SPEECH DELIVERED BY H.E.MRS JULIA DUNCAN-CASSELL
MINISTER OF GENDER, CHILDREN AND SOCIAL PROTECTION
AT THE GLOBALIZATION, AGING, INNOVATION AND CARE (GAIC) DISTINGUISHED
FELLOWSHIP PROCLAMATION-TILBURG UNIVERSITY - THE NETHERLANDS
Distinguished Fellows
Members of GAIC Advisory Board
GAIC Ad Hoc Advisors
Key Actors in Decentralized Health Care
The Scientific Community of GAIC,
Members of the fourth estate
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
I bring you greetings from my role model, H.E. Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf,
President of the Republic of Liberia and the only female President on the African
Continent elected twice. I am honored to have been nominated by the Board of
the Globalization, Aging, Innovation and Care (GAIC) as a Distinguished fellow and
to deliver the closing proclamation address at this meeting on the topic: Ebola
Free Liberia: Needs and Lessons Learnt.
The fact that I am able to stand here today is a recognition that the Ebola virus
disease does not follow national boundaries; does not discriminate based on
nationality or religion and has no respect for time or space. It also means that
Liberia has triumph over the deadly disease that once threatened our sovereignty
and we can proudly say that the World Health Organization will declare Liberia
Ebola Free tomorrow, May 9. But, we cannot celebrate our success if Guinea and
Sierra Leone − our immediate neighbors − are still reporting cases.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
From August to October 2014, this unprecedented disease hit us and spread
rapidly throughout communities, thus becoming an epidemic. We were confused
and frightened. Our people fell sick, and our people died. Families and
communities were torn apart. The disease struck down the best in our society −
doctors, teachers, mothers, and religious leaders − those upon whom
communities depend. It robbed us of our ability to care for others, that which
defines our own humanity. Our health care delivery systems collapsed, doctors,
nurses and health care workers without proper protective gear, died treating the
sick, many times on the belief that, the symptoms reflected known diseases such
as malaria and yellow fever. Others died of diseases other than Ebola for lack of
access to health facilities. Liberia stood still; women farmers could not farm and
pregnant women had babies on the streets. In the midst of all this, we faced the
terrifying prediction that 1.4 million or at minimum, some 20,000 persons a
month would die in the three neighboring affected counties before the end of
January; the month in which Liberia managed to contained the virus.
Lessons Learnt
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
Our experience revealed that the lack of adequate training in core Ebola response
strategies such as, Case investigation, Contact tracing, Infection control,
transportation and communication network, health education and Safe burial
practices were the factors responsible for the rapid spread of the EVD. A National
Ebola response Team was constituted Headed by H.E. Madam Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf to successfully manage the Ebola transmission. As Liberia has been
successful in containing the virus, we could not have been successful without the
help of our partners − and I mean all of our partners, our communities and the
people themselves.
Needs
Women need to be at the center of all efforts to help Liberia recover from the
Ebola crisis. The epidemic has affected women disproportionately because of the
essential role they play as caretakers, health personnel, farmers and small
traders. Ebola response and post-Ebola recovery strategies must be gendersensitive in addressing the associated negative impacts on women and girls.
We need to rebuild and strengthen our health care delivery system − train
community health care workers and nurses as well as doctors and specialist. Care
for Ebola survivors as most of them have been stigmatized in their communities.
We also need to pay keen attention to our adolescent girls with emphasis on
our rural women, cross borders trade women and our women recovery
programs.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
We want to place emphasis on the foster care program as the issue of Ebola
orphans is evident in Liberia. This program seeks to train people within the
community to serve as foster care parents as we have documented approximately
4,572 Ebola orphans, of which 2,200 are boys and 2,72 are girls. We have also
provided educational opportunities for these Ebola orphans through boarding
school and day time schools- Boarding schools for those who lost both parents
and day time schools for those who lost one of their parents. We are also
providing educational grant for these orphans to keep them in school. We need
support to continue and sustain these programs.
We also have the social safety net program which help extremely poor and labor
constraint families headed by mostly females and Ebola affected victims. As we
move towards post Ebola recovery, the issue of FGM and Early & Forced
Childhood Marriage (CEFM) should not be forgotten.
We must provide business opportunities for our women -Rural Women and Cross
Border Trade Women. Our women came from zero to heroes but have gone back
to zero. We need to find a way to bring them back as these Small informal
entrepreneurs make up most of the economic activity in Liberia. This will also
strengthen peace and security in the region. And that’s why the Three Head of
States have agreed to tackle this Ebola virus on a regional level.
Thank you for inviting me to this meeting!
GAIC means Globalization, Aging, Innovation and Care