Ebola Response: The Importance of Partnering with Local Groups Working in the Face of an Epidemic

Saran Kaba Jones + David Norman, FACE Africa

Part of our ability, as a global community, to respond to the current Ebola crisis in West Africa and to future crises that will inevitably arise from natural disaster, political instability and widespread health epidemics, will be to effectively learn from past interventions and adapt our practices appropriately to improve on both coordination, mobilization, impact and long-term outcomes. When dealing with crises and disasters, we can benefit tremendously from local, grassroots organizations and their ability to operate in complex environments, to aid in more timely assessments, and to quickly disseminate information and critical services in the wake of a global crisis. Due to the very nature of their proximity to a potential disaster, community-based organizations become the de facto first responders, witnessing the situation as it begins to emerge. Their knowledge on the ground can play a critical role in assessing the severity of the problem and more accurately projecting its impact.

The first cases of Ebola in the current outbreak were reported back in September of 2013 and went through a lull before finally resurfacing in March 2014. We can ask ourselves what if, during that period, we had made use of on-ground reports by local organizations? Could we have come to learn earlier what we now know about the disease? Would epidemiologists have been able to better predict the capacity of health systems in the region to cope with the evolutionary characteristics of this new Ebola virus? Could local groups have been able to warn others that the lack of local knowledge of the disease could pose a serious threat to attempts at intervention? Unfortunately, as has happened far too often in the past, by the time we acknowledged the potential consequences of the current epidemic, it was already too late to avoid a completely overwhelmed and unprepared response lagging far behind the spread of the disease.

However, even at the current phase, identifying and empowering local groups as the foundation of intervention could have a significant impact on efforts to contain the spread of the Ebola virus. Organizations with strong local ties have long understood the importance of engaging with communities in a meaningful, equitable way. Liberians teaching Liberians. Guineans treating Guineans. Sierra Leoneans empowering Sierra Leoneans. In the case of FACE Africa, our extensive track record of community engagement in Rivercess County, Liberia allowed us to launch a successful Ebola awareness campaign far more quickly than a major international player would have been able to. The effectiveness of our campaign was enhanced by the local ties and level of deep-rooted trust we already had within communities. An international team parachuted in would likely not have received the same level of receptiveness from local communities (indeed, there have been numerous cases where health workers and response teams have been met with outright hostility).

… identifying and empowering local groups as the foundation of intervention could have a significant impact on efforts to contain the spread of the Ebola virus.

Engagement is the pathway to empowerment and when communities are empowered to take control of a situation for themselves, you see meaningful change. They may not have all the expertise, but they have the ability to learn, take charge and even put in place their own solutions. Ian Smillie in the book Patronage or Partnership states that, “supporting the work and strengthening the capacity of local organizations can not only be instrumental in dealing with the situation at hand, but also increase resilience to future humanitarian emergencies. Sending in international emergency teams can help, but is not enough. It is important for the international response to move from a culture of patronage to a culture of partnership.”

Engagement is the pathway to empowerment and when communities are empowered to take control of a situation for themselves, you see meaningful change.

We only have to look at the example of the catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010 to understand how important local response and long-term planning is. As the world’s attention was focused on Haiti after the earthquake, billions of dollars of emergency relief flooded into the country from international donors, supplies were mobilized and doctors and nurses were parachuted in to perform lifesaving medical procedures and care. UN soldiers were deployed to coordinate efforts and governments pledged billions to reconstruct the country so that it was ‘stronger and more prosperous than ever before’. Four years on and Haiti is still reeling with nearly a million homeless, the worst cholera outbreak in recent history and an insecure future.

We cannot allow the mistakes in Haiti to happen in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. As the world rushes in to help eradicate Ebola in West Africa, now is the time for us to start thinking beyond the current crisis. Now is the time to start thinking about ways to sustain our efforts and build infrastructure that will last long after the current crisis has subsided. Because in strengthening the infrastructure of these countries well into the future, we are not only limiting the potential of a crisis like this happening again on this scale, but we are tackling the myriad of other health problems from malaria, to diarrhea, to cholera and typhoid that continue to kill far more people every day. But we cannot do so in the absence of local organizations and community groups. These groups must be at the forefront and lead any long-term development efforts. They must be recognized and supported since they represent the long-term health and strength of African communities. Afterall, these are the groups that have been on the ground, are currently on the ground and will still be there when everyone else has left.

… local organizations and community groups must be at the forefront and lead any long-term development efforts. They must be recognized and supported since they represent the long-term health and strength of African communities.