The cholera incidence remains on an upward trend nationally, with the current number of cases at 13,934, and with 232 deaths.
New cases have been reported from the previously unaffected Kenema district, which now means that eleven of the thirteen districts are affected, putting 4.6 million people potentially at risk. The majority of cases are still found in the Western Area (6,875) and Port Loko (3,039) districts. Of the 106 health facilities in the Western Area, 89 reported incidences of cholera on 27th August 2012.
CARE has delivered a total of 279,210 aqua tabs, 20,600 cakes of soap and 8,877 sachets of Oral Rehydration Salts to the Bombali, Tonkolili and Kambia districts. We have started distribution of prevention kits in the Bombali district, with an initial focus on affected and high-risk areas. Similar distributions are imminent for the Tonkolili and Kambia districts. CARE Emergency Outreach Officers have also carried out rapid assessments in collaboration with the District Disease Surveillance Officers of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in these three districts to map out further areas for distribution of prevention kits.
A joint radio discussion on cholera prevention and the use of the prevention kits, led by CARE Emergency staff in collaboration with the District Health Management Team, was conducted on the regional Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation radio station in Bombali and re-broadcast by two other Local FM radio stations.
CARE continues to contribute to coordination; water, sanitation and hygiene interventions and Social Mobilization efforts at both the national and district levels, and participated in developing a district–level cholera response framework and strategy.
CARE has also led the process of coordinating with partners in our areas of operation to identify areas for synergy-building and to avoid duplication of efforts.
A brief history of CARE Sierra Leone
CARE International recently celebrated its 50th anniversary of operating in Sierra Leone.
During its first two decades in Sierra Leone, CARE’s school feeding programs reached 60,000 primary and 8,000 secondary school children and provided nutritional information for 30,000 mothers. CARE also built nearly 700 miles of feeder roads in the Bo, Kenema, Kailahun, Kono, and Bombali districts to improve transportation between communities.
In the 1980s and 1990s, CARE shifted its focus to livelihood development and community infrastructure building activities, but the 10-year civil war required a shift to emergency response and post-conflict transition programs. During that period, CARE’s food distribution, reconstruction, resettlement and peace building activities reached more than 2.5 million war-affected people. Special emphasis was placed on the needs of those who were disproportionately affected by war: women, children and the elderly.
Over the last decade, CARE has implemented a wide range of interdependent interventions aimed at addressing the underlying causes of poverty and social injustice. The organization reaches more than 2.6 million women, men and children annually, with a focus on the poorest and most vulnerable people living in hard- to-reach communities, with programs to strengthen maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS prevention, food security, economic development, women’s empowerment and civil society organizations.
CARE’s continued engagement in building strategic partnerships with host line ministries, local councils and over 106 local & international NGOS and CBOs has been instrumental to our success, as have contributions from our long-term donors such as USAID, DfID, EU, KfW, Global Fund, and our network of private donors including the Howard Buffet Foundation.