By Septimus Senessie in Kono
Descendants of Kono district based in Freetown have donated assorted food stuffs and seed money to the district Ebola taskforce at a ceremony held at the Koidu council hall.
The natives said they had come together to help feed people in quarantined houses, Ebola suspected cases at the Koidu Government holding centre and other vulnerable people.
The consignment included bags of rice, bags of onions, cartons of fish, containers of cooking oil, sardines, tomatoes, and bundles of packets of drinking water and Le20 million seed money to the District Ebola taskforce appeal fund.
The head of the newly formed group and Deputy Inspector General of Police, Richard Moigbe, said the intervention was worth over Le100 million. He said the money and items were sourced from well-wishers with a large portion of the contributions coming from the group in Freetown whose membership was drawn from all walks of life.
He said the group was non-political and that the intervention was purely informed by the Ebola crisis in the district. He called on the people to chase out anybody who would want to use the donation as a reference point for any political campaigns after the whole crisis would have subsided. He warned members of the group against any such intentions.
The police boss said they were merely complementing efforts by government, other organisations and individuals who had in diverse ways contributed to the fight against the deadly Ebola Virus Disease in the district.
The District Medical Officer, Dr. Manso Dumbuya, sounding elated, said they were so grateful. In his Ebola situation updates to the group, he said the district had recorded sixteen Ebola positive cases and 7 deaths. He said they had so far quarantined 14 households in the district and were providing food for them on weekly basis.
Dr. Dumbuya also said that they were rehabilitating the holding centre which would be completed in three weeks.
Paramount Chief Paul Gabba Saqueeof Tankoro chiefdom told the group that the items would be distributed among the blind, amputees, war-wounded, quarantined houses and holding centres.
(C) Politico 23/09/14
