Clara Town residents get body temperature check

International civil society and community based organizations, led by Straight from The Heart, have launched a 21-day body temperature check in Clara Town, Monrovia.

According to the group, the initiative, which began on Monday, 12 January, is intended to help create awareness among residents to combat the deadly Ebola Virus in Liberia.

The project was launched under the theme: ‘Listening to Communities; Engaging Community Partners to Know Ebola and Prevent Transmission of EVD 21 Days Body Temperature Check’.
   
Program Coordinator, Facia Harris, said it is a significant step by local and international non-profit organizations to create awareness in communities in and around Monrovia on the importance of Ebola prevention mechanisms, which includes 21 days of body temperature monitoring. “We are reaching out to 10 households in the community to deliver the education of Ebola prevention and transmission by checking and monitoring body temperatures for 21 days,” she explained.

She said the team will also provide tutorials to school-age children in those 10 households in and around Monrovia on how to protect themselves against contracting the deadly virus, which has already claimed the lives of thousands of Liberians and people in neighboring Guinea and Sierra Leone.

“The team is working to increase the community level of knowledge and understanding of Ebola, reshape attitudes and increase awareness, promote safer practices, prevent EVD transmission, and most importantly, provide education to children in the wake of the Ebola virus carnage on the general population,” Miss Harris said.

The 21 days body temperature check campaign is being carried out in partnership with several local civil society organizations, including:“Straight From The Heart (SFTH), One Liberia Advocacy Radio, Online Paramount Young Women Initiative (PAYOWI), Citizens Organized for the Promotion of Transparency and Accountability (COPTA) Serene Health For All Mobile Clinic, Piso Community Outreach (PCO), OCI Farm Training Organization, Uniting Distant Stars, Inc., and the Ministry of Health Radio Journalists.

The group said the campaign will entail preventive measures such as recording body temperature of contacts, washing of hands, distribution of hand sanitizers and education on personal hygiene and health care measures for 10 homes. “The campaign also intends to give people the opportunity to tell their stories, their pains, their fears, agonies, joys and expectations.”

The organizers’ goal is to highlight the stories of other Ebola fighters -their frustrations, challenges and successes, and hence, cover the effect of Ebola on various aspects of lives in the communities, especially new habits, changed cultures and economic failures. “This is an adventure, which will involve community based groups and organizations breaking new grounds and reaching out to the unheard voices of the Ebola battle,” Facia concluded.