The Ministries of Social Welfare, Gender and Children's Affairs and the National Commission for Social Action are leading delivery in this priority area.

Key result areas are to:

 

Ensure continuous care for EVD-affected persons and survivors 

 

Provide cash transfers to 59,000 vulnerable households nationwide

Mr Alie Badara Mansaray - Commissioner, National Commission for Social Action:

 

The combined shock to household budgets of Ebola and the fall in commodity prices increased levels of poverty and vulnerability across the country, creating a situation of urgent need which requires our immediate attention.

 

The situation for many women, children and young people is particularly severe. These groups represent the future of Sierra Leone and must be supported to have stable livelihoods, where they and their households have a source of income, good health, safe water, education and nutrition.

 

NaCSA will provide cash transfers to over 47,000 extremely poor and vulnerable households, benefiting a total of around 282,000 Sierra Leoneans. Boosting the income available to these households will enhance their ability to access basic services such as healthcare, education, good nutrition and water.

 

Crucially, NaCSA will also provide income to 11,600 youths through a Labour Intensive Public Works programme in the form of conditional cash transfers or cash for work.

Dr Sylvia Blyden, Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs:

 

Dr Abubakarr Fofanah, Minister of Health and Sanitation:

 

Our country is Ebola free – getting there and maintaining ‘resilient zero’ is an achievement of which we should all be proud.

 

However, survivors and their families continue to suffer the long-term consequences of the disease. Caring for them and supporting them on their path to independence is the recovery focus of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs.

 

Our commitment is to deliver on our country’s promise to provide free, continuous healthcare to our survivors, to support them in their crucial role maintaining awareness and vigilance within communities against any future outbreak, and to help them regain regular income and/or employment through skills training, loans for tools, materials and equipment or micro-credit.

 

Our delivery strategy to achieve this includes resourcing the Association of Ebola Survivors as partners in the process and establishing a definitive database of every single Ebola survivor in the country, so that not only will none of our heroes and heroines be left behind but we can ensure the social welfare and health needs of every single Ebola survivor are regularly monitored and made easily available for Government and partners to track.