The World Bank has reinforced the President Ernest Bai Koroma led government to continue tackling the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) by approving (SDR 18,500,000) Eighteen Million Five Hundred Thousand Special Drawing Right) about Twenty Eight Million United States Dollars ($28 Million) as a grant to contribute in the short term to the control of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) out break and the availability of selected essential health services and mitigate the socio-economic impact of EVD in Sierra Leone.
The grant was occasioned by a recommendation of the committee under section 1(d) of Articles of Agreement on the proposed Financing (Ebola Emergency Response Project) to the Republic of Sierra Leone.
The approval was assented to by Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the United States of America, His Excellency Bockari Kortu Stevens on behalf of the government of the republic of Sierra Leone, at the 1701 19th Street NW Conference room of the Embassy of Sierra Leone.
“Accordingly, the Committee finds that said project(Ebola Emergency Response Project) merits financial assistance from the Association and hereby recommends said project for such assistance” said President of the International Development Association.
“The Committee has carefully studied the merits of the proposal to extend such a financing and of the purpose to which the proceeds of the financing are to be applied: and the committee is of the opinion that the project toward the financing of which the proceeds of such financing are to be applied comes within the purposes of the Association’s- set forth in Article 1 of said Articles of Agreement, and that said project is designed to promote the economic development of the Republic of Sierra Leone, and is of high developmental priority in the light of the needs of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
In what was a very busy week, also on Wednesday September 10, 2014 Ambassador Stevens participated in a West Africa Ebola Epidemic Awareness Session at one of Freddie Mac’s buildings.
Organized by Adama Kah Vice President Distressed Assets Management Mortgage Investments and Structuring Group, Freddie Mac, and founder of “Knock Ebola Out” (KEO) a non-profit inspired by the 2014 Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in West Africa, Ambassador Stevens gave a background to EVD and briefly explained its expansion to Sierra Leone.
He informed the august body on the current state of the epidemic and interventions made by the government of Sierra Leone, citizens and friends of Sierra Leone including other bilateral and multilateral partners, and thanked KEO foundation and other distinguished personalities who spared their time to attend the occasion.
Earlier Adama Kah a (US-Gambian National) gave a brief history about the formation of KEO and paid homage to Mrs. Jalloh head of Sierra Leone’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who not only sensitized him about EVD when she was in attendance to the US/Africa leaders’ summit, but also made him to realized the need for collectivism to knock it out of Sierra Leone in particular and West Africa in general.
Adama Kah thanked Ambassador Stevens who he described as “very receptive and cooperative with him, even though they are only seeing themselves in person for the first time, and reaffirmed, “even though we live in the USA, our people are in West Africa, so- EVD has no place and should be knocked out. All receipts from this event will go to Sierra Leone Ebola fight.
Arc of Hope, APC Metropolitan Chapter and Yoni Descendants in USA Contributes to Fight Ebola
Meanwhile the Arc of Hope chaired by Dr. Sandy has presented a Cheque of One thousand Five hundred United States Dollars as contribution towards the government in fighting Ebola Virus Disease.
In addition, Ms. Beatrice Conteh President of the All Peoples Congress Washington Metropolitan Chapter of Maryland and Virginia has on behalf of her membership presented a cheque in the sum of one thousand five hundred United States Dollars to Ambassador Bockari Kortu Stevens as contribution towards fighting the Ebola epidemic.
On Friday September 12, 2014, executive members of the Yoni USA Group led by their President Mr. Samuel Koroma presented a Cheque in the sum of One Thousand Five Hundred United States Dollars as their own small contribution towards the fight of Ebola in Sierra Leone.
Responding, Amr Bockari Kortu Stevens thanked Dr. Sandy of Arc of Hope, Ms. Beatrice Conteh APC President and Mr. Samuel Koroma and his executive members of the Yoni USA group for their gesture and said, nothing is too small to fight Ebola.
He said President Ernest Bai Koroma is very determined to see Ebola out of Sierra Leone that is why he is steering the fight against it. The Ambassador intimated that the embassy has made two donations to the Ministry of Health in Sierra Leone and a forty foot container will be landing in Sierra Leone on Monday 15th September with medical supplies. All monies collected are accounted for and published on the embassy’s website and the Ebola dedicated website set up by the embassy Task Force.
He used the different occasion to dispel rumors and misinformation circulating in the social media and encouraged all to help in their own way to continue to dispel rumor and misinformation.
He said Sierra Leone belongs to all of us and in terms of crisis we should all come together to achieve a common goal.
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