Sierra Leone: Increasing Community Engagement for Ebola On-Air

On 19 September, a social mobilizer speaks with residents about protecting themselves against EVD and preventing its spread, in Freetown, the capital. From 19–21 September in Sierra Leone, a public information campaign aimed to reach every household countrywide with life-saving messages on Ebola virus disease (EVD). UNICEF provided technical and financial support, including information materials, for the Government-led campaign, called the Ose to Ose Ebola Tok initiative, which means ‘house-to-house talk’ in the local Sierra Leonean language. During the campaign, over 28,500 trained social mobilizers, youths and volunteers went door-to-door to reach 1.5 million households and provide residents with information on protecting themselves against EVD and preventing its spread. UNICEF estimates that 8.5 million children and young people under the age of 20 live in areas affected by EVD in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, countries where disease transmission is widespread and intense. Of these, 2.5 million are under the age of 5. Nigeria and Senegal are also affected, having seen an initial case or cases, or experienced localized transmission. The current EVD outbreak in West Africa is the worst in history.