Together We Stand

[ 128 ] Responding to the livelihoods needs of quarantined households during the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone Michael Solis, Sierra Leone Programme Manager; and Rebecca Grogan, Project Officer, Trócaire T he fourth of June 2015 is a day that Mabinti Kargbo, a 45-year-old woman living in the community of Kargboto in the Kambia district of Sierra Leone, will never forget. “They came to quarantine us that day,” Mabinti said, her distraught expression an indication of how disruptive the experience was. “All of the houses in our community, over 30, were roped off. That meant you couldn’t cross the rope or leave for 21 days.” The decision to quarantine Kargboto was taken by the District Ebola Response Committee (DERC) in response to a wave of new cases that were spreading in Kambia district. With five deaths to Ebola (EVD) occurring in Kargboto alone, it was necessary to control people’s movements in order to halt the continued spread of the virus. By that time, there had been over 13,000 confirmed EVD cases in country, with just under 4,000 deaths. Among the deceased in Kargboto was Mabinti’s sister, who left behind nine children. “My sister’s husband couldn’t take care of nine children all by himself,” Mabinti said. “I had no choice but to help him, but I already had five children of my own. I knew they needed me, but how can you do anything when you are trapped in your own home?” Trócaire was one of several agencies that collaborated with DERC and the Department for International Development (DFID) to respond to the basic needs of quarantined house- holds. This involved the provision of replacement packages for households with confirmed Ebola cases, such as new bedding and sheets, in addition to water and complementary food and non-food items during the quarantine period. These included items such as washing powder, condiments and vegetables, in addition to telephones, radios and a solar charger. The phones enabled quarantined families to communicate with their loved Mabinti Kargbo (left) and Isatu Samura from Kargboto, Sierra Leone, benefited from Trócaire’s quarantined household, livelihoods and psychosocial support interventions Images: Michael Solis, 2016 T ogether W e S tand