Ebola Relief 

During 2014 and early 2015 we had to put our development plans on hold. With all that was going on with Ebola we knew we had to help in some capacity. Check out how TVL was able to provide relief and support during the Ebola crisis.

 
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Radio education program

During the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone (2014) TVL had to put a temporary hold on development plans. Ebola was causing more harm than just the virus. During this time the country experienced an increase in teenage pregnancy. Many felt it was due to the cancellation of schools and young girls being orphaned by Ebola related deaths. This left girls more vulnerable to sexual exploitation, sexual assault and rape. Travel was also restricted throughout the country only adding to the difficulty and hardship the Ebola crisis brought upon Sierra Leone.

As a result of some of these pressing issues, the Ministry of Education, in partnership with UNICEF, instituted a Radio Education Program just before the new year. This program allowed students to take part in self-guided class lectures via radio broadcast. As great as this initiative was, it only catered to families that could afford a radio. TVL piggy backed onto this program to create the Golu Radio Education Tutoring Program.

By March 2015 we launched our program which included:

  • Distributing 100 radios, batteries and school supplies to 100 families in Golu;
  • Set up 1 on 1 tutoring schedule between students and local teachers at the resource center to help encourage participation in the program.
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Shipping medical supplies

In December 2014, TVL hosted the organization’s first annual benefit to raise awareness and funds to finance a few new projects we were planning to launch in early 2015, in response to the Ebola crisis. One of these projects was a joint effort between TVL and another NGO, Peace Builders. Peace Builders sends large shipments of medical and other aid to orphans around the world with a focus on war-torn and disaster-stricken areas. In 2014 Peace Builders came to TVL and asked if we could help fund the shipping costs to send almost $300,000 worth of donated medical supplies to Sierra Leone to aid in Ebola relief efforts. TVL said yes to Peace Builders request and committed to raising the funds required to ship the medical supplies. In January 2015 the medical supplies were shipped to Sierra Leone to help protect health professionals working with Ebola patients and prevent further spreading.

Below are the media articles that covered this story:

MercuryNews.com
Insidebayarea.com
Contracostatimes.com
abc7news.com