08/18/2017
Reports from Sierra Leone mudslides. We've been in contact with our Olive Branch International (OBI) hospital chaplain team in Freetown. Our team leadership on the ground reports that "the situation here is pathetic and sorrowful as thousands of mourners weep profusely" over the mass burial of bodies.
Three of our OBI chaplains and their families have been displaced by the mudslides in Sierra Leone.
For those unaware of the current situation in Sierra Leone, here's how NPR reported this current tragedy 12 hours ago.
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Sierra Leone, a country that has been battered by Ebola, civil war and massive floods, suffered yet another tragedy this week. Government and international aid workers are racing the clock to find survivors after a mudslide struck capital city Freetown early Monday morning.
Some 600 people are still missing, and there are reports that some people are still alive, trapped in their homes underneath the mud.
At the same time, aid groups are trying to support roughly 9,000 people — who were injured, displaced, or found their lives disrupted by the devastation — and avert a potential public health crisis.
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A little over 2 months ago (on this FB page), we acknowledged the 1-year anniversary of the END of the Ebola Virus Epidemic in Sierra Leone. Here was that FB posting to give you the context of the work that OBI's hospital chaplain team does in Sierra Leone...
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1-year Ebola Anniversary tomorrow. June 9, 2016 is the day that the World Health Organization (WHO) DECLARED THE END of the Ebola Virus Epidemic in the last remaining West African nation.
This anniversary holds a special place for Olive Branch International (OBI) as they were on the ground in Sierra Leone to create the nation's first hospital chaplain program with 8 full-time and 12 volunteer chaplains a FULL NINE MONTHS BEFORE the Ebola virus epidemic hit Western Africa. When the Ebola epidemic ended, OBI gained and MAINTAINED THE CONFIDENCE of national civil authorities for STAYING THROUGHOUT the duration of the epidemic and for faithfully being the "hands and feet of Christ" while this West African nation was walking through the valley of death.
Turning back the clock, this website link from July 29, 2014 gives a vivid snapshot of what the OBI chaplains experienced in the midst of this Ebola epidemic:http://www.olivebranchintl.com/update-on-sierra-leone-and-…/
Here is the text below from that July 29, 2014 report
"Eight basic-trained hospital Chaplains are working in government hospitals in Freetown, Sierra Leone as the Ebola virus threatens the nation. Sanctioned by the Ministry of Health, and trained last October by the Virginia-based NGO, Olive Branch International, these hospital Chaplains work on the wards with patients and staff, providing comfort and guidance.
As the Ebola virus has now spread to the capital city in this nation of 6 million, the crisis will definitely impact the fragile health care system. On a normal daily OBI Chaplains provided supportive care to those in distress and greatly assist in a holistic model of patient care. The Ebola epidemic has proved difficult to contain as mistrust of Western health care systems has contributed to spread of the virus.
The Chaplains are presently working 130 hours a week in five area hospitals. The test is now not to simply put posters on the walls describing the symptoms of Ebola virus, but to maximize staff efforts to isolate and contain the virus. The OBI hospital Chaplains are now on the front lines of working to combat this horrific epidemic.”
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Please visit this website and PARTNER WITH Olive Branch International (OBI) to continue this Hospital Chaplain program in Sierra Leone and enable OBI to respond positively to invitations to create similar Hospital Chaplain programs in neighboring nations: https://app.mobilecause.com/form/Zy9iEw
