Sierra Leone: "25 Sept 3 Dead 75 new cases. Last 5 days (Sun 21 to Thur 25) 251 new cases. World Bank doubles Ebola Aid to $ 400m (new $ 170m). New China Mobile Bio-Safety Level III Lab arrives to start work in 3 days (Awoko)"

Quarantined...

Ebola update from Sierra Leone: 
"Sierra Leone has ordered the quarantine "with immediate effect" of three districts and 12 tribal chiefdoms - affecting more than one million people - in the largest lockdown in West Africa's deadly Ebola outbreak. President Ernest Bai Koroma, in a national televised address, announced that the northern districts of Port Loko and Bombali were to be closed off along with the southern district of Moyamba - effectively sealing off around 1.2 million people. With the eastern districts of Kenema and Kailahun already under quarantine, more than a third of the population, in five of the nation's 14 districts, now finds itself unable to move freely.  "The isolation of districts and chiefdoms will definitely pose great difficulty but the lives of everyone and the survival of our country takes precedence over these difficulties," Mr Koroma said. "These are trying moments for everyone in the country." The deadliest Ebola epidemic on record has infected almost 6,000 people in West Africa and killed nearly half of them, according to the World Health Organisation's latest figures. The virus can fell its victims within days, causing rampant fever, severe muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and – in many cases – unstoppable internal and external bleeding."

The real cost of Ebola

Wow.. a truly moving and astute take on the real toll of Ebola. "imagine: You are a parent whose child has suddenly come ill with a fever. Do you cast your child away and refuse to touch him? Do you cover your face and your arms? Stay back! Unclean! Or do you comfort your child when he asks for you, arms outstretched, to make the pain go away?"

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2014/09/why_ebola_is_terrifying_and_dangerous_it_preys_on_family_caregiving_and.html

A final walk...

What happens to this women? She's suspected to have Ebola... probably dead within a few days. If she had decent food, fluids, and medical attention she might make, maybe. But without that she's simply paraded through the city by some protected head to toe for people to take pictures of.... how long we will allow this to go on?

Donate?

I just got another message from my partner in sierra leone. They need help desperatly. "the situation in Sierra Leone is becoming worse even though government is trying there best to contain the Ebola Virus yet a lot of problems still stands, many are hungry with no food and water and peoples movement restricted, no market activities and food government cant provide we're seeking donations to help people with food and water, people especially the physically challenge (polio persons, blind, leprosy patient) and street children please help us provide food for people." We can help them. If anyone can help with even 5, 10, 20 dollars we can get some food for people. You can donate a couple dollars at www.walkinglion.org and click on the donate button on the right hand side. Im going to send whatever we can get straight to them hopefully tomorrow, but its easier/better to send one large sum as it costs for each transfer... please help. And please "like" this and write comments so more people will see it... 

Check out today's ny times article as well:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/09/20/world/africa/ebola-outbreak.html?referrer=

Desperation

Will this be as high as we get?

 As we speak an epidemic is surging through west Africa.  it is spreading incredibly quickly and has no cure.  Ebola is leaving a trail of dead bodies in its wake and is only a matter of time before it spreads beyond "the dark continent" and into our living rooms.  As most people that read this blog know, I spent some time there and helped to set up a community based organization called "aibia".  The name for this came from playing with the Chinese words (bo ai) for "universal love", a concept espoused by Mozi nearly 2500 years ago in ancient China.  It would seem like a simple concept, to create a political and economic system based on a universal caring and respect for all human beings, a system based on us viewing all others as if they were our brother or sister, mother or father, husband or wife.  Would we let our sister go hungry?  Would we let our mother die of Ebola?  No we would not.

I want to see this building that we started be completed...    

We are building an office and community center for our organization.  A structure intended to be a place for us to have meetings, voice grievances, create and incubate businesses, teach both marketable and enjoyable skills, arts, computers, etc.  A place for people to go engage with others and build community.  

But this will never happen if everyone working on it, or that could use it, dies.  And that is where we are headed right now.  An entire population of people is at risk of death.  Ebola carries with it a 90% fatality rate and is transferred simply through human to human contact.

Basically, we need to pay attention.  We need to realize that we can make a difference both with Ebola and in helping marginalized people gain a voice in their own lives and for their communities. Please help by donating even the smallest amount.  Just click on the donate button on the right hand side of this website and we will transfer the money in bulk amounts so we can save money on transfer fees.  Please help.