PCI launches Survived Ebola video

Population Communication International or PCI-Liberia, a public education NGO,   has launched an Ebola Survived video in Monrovia to stop stigmatizing against survivors.

The video provides public education on how to treat people, who survived from the deadly outbreak.

According to PCI, many parents and caretakers have abandoned relatives, who survived the Ebola Virus because of fear of contracting the virus.

It warns that driving survivors away or avoiding them may decrease their chances of living normal life again in society. The nongovernmental organization explained that in order to increase and improve the living condition of Ebola survivors, they need love, care and comfort to enable them alleviate the fear of rejection.

Addressing reporters Tuesday, 7 April at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism on Capitol Hill, campaign manager for PCI, Joko Koogba, said the Survived Ebola video tells the story of an Ebola survivor, Foday Gallah, who shared his experiences of how he contracted the virus while driving a First Frontline Responder ambulance last year in Monrovia.

Joko said the video uses multiple forms of entertainment to reinforce key protective messages about the deadly virus.

According to him, the six weeks video series is the most recent production of the survived Ebola campaign, which allowed survivors to demonstrate and share their resilience and recovery on how they overcome the deadly virus.

He said Survived Ebola is also intended to help reduce stigmatization of survivors, and promote reintegration, saying, “This will help us achieve these goals over dozens of Ebola survivors from Liberia and other countries.”

Liberian Ebola survivor Foday Gallah, who worked as ambulance supervisor and paramedic for the First Frontline Responder of Montserrado County District # 13 Representative Saah Joseph, shares his experiences.

According to him, he contracted the virus in August last year, while transporting a 4-year-old boy, who vomited on him. He said though he was dressed in Personal Protective Equipment or PPE, but some of the child’s vomit wasted on him.

“The first thing I did was to put stop to every member of my family from coming close to me to avoid more people coming in contact with the virus”, he added.

Last month, PCI trained a group of local journalists how to report on the Ebola Virus Disease, including Sexual Gender Base Violence against women and children.

By Lewis S. Teh