, decrease perceived levels of stigma and discrimination against Ebola survivors, and ensure that essential non-food needs of quarantined and survivor households were met. The project also aimed to improve coordination and governance in the EVD response at the community and district levels. During the reporting period (February 1 to March 31, 2015), the project achieved several key milestones. Partners submitted revised project activity plans, and the Social Mobilisation (SocMob) pillar and District Emergency Response Committee (DERC) were established in the operational chiefdoms. The project enabled the continuation of critical counselling and psychosocial sessions for people in quarantined homes and survivors. Active involvement of 143 contact tracers/community mobilisers in reporting early warning signs of EVD was also achieved. However, the project faced several challenges, including delays in the registration of local partners with the System for Award Management (SAM) and the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS), which prevented the issuance of the contract from USAID/OFDA's side until the first week of March. This created a tight timeframe for the drafting of sub-contracts with partners, resulting in delays in the signing of the sub-agreements and the first transfers of funds to partners. Despite these challenges, the project made significant progress in implementing its activities. In Bo District, 143 contact tracers/community mobilizers were re-engaged by CARL to carry out social mobilisation on safe practices to counteract the EVD. In Kambia District, SLSAV met with local stakeholders, including paramount chiefs, women, and youth, to introduce the project and provide psychosocial support to Ebola-affected communities. The project also faced challenges in selecting people from small and isolated communities for training as contact tracers, due to physical inaccessibility and transportation costs. However, the involvement of community health officers and chiefdom authorities in recruiting contact tracers was positive, as they knew the people in their communities and were able to advise on who would be committed to the campaign. The project's implementation was also affected by the community's perception that the government was telling people to wash their hands but not providing food. SLSAV started to use the slogan 'wash your hands without eating' to address this issue. The lack of safe and accessible water supplies in many rural communities also posed a challenge, as the messaging on washing hands all the time was stressing some communities. The project's progress was monitored through various indicators, including the number of beneficiaries targeted and reached, the number of contact tracers trained and supported, and the number of household members visited by community health workers. The project's results showed that 143 contact tracers/community mobilizers were trained and supported, and 143 (100%) were actively engaged in contact tracing. However, the project's progress in meeting the objectives of reducing the incidence and prevalence of EVD cases, decreasing perceived levels of stigma and discrimination against Ebola survivors, and ensuring that essential non-food needs of quarantined and survivor households were met was limited due to the challenges faced. The project's implementation was also affected by the changing epidemiological situation in the target areas, with new chiefdoms becoming 'hot spots' and the epi-centre shifting. This required flexibility in the project's implementation, including re-targeting non-food item distributions to EVD survivors.