Sierra Leoneans raise their voices to be heard about the Ebola Virus in Texas

Two key Sierra Leonean professionals in Dallas Texas, USA, Professor Dr. Alusine Jalloh and medical doctor, Dr. Thomas Saywer, described the situation in Sierra Leone as desperate when they addressed participants at a global conference for the Ebola virus.

As the situation is getting worse with the Ebola epidemic in the country, community leaders, health professionals, religious leaders and dozens of Sierra Leoneans assembled in an expensive hotel in Texas to persuade business people and the US government to urgently aid Sierra Leone for this deadly disease that is gruesomely killing the people of Sierra Leone.

The global conference was initiated and sponsored by Sierra Leonean organization Sankofa Infrastructural based in Dallas, Texas. Dr. W. Neil Gallagher, an American who has long time invested interest in Sierra Leone, was the forum Chairman.

The topic of the conference, “Crush Ebola Now” attracted many business leaders, humanitarian organizations and authors. As the forum Chairman, Dr. Gallagher stated the global conference for Ebola is not a medical, political, religious or governmental conference, but rather informational and timely.

Dr. Thomas Sawyer who spoke as a healthcare professional, pointed out that the situation in Sierra Leone continues to deteriorate mainly because of lack of resources. According to him, if those resources were available in the country, the epidemic could be contained and prevented from spreading. He appealed to donors to look into the urgency of his country taking into consideration that Sierra Leone needs at least 1,000 sick beds, a great number of mobile laboratories, additional Ebola centers, and at least 200 ambulances to speedily fight the epidemic.

Dr. Sawyer reminded participants to be aware that the Ebola virus has caused a significant public health problem in the region of West Africa and an important cause of morbidity and mortality in our geographical locality. The Ebola virus has caused a stigma on the lives of many West Africans, but the disease could be eradicated if the world treated the problem as a very serious and urgent issue, he said. Dr. Sawyer continued by saying that, Sierra Leone is seeking aid to the world to stimulate a highly personalized exploration of the issue of long time healthcare problem in Sierra Leone.

Professor, Dr. Alusine Jalloh spoke about the battling fear and stigma of Ebola, especially on the victims’ families in his country, Sierra Leone, and elsewhere. He called on the humanitarian people to understand the sense of urgency that the people of Sierra Leone needs. Dr. Jalloh has been all time passionate of Sierra Leone, and reiterated that Sierra Leoneans should try to build a sense of oneness and think to put their country first for the good of all. People should drop the idea of partisans in their hearts to speak in one voice for the progress and development of Sierra Leone. He said Sierra Leoneans have never experienced anything like this; hence, it is a wakeup call for every Sierra Leonean to work in a spirit of unity so that a common enemy like Ebola will be easily controlled within our locality.

In his PowerPoint presentation, the program Chairman, Dr. W. Neil Gallagher described the Ebola virus as a predator and rapist. He said, it is unfortunate to know that the Ebola disease has neither vaccine nor medical cure at the moment. However, he believes that, it is now that the West African people need urgent attention to combat the disease that threatens not only West Africans, but the world as a whole.

Dr. Gallagher expressed understanding about the frustration the people of Sierra Leone and the region are going through, but he advised the West African people to have hope, a fundamental component of life that he believes could bring a positive change. In life, everything comes and goes he said. He cited the apartheid policy in South Africa which over centuries caused a painful loss of pride for black Africans and now that has come and gone. The forum Chairman informed participants about the long time awareness of the Ebola virus by the founder of Sankofa Infrastructure, Mr. Foday Fofanah, long before it became a serious issue in the city of Dallas and caused an international health crisis.

Dr. Gallagher is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Gallagher Financial Group, a Christian personal finance company in Texas who became a member of Sankofa Infrastructural. He acquired a higher reputation in the United Sates for his humanitarian relief effort across the world. He is also an author of many religious books and is a radio talk show host in Texas. Under Dr. Gallagher’s leadership, Texas based Sankofa Infrastructural focuses on securing resources to provide relief efforts to West Africa to crush the Ebola virus as part of his goals.

Earlier in the forum, Dr. Gallagher presented the Board members of Sankofar Infrastructural to the conference participants.  One of the most fascinating members of the organization is the Vice Chairman of Sankofa Infrastructural, Nadine R. King-Mays. Ms. Mays is an African-American committed heavily to Sierra Leone community activities in the Dallas metropolitan area. Along with Reuben Ndomihina, Ms. King-Mays sold out widely the publicity of the Global Conference for Ebola.

He commended them for their accomplishment and for their aspiration to improve sanitation in their motherland. Sankofa Infrastructural had its founding members of three individual Sierra Leoneans including Foday Fofanah (chairman), Ernest Cole, and Harry Seilenga, all currently residents in the USA.

Looking into the long term goal of the non-profit organization, Sankofa plans to address the sanitation issues at their source by employing unskilled labor-intensive systems to rid Sierra Leone’s Freetown slum areas of dangerous and unsightly refuse. These efforts will work hand-in-hand with public service campaigns to emphasize the importance of using public toilets, sanitation, and the health and beauty of Sierra Leone. Sankofa further encourages the use of alternative energy sources for homes and small businesses locally in order to provide relief to the overburdened power grid.

Dr. Alusine Jalloh, Dr. Thomas Sawyer, the Krio Descendants Union (KDU) President, Mr. Patrick Jackson and Florence Coker Campbell were the major contributors to the accomplishment of this Ebola conference.

Organizations most widely represented were the Sisters of Sierra Leone, Krio Descendants Union (KDU) and the All People’s Congress Social and Cultural group (APC/SC). The presence of Tegloma organization president, Dr. Josephine Ladipo, Fullah Progressive Union (FPU) president, and healthcare professional, Mrs. Zainabu Koroma all made the conference fulfilling.

Sanpha Sesay, Texas Correspondent

Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!

© 2014, https:. All rights reserved.