For Immediate Release
May 22nd, 2020 (date to be finalized)
ActionAid Liberia’s Covid-19 Donations to Boost Operations and Communications for Montserrado EOC Call Center
Monrovia, Montserrado–The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. Liberia has recorded 223 cases as of May 15th, 2020, with majority of cases due to community transmission.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges, disrupting the way of life for many Liberians, and overwhelming the already inadequate health infrastructure and systems within the country.
Furthermore, this pandemic has deeply impacted the country both economically and socially, making the disproportionate disparities on women and girls more apparent. From the increased incidents of SGBV, as survivors are forced to remain in lockdown with their abusers, to the restrictions on access to reproductive health rights and services, and to the challenges and gaps in accessing awareness and educative information on Covid-19 for many women and girls across the country.
As part of ActionAid’s (AAL) ongoing commitment and efforts to support women, marginalized groups, and other vulnerable communities amid this unparalleled impact of the virus within our context, today, ActionAid announced its donation of operational materials and supplies to support Montserrado County, EOC Call Center, COVID-19 response efforts; specifically in providing critical awareness and prevention information to women and girls.
In Montserrado County, where the virus is at the highest rate across the country, and calls from communities are at an uptick in terms of overall call volume, this donation from ActionAid, will support the EOC Call Center with strengthening its efforts to track, monitor, and understand the spread of the virus, facilitate the provision of timely and culturally sensitive information and communications to prevent rapid exponential growth and containment of cases within the county, and accelerate efforts through the timely response to inquiries in order to support communities; specifically women and girls in grappling with the impact of the virus by navigating pertinent resources, information, and services.
We are in uncharted territory, and maintaining an adequate and efficient operational EOC Call Center is vital to public health; specifically in educating and curbing the increase in cases within the county and among women and other vulnerable groups. ActionAid has been working with partners across the Covid-19 Response Coordination Pillars both at the national and county levels, to expedite support that seeks to increase awareness and education, and lessen both the social and economic impacts of the pandemic on communities. We will continue to highlight the needs of women and marginalized groups during this challenging time and evaluate the fluidity of our context, while providing relevant, timely, and gender responsive support.
About Liberia
ActionAid Liberia (AAL) is a social justice organization working in Liberia to advance the rights of women, children, youth, and people and shift the development paradigm to one that is people-centered. In 2014, AAL responded to the Ebola crisis looking at public health and human rights intersect, reaching over 300,000 persons across seven counties. AAL is a member of ActionAid International, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, with presence in 45 countries. As a federation, ActionAid collectively seeks to achieve social justice, gender equality, and poverty eradication.