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ebola workers

Mariama Bagerie. Nurse in the national health system and at the Ebola Treatment Center of Moyamba.
The Ebola health workers of this Center fear about their work conditions after the humanitarian support leave the country.
The center had a big quantity of doctors, free medicines for the patients and good medical materials and tools, but the facility just covered the Ebola related patients.
All other patients were directed to the local hospital, a facility without resources where medicines are free just for pregnant women and children under five years old. To give an idea about the conditions of the country hospital, there is just 4 hours of electricity supply during the day thanks to an old generator that often fails. In Moyamba district there are just three doctors for a population of more than 300.000 people. Sierra Leone is the second country in the world with lowest ratio of doctors per 10.000 inhabitants, 0.2 according to the World Health Organization. Fatmata Ruth Sesay. Teacher. Undresser at the Ebola Treatment Center of Moyamba.
To work in an Ebola treatment center means to deal with big risks. The international cooperation organizations recognize and compensate this risk with a Hazard pay. This bonus means for all of them more than twice their usual NGO salary.
After the number of Ebola cases dropped in the country and the government reopened the schools, many of the converted teachers in aid workers didn’t want to come back to their former jobs. It´s not just about the difficulties to get a salary as teacher and the lack of resources for the schools, also overcrowded classrooms with a wide range of students of different ages adds an extra educational issue. To prevent any damage to the country´s educational system, international cooperation organizations stopped hiring certified teachers, just some assistant teachers kept working at their hospitals. Silvanus M. Sesay. Teacher. Dresser at the Ebola Treatment Center of Moyamba. The difficulties to find skilled workers for the Ebola emergency and the forced and immediate closure of the schools all around the country at the beginning of the Ebola outbreak made the teachers the best candidates to be hired as hygienists or dressers for the Ebola Treatment Centers. Work was quite dangerous, demanding and very different of the teacher´s one but they feel totally fulfilled being part of a team collaborating in such an emergency. For a Sierra Leonean, in order to obtain the elementary or secondary education teacher´s degree, he must work at least three years as assistant teacher. During this long training period they don’t get any economical remuneration and afterwards, when they finally can work as teachers, often they don’t get the salary. Within this tough reality, many teachers are forced to ask for a quota to the students in order to make ends meet. Jeneba Jabati. Nurse in the national health system and at the Ebola Treatment Center of Moyamba.
Sierra Leoneans nurses are often speaking about the “Pin Code”. Obtaining this number is compulsory in order to be included in the payroll of the health system. After finishing their studies they must volunteer in the national hospitals or in the health posts for three years to get this code so they can start to earn a salary. Many of them are not able to endure all these years without any income and then finally they give up their endeavor.
The president of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, a former insurance broker, promised that Ebola health workers will be given preference to obtain the “Pin Code”. After the closure of the Ebola Treatment Center of Moyamba district, many of the nurses will come back to their jobs in the local hospital without getting any salary but with the hope that one day the formal promise of the president will become true. Esther Moody. Community Health Officer. Nurse at the Ebola Treatment Center of Moyamba.
Health workers in the African country have a serious lack of skills. Due to the difficulty to train qualified doctors, the National Health System created the role of the Community Health Officer (CHO), a short version in Clinical Medicine studies of three years long. The creation of this position facilitates the availability of health staff all along the country. Community health officers, doctors, nurses, all of them feel the need to continue broadening their knowledge. During the epidemic they had been assisting to different trainings and workshops imparted by aid health workers. This possibility will almost disappear with the end of the epidemic. Fortunately, there are some organizations that focus in the post-emergency or others who were in the country before Ebola's rising and will remain there to implement health related projects. Sierra Leone is the number 183 in the list of Human Development Index made up of 187 countries. Matthew Lavarie. Construction temporary worker. Hygienist at the Ebola Treatment Center of Moyamba.
They had been described as anonymous heroes fighting against a terrible disease. This is true, but these individuals are common Sierra Leoneans as well, and for most of them defeating Ebola is one more difficult challenge to face during their lives.
Most Sierra Leone´s teenagers would like to get a university degree, dreaming of better working conditions and a more dignified life.
More than the 60% of Sierra Leone population cannot reach the secondary education. With a lack of skill and qualifications, the Sierra Leoneans improvise a range of activities to ensure a modest living for their families. The arrival of the Ebola humanitarian response had been a very good job chance for many of them. It’s the first time in their lives that they could get a big salary and keep out of the economical uncertainty. Emily G. Sam. Laundry officer. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Victor Lansana. Hygienist. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Mohamed Alimamy Bangura. Dresser. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Theresa Mdoko. Laundry Officer. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Kaneh Mohamed Sulaiman. Hygienist. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Mamie Tarawally. Hygienist. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Magnus Endal. Nurse. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Jerome Maslard. Infection Prevention Control Manager. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Emmelia T. Dauda. Hygienist. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Sao Momoh. Hygienist. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Bah Mohamed. Undresser. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Saidu P. Vandi. Laundry Officer. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Dennis Lausana. Hygienist. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Ansu Yamba. Cleaner. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Sindre Mellesmo. Doctor. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Nemahun Nabie. Nurse. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone. Stella Kandah Nemahun. Nurse. Worker of the Ebola Treatement Center of Moyamba. Sierra Leone.