In the scramble to reach the most remote residents of Ebola-hit Liberia, the U.S. Agency for International Development has signed on Mercy Corps as lead in a consortium of more than 70 other organizations to spread information about the disease to the country’s farthest-flung areas, and to correct misinformation along the way.
The $12 million social mobilization project, called the Ebola Community Action Platform, aims to reach more than 2 million people in all 15 counties of Liberia through the activation of networks of nongovernmental organizations in the country. The platform began with 26 partnerships through USAID, but now comprises more than 70 organizations through the coordination of NGO consortiums that many foresee becoming standard practice in disaster response programs.
The broad reach allows organizations to train and deploy community leaders throughout Liberia in conducting face-to-face outreach, as well as broadcasting information about the disease over local radio.
About the author
Molly Andersmollyanders_dev
Molly Anders is a former U.K. correspondent for Devex. Based in London, she reports on development finance trends with a focus on British and European institutions. She is especially interested in evidence-based development and women’s economic empowerment, as well as innovative financing for the protection of migrants and refugees. Molly is a former Fulbright Scholar and studied Arabic in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.
