Responding to the Ebola crisis in West Africa has been a complicated effort requiring action on multiple fronts, whether direct medical aid, infrastructure improvements, or social change campaigns to stem the virus’ spread. Some Spiders are seeing the challenges firsthand.
“We’re all overworked and really tired,” says J.J. Fleskes, ’09, executive coordinator to the international president and secretary general of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Fleskes says the aid group ended up shouldering the bulk of medical operations in the affected countries after the government’s failed response.
“MSF never wanted to be in this position,” Fleskes says. “But if you don’t have the doctors to treat the patients, then the situation won’t get much better very quickly.”
Education also matters when confronting the epidemic. Perry Maddox, ’02, visited Sierra Leone in July to help launch a behavior change campaign. Maddox is the operations director at Restless Development, a youth-led international development agency based in the U.K. The group mobilized 1,400 young Sierra Leonians last summer to provide information about treatment and avoiding infection, and also how to listen to the challenges faced by specific communities.
“There’s a real narrative that’s missing,” Maddox says. “People can adapt and respond to Ebola, and we need to find ways to equip them to do that.”
“We’re all overworked and really tired,” says J.J. Fleskes, ’09, executive coordinator to the international president and secretary general of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Fleskes says the aid group ended up shouldering the bulk of medical operations in the affected countries after the government’s failed response.
“MSF never wanted to be in this position,” Fleskes says. “But if you don’t have the doctors to treat the patients, then the situation won’t get much better very quickly.”
Education also matters when confronting the epidemic. Perry Maddox, ’02, visited Sierra Leone in July to help launch a behavior change campaign. Maddox is the operations director at Restless Development, a youth-led international development agency based in the U.K. The group mobilized 1,400 young Sierra Leonians last summer to provide information about treatment and avoiding infection, and also how to listen to the challenges faced by specific communities.
“There’s a real narrative that’s missing,” Maddox says. “People can adapt and respond to Ebola, and we need to find ways to equip them to do that.”