Highlights:
On 7 November 2015, the World Health Organization declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. The end of the outbreak was marked by a ceremony hosted by His Excellency, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, and attended by UNICEF, international organizations, NGOs and the donor community. Although an important milestone, it was reiterated that enhanced surveillance must continue so that the country is ready for any possible future outbreaks, and work must also intensify to support those affected by the outbreak and to build a resilient recovery.
UNICEF is supporting the Government of Sierra Leone in the transition and post-Ebola recovery phases in several areas such as strengthening health system resilience and the access to quality learning for all children, reinforcing community engagement and improving survivor engagement.
UNICEF continued to support the implementation of Project Shield. The mapping of survivors in Bombali district was completed during the reporting period. To date, 1,938 survivors have been registered and verified (900 in Western Area, 418 in Bombali, and 620 in Port Loko). In Port Loko, UNICEF provided technical support to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs (MSWGCA) to map existing services for survivors across the 11 chiefdoms in the district.