letter to the world over the Ebola crisis that hit her country. In the
letter which was read over the radio and transmitted worldwide, she
likened the Ebola epidermic to the civil war her country faced 11
years ago which killed a lot of Liberians, crumbled their economy and
vital institutions.
The president called on the international community to stop all
theoretical explanations on the Ebola crisis and act fast to stop the
spread of the deadly virus. Find her letter after the cut...
Dear World
In just over six months, Ebola has managed to bring my country to a
standstill. We have lost over 2,000 Liberians. Some are children
struck down in the prime of their youth. Some were fathers, mothers,
brothers or best friends. Many were brave health workers that risked
their lives to save others, or simply offer victims comfort in their
final moments.
There is no coincidence Ebola has taken hold in three fragile states –
Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea - all battling to overcome the
effects of interconnected wars.
In Liberia, our civil war ended only eleven years ago. It destroyed
our public infrastructure, crushed our economy and led to an exodus of
educated professionals. A country that had some 3,000 qualified
doctors at the start of the war was dependent by its end on barely
three dozen. In the last few years, Liberia was bouncing back. We
realized there was a long way to go, but the future was looking
bright.
Now Ebola threatens to erase that hard work. Our economy was set to be
larger and stronger this year, offering more jobs to Liberians and
raising living standards. Ebola is not just a health crisis – across
West Africa, a generation of young people risk being lost to an
economic catastrophe as harvests are missed, markets are shut and
borders are closed.
The virus has been able to spread so rapidly because of the
insufficient strength of the emergency, medical and military services
that remain under-resourced and without the preparedness to confront
such a challenge. This would have been the case whether the
confrontation was with Ebola, another infectious disease, or a natural
disaster.
But one thing is clear. This is a fight in which the whole world has a stake.
This disease respects no borders. The damage it is causing in West
Africa, whether in public health, the economy or within communities –
is already reverberating throughout the region and across the world.
The international reaction to this crisis was initially inconsistent
and lacking in clear direction or urgency.
Now finally, the world has woken up.
The community of nations has realized they cannot simply pull up the
drawbridge and wish this situation away.
This fight requires a commitment from every nation that has the
capacity to help – whether that is with emergency funds, medical
supplies or clinical expertise.
I have every faith in our resilience as Liberians, and our capacity as
global citizens, to face down this disease, beat it and rebuild.
History has shown that when a people are at their darkest hour,
humanity has an enviable ability to act with bravery, compassion and
selflessness for the benefit of those most in need.
From governments to international organisations, financial
institutions to NGOs, politicians to ordinary people on the street in
any corner of the world, we all have a stake in the battle against
Ebola. It is the duty of all of us, as global citizens, to send a
message that we will not leave millions of West Africans to fend for
themselves against an enemy that they do not know, and against whom
they have little defence.
The time for talking or theorizing is over. Only concerted action will
save my country, and our neighbours, from experiencing another
national tragedy. The words of Henrik Ibsen have never been truer: "A
thousand words leave not the same deep impression as does a single
deed.
Yours sincerely,
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
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