Ebola Crisis: JDC Responds

Against a backdrop of growing global fear about the Ebola virus disease, JDC has moved quickly to contribute to responses, working with two partner organizations — the Afya Foundation and Heart to Heart International (HHI) — to tackle existing gaps in aid.

Through these partnerships, JDC will supply 20 pallets of personal protective equipment (PPE) that has been requested by Sierra Leone for use by health care workers and patients during Ebola treatment and will also help to set up an Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) in Liberia to manage Ebola cases and establish a testing lab.

‘In the face of this growing health crisis, and the staggering human needs on the ground, we felt compelled to once again join with our trusted partners to provide a Jewish response to this tragic epidemic,’ said Mandie Winston, director of JDC’s International Development Program, which in the last year has aided flood victims in the Balkans and Typhoon Haiyan survivors in the Philippines.

Liberia and Sierra Leone are two of the five countries experiencing the worst Ebola outbreak on record. As of late September, Ebola patients in Liberia numbered nearly 3,500, higher than any other country affected by the current surge in cases. The ETU to be established by HHI will accommodate up to 70 patients and will help slow transmission, provide additional testing capability, isolate Ebola cases, and ease the suffering of Ebola patients.

In addition to the the PPEs bound for Sierra Leone through Afya, the group is also working to provide generators, pallets of bleach and countless other supplies to support the delivery of 24/7 care at treatment centers.

To date, JDC is among several Jewish and Israeli NGOs, including AJWS and IsrAid, to respond to this deadly public health crisis.