The Importance of Literacy in Health Crises!

A mother and baby wait to be seen at
the IHI clinic in Jahtondo, Liberia.

Imani House International (IHI), ProLiteracy’s long-time partner in Liberia, has served women and their families since 1986 by providing access to health and education services in the midst of civil war, extreme poverty, and now during the health crisis that country is facing today with the Ebola virus.

Liberian hospitals in several parts of the country lack the capacity to effectively deal with the spread of the deadly virus. Imani House International has a clinic situated about 12 miles from the capital city of Monrovia in the community of Jahtondo, and has provided medical care to people for many years in areas of maternal and child healthcare, educational talks on family planning, AIDS prevention, STDs, and sanitation. As trusted members of the Jahtondo community, the Imani House clinic staff has brought together locals and civic leaders to plan strong outreach approaches to educate the people in the area.

Clinic staff have demonstrated a tremendous level of commitment to saving lives over the years and remain resolute in treating patients who come in with less complicated needs—such as malaria, diarrhea, respiratory infections, pregnancy check-ups, and other regular health services. According to the head nurse, Annie Coleman, Imani House Clinic has not received any confirmed cases of Ebola thus far; however, patients with symptoms similar to the Ebola disease are being placed under surveillance until they are treated. Coleman noted that many other illnesses share symptoms similar to Ebola, which makes it difficult for health workers to differentiate Ebola from more common viral illnesses such as malaria.

 While IHI is doing its best to manage the situation, its staff lacks the medical supplies and protective gear to properly isolate potential Ebola infected patients. Imani House is in the process of renovating an old clinic building to be used as a triage center to treat those with suspicion of Ebola and also to serve as an isolation space until the patient(s) can be picked up by health workers from the Ministry of Health. Currently the Ebola virus has killed more than 1,500 people according to the latest figure from the World Health Organization. While there is no treatment for Ebola, patients who receive medical treatment in the early stages can increase their chances for survival.

The government of Liberia has begun re-opening hospitals and clinics but progress is slow and those who are falling sick are afraid to seek medical attention for fear of being stigmatized as an Ebola patient and unable to return to their villages. The Imani House clinic is one of the few community-based clinics that is presently open to date and the staff are committed to working in surrounding areas to create awareness through education and work with local authorities, youth, women, and men to dispel myths and misinformation about Ebola that is causing apprehension and chaos. Imani House Executive Director Bisi Iderabdullah states “Without the community involvement, we cannot end this unfortunate and deadly situation. Imani House will not abandon our responsibilities; our clinic worked through the war, and we will work through ending this terrible Ebola scourge.”

Click here to make a donation to support the work of Imani House International in Liberia.                                        
                      Please  designate your donation for International Programs.

IHI is a nonprofit organization that seeks “to implement projects that will ultimately improve the quality of life of young people at risk in Liberia and the US and to effectively build a bridge of friendship between the two countries.” IHI was founded during Liberia’s bloody civil war and has emerged as strong force for development and social change.