#TargetEbola Supplies Reach Sierra Leone

30 | 1 | 2015

The WOA’s #TargetEbola campaign took a significant step forward this week with the distribution of the first two containers of medical supplies and protective equipment in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The much-needed supplies sent in conjunction with WOA #TargetEbola partner Medisend International were presented to frontline aid workers and staff by two-time Olympian and member of the Sierra Leone Ebola Presidential Task Force, Dr Francis Dove Edwin.

The shipment, which included masks, gloves, thermometers and other essential protective equipment aimed at stopping the transmission of disease, has now been distributed by volunteers to help fight the spread of Ebola in the region. Part of the supplies have been sent to the Mabala Community Hospital which serves 12,000 – 15,000 people in one of the worst hit areas of northern Sierra Leone. The remainder of the supplies have gone to the Kroo Bay Community Hospital in the capital, Freetown. 

A third shipment containing a supply of new mattresses will be given to the newly-built Connaught Community Hospital, also in Freetown, which has been set up to cope with the sheer volume of Ebola sufferers in the capital.

The successful delivery of the first two containers sent in conjunction with Medisend International marks a new milestone for the #TargetEbola campaign, which was launched by the WOA in October in collaboration with both Medisend International and Oxfam in order to raise money and awareness to help combat the disease in the hardest hit areas of West Africa.

WOA President, Joël Bouzou, said:

“To see the hard work of so many who have supported #TargetEbola come to fruition in this real and meaningful way is very rewarding and it is to the credit of Olympians, the wider sporting community around the world and the general public that the WOA has been able to deliver this shipment of vital supplies.

“We must acknowledge that this is only a drop in the ocean of what is needed to help fight this terrible disease and we must continue to work together to raise awareness so that we can continue to provide aid to those in need and help save lives.”

A growing list of Olympians already support the #TargetEbola campaign, including  Usain Bolt, Novak Djokovic, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Carl Lewis, Claudia Bokel, Hicham el Guerrouj, Koji Murofushi and Pernilla Wiberg.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC), SportAccord, World Rugby, the International Golf Federation (IGF),International Federation of SAMBO (FIAS), Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UPIM) and iSportConnect have also backed the campaign.

TO MAKE A DONATION TO #TARGETEBOLA VISIT: TARGETEBOLA.ORG

or

Text TARGET to 70066 [UK only]