FEBA send 1,000 radios to combat Ebola

Feba UK has, in partnership with FEBC Australia, purchased over one thousand radios for distribution in Sierra Leone to deliver vital health messages to stop the spread of Ebola.

Feba’s Director of Partnerships, Stephanie Murray hopes that sending radios will not only help curb the spread of Ebola, but also benefit affected communities in other ways too:

“Using media to deliver vital information is a key part of the response to the Ebola crisis. Not only can radio deliver life–saving messages to people who may be in isolated rural areas, but as schools are closed due to efforts to contain the disease, children could listen to educational broadcasts to continue their studies. With many public gatherings banned to avoid further contagion, having a radio at home will mean people can hear public service announcements, such as information about the provision of food to quarantined families. We are also keen that we support our partners to address issues of burial rites, stigma to survivors, education shortfalls, information regarding the care of Ebola patients as well as delivering messages of hope and support for Ebola patients and affected families. These important communications will be more effective and reach a wider audience if we can improve access to radios; 1000 is a great start but we‘d love to do more.”

A need assessment was carried out and discovered that in some areas in Sierra Leone only a third of households owned a radio, so Feba anticipates that supplying the radios to selected communities will make a tangible difference to people living in areas where the virus is still not contained.

You can find out more about the supply of radio’s on the FEBA website.