Liberia Community Safety for COVID -19

Liberia suffered the Ebola outbreak that the preventive measured were not put in place as soon as possible by the National Government and other local and national NGO that resulted into the loss of over 4,810 people in Liberia. The solution to the reoccurring of additional virus, COVID -19 EPIDEMIC has been suspected in Liberia from China that needs a quick awareness and preventive quick response to the community.  The solution for LUYCD from the past experience combating EBOLA for the period of six months is very much innovative and dependable for other to use the preventive method. The solution from the past experience saves over 3.1 million Liberians due to awareness and sensitization about the preventive and recovery measured by our team. LUYCD have sustainable capacity in providing care to an epidemic outbreak; we are committed in providing sustainable services to people with chronic diseases and disability in Liberia.

Liberia is one of the less developing countries with 4.9 million populations that are living below US$1 per day which the citizen suffered the past deadly Ebola virus Epidemic that currently the citizen up to 2,9,000 are living without saving money for proper treatment of disease reoccurring in the country, counties and districts. From this background, the suspected cases of Liberians traveling in China and Europe for businesses are been detected of the COVID-19 by the National Government to be in country. 

Currently there are two cases suspected in the Country with both patients working for the government, one from the EPA-Environmental Protection Agency and up to twenty-one people quarantine respectively. The first case was suspected on March 13, 2020 in Monrovia-Liberia. 

LUYCD has designed a strategy to stop the wild spread of COVID -19 in Liberia along the border line with Guinea, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone due to the increase of traders crossing from those countries to Liberia. The awareness outline how to protect yourself and others: such as when coughing and sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue. Throw away the tissue into closed bin immediately after using them. Clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water after coughing or sneezing and when caring for the sick. Avoid touching the effected/affected patient(s) with your bare hands; avoid toughing suspected patients in your environment and communities, and all other materials use by that person in the house, car and other public places.

1. Fever from the effected person, Chest pain, Chills, rapid, Heartbeat, Breathing difficulties, Pneumonia, Kidney failure, easily contact with effected person with fever.  spread via coughing and sneezing, headache, sore throat, cough shortness of breathing. 

2. We will provide awareness along with government and medical practitioner to reduce transmission, isolate the sick and quarantine their contacts. Increase social distancing by, for example, cancelling sporting events and other large gatherings, Innovate and learn.

Liberian United Youth for Community Safety and Development is a health organization that served 4.9 million Liberians, especially people with chronic diseases and disability that need care and support in their medical condition within cities, town clinic and hospitals.  

LUYCD with a professional medical practitioner and civic educators provide services to the community at large especially the past deadly Ebola virus disease from 2014-2016 that where very difficult to combat and save life. We were very much successful in planning and implementing. The quarantine family who were saves was 5,868 people within the 15 counties of Liberia, the total cases suspected and confirmed were 10,678; and the total death rate at that time was 4,810 in 2014-2016 by CDC report, LUYCD stay counseling and mitigating between families to accept the Ebola survival and stop discrimination from the affected Ebola survival.  

LUYCD has conducted workshop in three districts to discuss the COVID-19 AWARENESS, in those districts; we bring together medical professional, community leaders, youth leaders and government representatives up to 30 people who were screen, tested and selected, one from each districts/towns. After the three days, the solution where designed by each representatives for implementation in those districts, counties in Liberia.  

Liberia is a country that suffered a 14 years civic crisis and also have poverty rate up to one-third of the citizens population that suffered 2014-2016 deadly Ebola virus.  currently for the COVID -19 place people living in fear that needs a clear understanding about the epidemic approached and for the period of six months to help community dwellers to understand the outbreak symptoms and prevention. Prepare and be ready; know the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and how to protect yourself and others. To ensure that health facilities can cope, and that health workers know how to provide care.

The solution is innovative based on the past experienced in the awareness in community safety about Ebola prevention and patient safety that achieved result within the project location alongside the border line: Guinea, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone. We believe with the high expectation that the awareness and sensitization will provide clear understanding to the public on the COVID-19 outbreak in Liberia.  

The awareness and sensitization is not a product to be created for clinical trial, but it is a preventive measure to save the community members from the deadly disease from spreading in the neighboring counties like Bong, Grand Gedeh, Grand Cape Mount, Lofa, Nimba and etc due to their connection within the border line that most of the population traveling out and in from the neighboring countries has not been tested and received adequate and sustainable information on the prevention of the COVID-19 which is very much risky for the community and the country safety and prevention.    

Previously LUYCD to fight the deadly Ebola epidemic did a SOS call to it member Worldwide organization, the International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO) impassioned letter from our member, the Liberian United Youth for Community Safety and Development, which describes how the Ebola epidemic is having a dire effect on health facilities and on communities. Our member informed us that suspected individuals, after being quarantined, are still being rejected by their own communities. The true consequences and impacts of the disease are worsening, both within the country, and on a global scale. 

The impact of the awareness and sensitization for the deadly COVID-19 Epidemic prevention will be sustainable in the special way that the publication on electronic media, printed poster with messages, workshop and training will rapidly give clear understanding through the team in the county that the community members will take rapid, preventive prevention during and after the work within six months along the borders line in the counties up to 4.9 million populations has received the understood the preventive method and they are taken action. 

The community members has understood the preventive measure through the poster, posted in the strategic places in the districts, market places, school, town hall, churches and all other public places. A radio talk’s show about COVID-19 within the located counties and districts has been very much effective and the youth and community dwellers really like the approach and they are really getting involve sharing the message and appealing the knowledge effectively. The stakeholder and medical practitioner, civic society group are really collaborating with us as a team on the preventive measured to stop the spreading of the virus in the timely manner within the six months: weekly and monthly. 

The total numbers of beneficiaries of this project is about 3.1 million people who are currently in four selected counties, including Nimba, Bong, Grand Cape Mount and Lofa Counties. These counties where selected reason they're all along the border of Liberia and needs to be monitor carefully for the safety of the community against COVID-19. 

The goal of LUYCD in the next six months is to conduct awareness and the preventive measure about this deadly virus COVID-19 to reach to every house hold especially in the targeted counties on the border line. The awareness has to be done practically so that citizens are kept save by conducting workshop, training and prevention precaution about the virus. 

Within five years after the project, sustainable preventive measure will continue just like the past epidemic that was eliminated within three and half years from the Mano River Region reducing the death rate and quarantine family that may come due to the increase and force from the cases detected by the government medical practitioner.   LUYCD is putting thing in place that every citizens in the targeted counties along the border of Liberia like Bong, Nimba, Grand Cape Mount and Lofa Counties to be protected and secure; we believe that the safety of those people make our dream come true.

The situation that LUYCD is face with for implementation may be bad road during the rainy season and lack of vehicle to transport the materials to the various locations, and community leaders’ unwillingness to support the project in the three selected counties along the border line. 

The challenges will be overcome by proper planning making available funds that are allocated for travel and other activities to be distributed in timely manner for the project to achieve its objective or result. 

Liberian United Youth for Community Safety and Development (LUYCD) has 7 staff, 6 volunteers and 2 office maintenance are currently working with this organization. 

The current project will have 30 employees from each county for the period of six months for awareness and sensitization for COVID-19 prevention. 

Liberian United Youth for Community Safety and Development (LUYCD) is accredited by United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) NGO Branch Special consultative status in 2012. LUYCD is member of the International Alliance of Patient’s Organization (IAPO) in the UK. 

Liberian United Youth for Community Safety and Development (LUYCD) has 12 staff, 6 volunteers and 2 office maintenance are currently working with this organization. 

The current project will have 30 employees from each county for the period of six months for awareness and sensitization for COVID-19 prevention. 

The organization have a board, the structure of the board is within the competent selection criteria annually especially for transparency and accountability. The executive director is the secretary to the board. The board comprises of seven (7) competent Liberian which is gender balance and the 12 work force who are also competent Liberian who are eligible according to the rules and guideline of the policy of the organization. LUYCD have over 4,500 members within the Republic of Liberia who willingly support the Organization with their monthly due in the amount of LD$500. 00 up to LD$1,000.00 from the fifteen (15) counties to the organization’s account. This due continue support all the activities within the organization since 2006 up to 2019; however, we are pleased in all level that the objective of the organization is always achieved within the various month and schedule according to project location within the various counties in Liberia; such as Nimba, Bong, Lofa, Grand Gedeh and Monsterrado Counties and other to follow as our budget may be increased upon receiving support from friendly organization or International partners.  Every year we use LRD$1,500,000 as our annual budget for two or more projects. 

Liberian United Youth for Community Safety and Development (LUYCD) is accredited by United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) NGO Branch Special consultative status in 2012. LUYCD is member of the International Alliance of Patient’s Organization (IAPO) in the UK. 

LUYCD have over twenty-one CBOs-Community Based Organization and Civic Society Organizations who are full members of the organization. We worked closely with the community dwellers in implementing every selected project in their community along with our international partner. 

LUYCD will conduct awareness and sensitization workshop and training on the preventive measure in five counties namely: Nimba, Bong, Lofa, Grand Cape Mount and Monsterrado Counties respectively for the period of six months beginning September 20, 2020 to March 20, 2021.

Project Launching date: September 21, 2020 in Ganta, Nimba County-Liberia, West Africa. During the launching of the program "COVID-19 Community Safety Prevention Awareness" in the city of Ganta, Liberia inviting stakeholders, medical practitioner and community leaders from the five counties for one day. The activities of the sensitization and awareness will be carry out four times in a week in each county and districts by project volunteers/employee for the period of six months for 30 implementer per county. In each county, a local office has been established to recruit and continued with a pilot campaign. In each county, four local radio stations will be used for preventive messages, symptoms and the spread of Corona virus awareness five times every week for the period of six months.    

A3 and A4 poster and flyers was been designed to be printed for awareness, sensitization and campaign. 250 copies will be distributed per county for the period of six months. The activities will be implemented beginning Monday to Friday at the hour of 8:00am to 4:00pm weekly. All the volunteers will work this distributing of the poster and continuation of the sensitization beginning Monday to Friday. Monitor Evaluation will be carry out weekly and monthly by the executive director and the board. 

LUYCD have over 4,500 members within the Republic of Liberia who willingly support the Organization with their monthly due in the amount of LD$500.00 up to LD$1,000.00 from the fifteen (15) counties to the organization’s account. This due continue supporting all the activities within the organization since 2006 up to 2019; however, we are pleased in all level that the objective of the organization is always achieved within the various month and schedule according to project location within the various counties in Liberia; such as Nimba, Bong, Lofa, Grand Gedeh and Monsterrado Counties and other to follow as our budget may be increased upon receiving support from friendly organization or International partners.  Every year we use LRD$1,500,000 as our annual budget for two or more projects. 

The partnership will assist the project team to effectively implement the project as it has been plan for the period of six months to reach to the selected counties and it project beneficiaries within the selected start date and ends date of the project. We believe with the guardian with technical support in keeping with the current situation such as the COVID-19 which has been the current epidemic taken life like a past Ebola deadly disease that destroyed over more than 4,810 people in Liberia. 

We have the capacity in all level to implement the project as it has been planned to help create massive awareness on the COVID-19.  

The community population 3.9 million people along the border line has to Know the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and how to protect themselves  and others. To ensure that health facilities can cope, and that health workers know how to provide care.

• To detect, protect and treat; find, isolate, test and treat every case, to break the chain of transmissions.
•  To reduce transmission; isolate the sick and quarantine their contacts. Increase social distancing by, for example, cancelling sporting events and other large gatherings. To innovate and learn; this is a new virus and a new situation in the country.

The partnership will assist the project team to effectively implement the project as it has been plan for the period of six months to reach to the selected counties and it project beneficiaries within the selected start date and ends date of the project. We believe with the guardian with technical support in keeping with the current situation such as the COVID-19 which has been the current epidemic taken life like a past Ebola deadly disease that destroyed over more than 4,810 people in Liberia. 

We have the capacity in all level to implement the project as it has been planned to help create massive awareness on the COVID-19.  

LUYCD has previously put an implementation team together who has been working to create massive awareness and prevention strategy within the objective in the previous project of 2014-2016 Ebola awareness, which is to provide sustainable services to people with chronic diseases and disability; CBOs, medical institution, clinic and hospitals, civic society group. These groups have been incorporated into the planning and implementation of the COVID-19 community safety awareness within the targeted counties namely: Nimba, Bong, Grand Cape Mount and Monsterrado Counties to work closely with the 30 employees/volunteer within the county daily from Monday to Saturday every week from 8am to 6pm.