Workers Hand Out Soap And Advice As Sierra Leone Locks Down
Sierra Leone is holding a country-wide experiment: For three days, no one is allowed to leave their home.
It's part of the country's strategy for controlling the deadly Ebola virus. While people across Sierra Leone stay at home, teams of workers go door-to-door, educating the public about the disease.
The effort got its shaky start on Friday.
The streets were empty in the heart of Freetown, the capitol. The only sound came from a few street sweepers and a police van blasting a song from an old speaker.
Sierra Leone wants everyone to stay home for three days as part of its anti-Ebola efforts. This roadblock in Freetown is intended to enforce the lockdown.
The lyrics: "Ebola is real. It's a terrible disease, and there is no cure."
At 8 a.m., on the west side of town, more than 100 people packed into a community health center. Some wore fluorescent vests; others white t-shirts saying "Prevent Ebola."
A government official began grouping the workers into teams of four. Many of the workers were young, like 25-year-old James Kargbo, a public school teacher who said he wants to help his country.
"We only have one Sierra Leone," he said. "If we allow this deadly virus, Ebola, to ravage our society, who will accommodate us? Already, other African countries despise us. So if we allow this disease to take hold, at the end of the day, we are all going to be victims."
James and others were ready to go. There was just one problem: None of the materials they were supposed to deliver had arrived. Three hours later, people were getting impatient — when a truck finally pulled up.
Workers unloaded boxes of soap, but the educational posters that were supposed to be hung on people's homes, were not on board. The teams headed out anyway.
One group ventured into an area of wooden shacks and open sewers, right at the edge of the ocean. Children were everywhere. Juliana Karimu, a nurse, gathered a group of residents to tell them about Ebola.
"Well, let me give you my own view of Ebola," she began, explaining that the virus can kill, and if one person gets sick, so can the whole family. But one way to keep yourself safe, Karimu said, is to wash your hands regularly with soap and water.
"Make sure you use this soap," she said. Someone fetched a bowl of water to demonstrate, and another team member handed out bars of soap. Many people asked for more.
After the team departed, Mariatu Fofanah turned back to her cassava stew, simmering over a small fire. The three-day lockdown is making it difficult to feed her kids, she said. She can't do her usual work — selling food on the street.
But, she said, she'll somehow manage.
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Transcript
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed thousands of people. Governments in the countries that have been most devastated are desperate to contain the epidemic. Sierra Leone is in the midst of a hard, vast experiment to try to stop the virus. For three days, no one in the country is allowed to leave home. Yesterday was the first day of Sierra Leone's lockdown. Teams of workers have gone door to door trying to educate people about the disease and to look for unreported cases. But as NPR's Anders Kelto reports from Freetown, things haven't gotten off to a smooth start.
ANDERS KELTO, BYLINE: It's 8 in the morning, and people are packed into a community health center on the west side of town. Some have fluorescent vests; others have white T-shirts that say "Prevent Ebola."
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: And we'll move next to team two.
KELTO: A government official is putting people into teams. Many of these workers are young like James Kargbo. He's 25 and a schoolteacher. And he says he came here today because he wants to help his country defeat Ebola.
JAMES KARGBO: We only have one Sierra Leone. And if we allow this deadly virus, Ebola, to ravage our society, who will accommodate us? Already, other African countries, they are despising us. So if we allow this disease to take hold, at the end of the day, we're all going to be victim.
KELTO: James and the others are ready to go. There's just one problem - none of the stuff they're supposed to deliver has arrived. Three hours later, people start to get really impatient including a college student named Abdul Aziz Isay (ph).
ABDUL AZIZ ISAY: Well, of course, it's a total commotion in the whole health center.
KELTO: A commotion?
ISAY: A commotion, yes, because people are just confused. In order for them to know the group that it belong, the community that they are about to go and reassess, you know, people are just confused.
KELTO: Finally a big truck pulls up.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Ah, the supplies are here already.
KELTO: The truck is filled with bars of soap. Educational posters, which were supposed to be hung on people's homes, haven't arrived. But the teams head out on foot anyway.
One group ventures into an area of open sewers and wooden shacks right next to the ocean. There are kids everywhere, and the homes are practically stacked on top of each other. Juliana Karimu, a nurse, gathers a group of people and starts telling them about Ebola.
JULIANA KARIMU: Well, let me give you me own view of Ebola. (Foreign language spoken).
KELTO: She says Ebola can kill. And if one person gets sick, so can their whole family. But one way to keep yourself safe, she says, is to scrub your hands regularly with soap and water.
KARIMU: Make sure you use this soap, wash your hand.
KELTO: Someone fetches a bowl of water so she can demonstrate. As the demo continues, another team member distributes bars of soap. Many people ask for more. The educators depart, and a woman named Mariatu Fofanah turns back to her cassava stew, which is simmering over a small fire. I ask her what she thinks of this three-day Ebola lock down.
MARIATU FOFANAH: (Speaking Krio).
KELTO: She says, to be honest, it's making her life difficult. She can't sell food on the street. That's her usual form of work. And it's really hard to feed her kids. But she says she'll somehow manage.
I leave the area and head into downtown Freetown. Normally, it's jam-packed with people, but now it's completely abandoned. The only sound is a police van driving slowly and blasting a song about Ebola.
>>KELTO; The lyrics say Ebola is real. It's a terrible disease. There's no cure. You can hear the song playing throughout the empty streets. Anders Kelto, NPR News, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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