Women’s Campaign International has been on the forefront of the fight against Ebola through two major grants: one headed by UNICEF and the other as a sub-partner to Mercy Corps on a program funded by USAID. The first phase of both of these programs successfully concluded in June of 2015. The focus of these programs was Ebola prevention and community restoration. WCI used the capacity building and training-of-trainers methods that have proved to be highly successful in WCI’s other programs to work in over 400 communities in all 15 counties in Liberia. These methods are not only effective, but guarantee that the work done is sustainable. To remain innovative, in both programs WCI employed new ICT methods, such as mobile reporting techniques and mobile money, a system that allowed WCI to pay its social mobilizers through cell phones.

WCI’s partnered with the National Rural Women’s Program (NRWP) and mobilized to facilitate door-to-door interventions, instructing community members on how to identify the signs and symptoms of Ebola, directing them on what to do with suspected cases, and providing prevention skills training. To reach a larger percentage of the population, WCI conducted town hall meetings and community workshops throughout the counties. WCI provided training along with much needed supplies such as chlorine, soap, and buckets to communities at risk of new outbreaks and rural communities that would otherwise not receive this type of support.

The ECAP program employed door-to-door interventions, town hall meetings, community workshops, and school visits to train community members on prevention behaviors, awareness of Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs), and stigma prevention. As the threat of the virus diminished and reports of new cases decreased, WCI’s social mobilization team adapted to new conditions including outbreaks in hotspots, relaxed attitudes toward the virus, and subtle discrimination and stigmatization against survivors, family members, and health care workers.

WCI and its technical team recognized that a strategic approach to discussing, identifying, and introducing solutions would be the most effective approach to addressing stigma. WCI developed a Stigma Toolkit, which was approved by the messaging task force, co-chaired by Ministry of Health and UNICEF. WCI shared the toolkit with other implementing partners and trained all of its social mobilizers in both programs in its use.

Through these programs, WCI’s 400+ mobilizers were able to reach approximately 25,000 people in all 15 counties of Liberia. Under ECAP, WCI had a 99.4% objective achievement rate. The UNICEF project exceeded all objectives, including more than tripling the number of door-to-door outreach activities projected with over 4,000. As a result of these successes, WCI became a preferred partner with both organizations for the second phase of the programs, which began in September/October of this year.