FINANCIALS
A total of USD 15.9 million* in financial requirements, including :
- USD 1.9 million for Guinea
- USD 9.5 million for Liberia
- USD 0.2 million for Sierra Leone
- USD 4.2 million for West Africa non-affected countries
*This total includes support costs (7 per cent).
Read the entire Supplementary Appeal here
The outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa is unprecedented in its scale, severity, and complexity. More than 23,200 people have been infected by 15 February 2015, resulting in over 9,300 deaths. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are still affected by this outbreak, and are struggling to control the epidemic against a backdrop of extreme poverty, weak health systems and social customs that make breaking human-to-human transmission difficult.
For UNHCR, the Ebola epidemic came at a time when the voluntary return of Ivorian refugees from Liberia and Guinea to Côte d’Ivoire was gaining momentum. Return efforts came to a standstill with the declaration of the outbreak at the national, and later international, levels. Instead, UNHCR shifted its priority to ensuring that refugees are integrated into national EVD response plans.
During 2014, UNHCR successfully incorporated refugee populations under the national plans in all three affected countries. UNHCR also implemented prevention and preparedness measures in refugee camps. These measures, in place since March 2014, have proven to be effective to date, and refugee camps in Guinea and Liberia have remained Ebola-free, despite the heightened risk of importation from affected surrounding host communities. Nonetheless, national plans face gaps and resource constraints responding effectively in areas hosting refugees. Outside of camps, seven locally-integrated refugees in Sierra Leone and seven urban refugees in Liberia have fallen victim to the disease.
From the onset, UNHCR’s interventions have been within the overall UN response plan: initially in line with the WHO’s roadmap, and under the UNMEER coordination mechanism since September 6 2014. UNHCR’s regional Ebola preparedness and response plan is aligned with the UN System
Response Strategy (STEPP) and the WHO roadmap and links to the national response mechanisms.