Ebola Virus Disease - Giving Opportunities

The past several weeks I have been busy developing an Ebola Crisis Response for our organization for the countries where we work in Africa. We don't do health work, so mostly we have been thinking through the "what if it spreads to where we are" scenarios. I have received good input from some experts and spent a lot of time reading the internet news and it is sobering. 

Basic information can be found about Ebola on the WHO site here. An update with Recent stats can be found here (look for most recent date). As of Aug 28 there have been 1552 deaths out of a total of 3069 infected. As of Sept 6, there have been 2,296 deaths out of 4293 cases. [That's a thousand new cases in a week!] The good news is that the death rate seems to be about 55% for this outbreak instead of 90% which was first reported. 

This outbreak now has more victims than all the other Ebola outbreaks combined since its first appearance in the 1970s. More than 40 percent of the cases in this outbreak have been recorded in the past 3 weeks. 

The WHO is saying that we should expect a total of 20,000 cases and that this may not be under control for another 6 to 9 months. Everyone seems to be saying that global efforts are behind the curve on resolving this and that we must act now. 

What is surprising me is that I am not seeing a massive appeal to GIVE towards Ebola eradication. We have just seen the ALS ice-bucket challenge which raised over $100 million according to Wikipedia. Sadly, we are not seeing the same response in giving to the Ebola Crisis. 
Everywhere I look I see desperate cries for resources: such and such a group just got 35 beds for their isolation and treatment center but have twice that many patients and some are on the ground. Or that they don't have enough gloves or Personal Protection Equipment (gloves, masks, suits), etc. The need for funding, supplies, and people on the ground is great. 
The UN just released a total need of $600 million. 
And that UN figure has been revised to $1.26 billion to fight Ebola in West Africa. This figure has doubled in less than a month!. 

I'm not in the habit of asking you for money, but this is a serious need affecting a lot of countries who simply do not have the means or infrastructure to handle this. 

Would you consider giving to one of these organizations working to combat Ebola in Africa? (links below)
There are no stipulations here and you don't have to challenge your friends. If you want to share the link to my blog or any of these sites, that would be fine though. 

Doctors without Borders - Medicins Sans Frontiers - MSF has been responding to the outbreak since March, and now has 1,327 staff working in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, treating a rapidly increasing number of patients. DWB/MSF is traditionally the go-to organization for medical relief. 

• Doctors without Borders: US site, UK site, Canada site 

• Medicines Sans Frontiers (France)

• Ärzte ohne Grenzen (Germany)

Center for Disease Control (Atlanta) - Together with the WHO, the CDC is coordinating much of the research and testing of Ebola. 

Red Cross

Global Giving: Text GIVE 17793 to 80088 to donate $10 to GlobalGiving Ebola Epidemic Relief Fund.( texting only works in US)

Christian ministries focused on specific countries or aspects of the work

Samaritan's Purse: This is the mission which had the well-publicized case of Dr Kent Brantley and SIM nurse who were medevacked to the US after treating ebola patients.

SIM. Run the ELWA hospital in Liberia where a lot of the treatment is happening, including that done by Nancy Writebol who was also medevacked. To give, go to this page and search for Ebola. 

World Renew (formerly CRWRC): education and prevention efforts in Sierra Leone and Liberia. 

Women of Hope International: producing training materials for use in Sierra Leone and elsewhere. Our organization is hoping to translate some of these into local languages. 

CAMA (Christian and Missionary Alliance): Ebola Awareness and Preventation training in Guinea. [New] Pray for their team members who were abudcted Sept 17, 2014. 

You could also check out your church or denomination sites to see if they have giving options. 

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, ... When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:35-40

To check out any of these organizations and their track record with donations, please go to one of these sites. 
http://www.charitynavigator.org/ - general
http://www.ecfa.org/ - for Christian organizations