The U.K. Department for International Development is set to announce funding for projects that raise awareness of the Ebola virus in West African countries neighboring those affected by the epidemic, according to a global development insider.
U.K. Ebola Response Hub head Amanda Weisbaum told Devex that DfID is currently negotiating details of the program, and had selected Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Guinea Bissau as target countries for yearlong interventions. These will promote preparedness for Ebola in case new infections appear. The current epidemic has killed almost 9,000 people, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
“It will incorporate Ebola into the standard health messages of those countries, such as for malaria or [tuberculosis], while also strengthening all the services needed to deal with it,” she said. The hub she heads is an initiative that Bond — the U.K. membership body for nonprofit international development groups — and nongovernmental organization coalition Start Network set up in November to respond to the crisis.
About the author
Gabriella Jóźwiak@GabriellaJ
Gabriella Jóźwiak is an award-winning journalist based in London. Her work on issues and policies affecting children and young people in developing countries and the U.K. has been published in national newspapers and magazines. Having worked in-house for domestic and international development charities, Jóźwiak has a keen interest in organizational development, and has worked as a journalist in several countries across West Africa and South America.
