Deputy Minister Varney Sirleaf intensifies anti Ebola awareness campaign in Bomi; donates food and cash.
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Not lying down in Monrovia and only depending on government or international community to intensify the Ebola awareness throughout the country, an eminent citizen of Bomi County has joined the awareness, this time in his native Bomi County.
Deputy Internal Affairs Minister for Administration Varney Sirleaf over the weekend visited over thirty-six communities in Suehn Mecca District of Bomi County. He was seen from place to place educating residents on the Ebola situation in the country and the need to prevent further spread.
“Ebola is real and it is imperative that youshould take preventive measures”. Hon. Sirleaf told his kinsmen through his native dialects, Kpelleh, Mandango, and Gola at various towns.
Minister Sirleaf said as a son of the county he feels obligated to properly educate his people and guide them on preventive measures. During Minister Sirleaf anti Ebola awareness in towns he also distributed over one hundred forty begs of rice and cash donation valued over one hundred thousand Liberian dollars.
He stressed that the gesture was his personal contribution to his people.
“Avoid unnecessary contacts, such as shaking hands, hugging, rubbing on each other and stay in your villages. Don’t accept new person that don’t live in your village because you don’t know where they are coming from. Keep watching your hands and with that I show God will help us but we have to protect ourselves”. He said.
Hon. Sirleaf said it is important that citizens in those towns preserved their area since they have not reported any of case in these villages in Suehn Mecca District. At separate mosque, towns, Minister Sirleaf called on the religious and community leaders to ensure the safety of their people by reporting sick person to the health team and not to accept sick people from others parts of the county in the name of providing traditional medication for such person.
According to him, it was risky at this time for people to treat sick people coming from other areas in their towns because of the deadly Ebola virus. “You who don’t have woman but are engage in doing lot of girlfriend business, please let that rest small yet. God forbid, God forbid, if one person brings that Ebola virus here it has the power to kill lot of people in your village.” Mr. Sirleaf told his people.
According to him he has been working with the Legislative caucus of Lofa, Nimba Bomi counties to properly educate people of other leeward counties on ebola prevention.
He appealed to other government officials to join the fight and educate their kinsmen in whatever way possible and not to only depend on government or international efforts to battle the deadly Ebola virus. “If we as government officials don’t preserve our communities where we come from I mean we cannot be government officials over trees, so we have to help keep them save. Government is there to govern the people, and since I came from here I want to start with myself”. Minister Sirleaf told reporters who traveled with him.
According to him, his gesture will continue in the four Districts of Bomi County. Residents in various communities where he visited were seen in jubilant mood as they lauded Hon. Sirleaf, describing him as true a kinsman who cares about his people.
“Weare happy today for our son and brother, the Minister drove here and educating us about Ebola and turn around and making us happy by providing rice and cash, we thank him and are very happy”. Karvah Konneh, an aging man of Gboah Town said.
Mr. Konneh said the advice by Minister Sirleaf is important and that they have immediately instructed all family heads and the town chief not to keep stranger in his area. Another residents of Bomi County, Zoe Cooper described Ebola as a scaring virus that has constrained them to avoid lot of traditional practices such as shaking hands. “We will be telling the people to remain in their town until the virus is over, we I begging them so they cannot come to our area until the virus is over from Liberia”. Ms. Cooper said. She also said there has been no case of Ebola in here town and said they are taking preventive measures.
Citizens in separate towns told Minister Varney Sirleaf that he was the first to provide food and cash for them during this Ebola crisis and called on other eminent citizens to help them with food, sanitizers, and also intensify the Ebola awareness in their towns. Bomi County is amongst several counties that have recorded Ebola cases in Liberia.