Establishment Guidance Tool kit

Intelligence for Humanity

Introductory Tool

Ebola Virus Disease

• Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, illness in human with average case fatality rate of around 50% (range 25%-90%) (WHO, 2014).

• People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years, possibly longer.

The Challenge of Survival

• At present, survivors of EVD face

psychological effects, social isolation

and serious repercussions on health

care seeking behavior for EVD.

The Challenge of Survival• Ebola survivors have been branded as

"witches" for surviving the EVD (World Health Organization, 2014).

• In certain communities these social problems have ranged from stigmatization, eviction from their accommodation, being asked to stay away from work and termination of employment.

The Challenge of Survival

• In some instances, it has been reported

that employers terminated the

employment of their workers who were

just mere contacts, not even suspected

cases (Dachen, 2014).

The Challenge of Survival

• “They go back into communities and they are ostracized, and are told to leave. One or two survivors I met are renting [homes] in Kenema city because they cannot go back to their rural villages," reported Matthew Dalling, UNICEF chief of child protection (Vries, 2014).

Efforts to address the challenge of Survival

• Community Reintegration of Ebola Survivors - Liberia–Community awareness program–Survivor welcome celebration • presenting a medical certificate and • an opportunity to share his or her

experience.

Efforts to address the challenge of Survival

• Survivor Conference – Sierra Leone

• Local Level Ebola Task Force – WHO community awareness programs, survivor welcome celebration which consisted of presenting a medical certificate and an opportunity to share his or her experience.

• Post Ebola Clinics

Ebola Survivor Corps

• Ebola Survivor Corps (ES-CORPS) is a social organization process of Ebola Survivors which will include voluntary registration and recognition, provision of psychological, social and emotional support and engaging them in development activities through volunteering and other means

Ebola Survivor Corps

• It will synchronize all pre-existing programs to promote wellbeing of Ebola Survivors (Erik J. Reaves, 2014) (Vries, 2014) (Learson, 2014).

Promoting collaboration across all other efforts and agencies

• ES-Space mapping will also offer insights into the complex sets of linkages that are part of the national, regional and global response to Ebola.

• From family and local responses, to national activities and those of WHO, MSF, UNICEF, CDC, UNDP etc., the reality of survival is embedded in a complex set of linked networks.

• Mapping this set of linked activities will provide insight into how to align, organize and manage the needed work of going forward.

• Mapping the efforts of all the people and organizations will allow for gaps and supportive community work to be addressed

• A participatory monitoring and evaluation process will be established.

Alignment of Actors for Ebola response

Source: Action Intelligence Model, Intelligence for Humanity, 2014

Ebola Survivor Corps

• ES-Corps will establish both a physical as well as a social space for survivors which will be called Ebola Survivor Space (ES-SPACE) where Ebola Survivors could receive self-help, training and empowerment and unite for volunteer opportunities.

Ebola Survivor Corps

• In the meantime, initiatives suitable for the local community will be planned and implemented to expand the ES-Spaces both physically and socially.

• ES-CORPS and ES-SPACE will be catalytic foci of the Ebola Resistance Zones.

Vision of Ebola Survivor Corps

• A world with zero discrimination for Ebola Survivors

Mission of Ebola Survivor Corps

• To establish a comprehensive and sustainable social organization with Ebola Survivors at the heart for reintegrating, empowering and engaging Ebola Survivors as leaders, advocates, champions and heroes of health and development.

Objectives of Ebola Survivor Corps

• To establish of a social organization where Ebola Survivors are at the Center.

• To empower Ebola Survivors through capacity building.

• To engage Ebola Survivors in the development and recovery process.

Components of the Ebola survivor Corps initiative

• Organization of ES-COPRS

• Empowerment of ES-COPRS

• Engagement of ES-CORPS in the development and

recovery process.

Strategies of the Ebola survivor Corps

• Establishment of Ebola Survivor Corps

• Capacity building of Ebola Survivors

• Engagement of Ebola Survivors in the Development

Process

Establishment of Ebola survivor Corps

• Establishment of Ebola Survivor Corps Action, Communication and Coordination system. (ES-COPRS ACC)

• Recognition of Ebola Survivors• Recruitment of Ebola Survivors• Establishment of Ebola Survivor Spaces

Capacity Building of Ebola survivors

• Psychological first aid• ES-CORPS self-help group meetings• Facilitation of understanding challenges• How to address stigma positively• Improving access to resources available for

Ebola Survivors through coordination• Other relevant training

Engaging Ebola Survivors in Development

– ES-CORPS Promoter

– ES-CORPS Educator

– ES-CORPS Health Facility Volunteer

– ES-CORPS Blood Donor

– ES-CORPD Research Volunteer

Benefits of Ebola Survivor Corps to the Ebola Survivors

• Receipt of psychological first aid – As per the current social consequences of the EVD, Ebola survivors are likely to suffer from negative psychological impacts. ES-Corps and ES-Space will provide a favorable setting to provide psychological first aid.

• Support to overcome stigma – The ES-Corps and ES-Space will equip the Ebola Survivors with necessary support to overcome stigma associated with the stigma.

• Opportunities to engage in the development of their own communities – ES-Corps will create culturally sensitive methods that the Ebola Survivors could provide valuable services to the community.

• Solidarity benefits– The ES-Corps and ES-Space will collaborate with relevant stakeholders to channel solidarity support such as nutritional support for the persons in the convalescent stage of the diseases.

• Priority access for health care – In consultation with the health services providers and research institutions, priority health access will be arranged for the Ebola Survivors. This will help to pick up long term complications that may follow the disease.

Benefits of Ebola Survivor Corps to the Ebola Patients

• Source of blood/plasma – Use of Convalescent Whole Blood or Plasma collected from Patients Recovered from Ebola Virus Disease for Transfusion, as an Empirical Treatment during Outbreaks has been considered (World Health Organization, 2014). Ebola survivors could be a source for this treatment modality.

• Outreach services by Ebola Survivors – The Ebola Survivors will reach out for case detection and referral of them to the health institutions.

• Benefits to the community• Positive and trusted source of information to the community - The existing

programs to reach out to the community to educate on critical knowledge with regards to Ebola will be culturally adopted to be delivered by the Ebola survivors. These messages will have more reliability coming out from the living testimony to the fact that treatment works.

• Leadership for the community – The Ebola Survivors could provide leadership to their respective communities, not only in the field of health, but also in all aspects of development.

Benefits of Ebola Survivor Corps to the Ebola Patients

• Availability of a data base of Ebola Survivors – Critical information on epidemiological, social and cultural aspects of the disease is still missing. Research into these areas is essential. A data base of Ebola Survivors with due respect to the ethical principles of research of vulnerable communities will be very useful for future research on EVD. For example, such a data base will be useful to answer critical questions such as if the Ebola survivors develop life-long immunity or they could be infected by a different strain of the virus. In addition, long term follow up of the survivors of the current cohort will be useful for research from other disciples such as sociology.

• Ability to check biological parameters of the diseases over periods

Benefits of Ebola Survivor Corps to the Ebola Patients

• Availability of a data base of Ebola Survivors – Critical information on epidemiological, social and cultural aspects of the disease is still missing. Research into these areas is essential. A data base of Ebola Survivors with due respect to the ethical principles of research of vulnerable communities will be very useful for future research on EVD. For example, such a data base will be useful to answer critical questions such as if the Ebola survivors develop life-long immunity or they could be infected by a different strain of the virus. In addition, long term follow up of the survivors of the current cohort will be useful for research from other disciples such as sociology.

• Ability to check biological parameters of the diseases over periods

Benefits of Ebola Survivor Corps to outside communities/

International Community

• Deployment of Ebola Survivors for international assistance: In case of future Ebola Outbreaks, the Ebola Survivors could be deployed to assist with the emergency health assistance.

Accompanying tools of this Establishment Guide

• Guidance tool for Establishing Ebola Survivor

Corps

• Guidance tool for Empowering Ebola Survivors

• Guidance tool for Engagement of Ebola

Survivors for Development

Summary

• Ebola Survivor Corps will

– Organize ES-COPRS into a culturally appropriate

positive system

– Empower ES-CORPS in a holistic manner.

– Promote volunteerism by ES-COPRS

Contributors

Dr. Novil Wijesekara – Community Resilience Center, Sri Lanka. Community Solutions Fellow/US State Department Alumni

Dr. Jeri Hush PhD – Intelligence for Humanity

Dr. Michael McDonald DrPH –Global Resilience Alliance

Acknowledgment

• Valuable inputs of Ms. Lisa Orloff and Ms. Laura Pettinato form World Cares Center, New York in development of the concept is acknowledged.

Terms of Use

• Free use and dissemination of the concept of Ebola Survivor Corps and the material associated with is highly encouraged.

• Acknowledgement of the source is appreciated.

• Please provide us feed back of the concept and its use.

Contact us

• Website: www.communityresiliencecenter.org

• Email: novil.wijesekara@gmail.com

• ebolasurvivorcoprs