HIGHLIGHTS
In the week to 16 August 2015, there were zero confirmed Ebola cases, down from one case the previous week.
In Tonkolili, UNICEF, in collaboration with its partners ‘Sierra Leone Water Company’ and PACT, delivered 356,000 litres of potable water to 52 quarantined households (approx. 42.5 litres per person daily), benefiting at least 634 people. UNICEF and partners also supported the district council in collection and disposal of solid waste from 51 quarantined households and Masanga hospital.
Tonkolili Social Mobilization pillar partners continue to engage traditional healers and community leaders for effective response to Ebola incidents. Last week, 595 people in quarantine were released from Massesebeh village and Masanga hospital in the presence of The President.
Theatre for Development performances organized by UNICEF through the District Health Management Team and OXFAM, continued in 10 communities of Kaffu Bullom chiefdom, Port Loko district. The performances, which are popular among women and children, help to create awareness on Ebola prevention. 2,750 people were reached.
In Port Loko, UNICEF partners provided 33,000 litres of water to 49 quarantined households with 294 people and also supported the distribution of 1,200 bars of laundry and bathing soap to 108 people in 18 quarantined households.
UNICEF and the Tonkolili District Education Office provided learning materials to 148 school-going children as a follow up to the education needs assessment conducted for quarantined households last week. Radios were also distributed to 52 households to enable children in quarantine to access the radio education programme.
All the 300 children in quarantine in Tonkolili and Western Area districts received continuous psychosocial support (PSS) from UNICEF partners to build their resilience and enhance their ability to cope during and after quarantine.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, with support from UNICEF, conducted 119 PSS trainings for 5,950 teachers in ten districts. The trainings aim to empower teachers to support the psychosocial wellbeing of pupils in schools and to ensure that children from quarantined households and Ebola survivors are adequately reintegrated when schools open at the end of August 2015.