Friday, December 11, 2015
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Sunday, December 06, 2015
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Recommended Reading
For RECOMMENDED READING PRESS HERE!
Monday, November 23, 2015
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Saturday, October 03, 2015
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Sheila Williams Retirement Celebration Video Clips
THIS PAGE CONTAINS THE SHORT VIDEO CLIP PLAYLIST
When you are ready to access the PHOTO SLIDE SHOW, CLICK HERE!
- If you cannot view the Video below, please CLICK HERE! -
When you are ready to access the PHOTO SLIDE SHOW, CLICK HERE!
- If you cannot view the Video below, please CLICK HERE! -
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Sheila Williams Retirement Celebration Slide show
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_ 
_
THIS PAGE CONTAINS THE PHOTO SLIDE SHOW
When you are ready to access the VIDEO CLIP PLAYLIST, CLICK HERE!
- If you cannot view the Slideshow below, please CLICK HERE -
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Saturday, August 08, 2015
Wednesday, August 05, 2015
OHSAA Foundation Student Leadership Conference - Oct. 6, 2015
-Information about the OHSAA Foundation Student Leadership Conference - Oct. 6, 2015-
Information below is for quick reference. To DOWNLOAD the PDF File for better VIEWING, PRINTING and SHARING, please CLICK HERE!
Video
We will be filming an OHSAA video during the sessions of the conference. We encourage participating schools to bring or wear their school colors (banners, jackets, etc.) for the video. This will be a fun way to get the day started and we will post it on the OHSAA Student Leadership Conference web page!
Registration
Schools may register a maximum of four students. One adult supervisor must accompany the students.
At a later time, schools will be able to register their students and adult for the conference. A link to the Student Leadership Conference will appear on your school tab on the www.ohsaa.org. All participants must register for the conference by a deadline date to be posted later. If we are not at capacity by this deadline, we will open it up for schools to add an additional number of students to their group.
Parking
Auto/SUV: There are numerous pay parking garages that are either attached or within a short walk of the Ohio Union.
2015 OHSAA Foundation Student Leadership
Conference
Conference Information
Date
Tuesday, October 6, 2015 from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015 from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location
The Ohio Union - Archie Griffin Ballroom
1739 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43210
Participants
Member schools are encouraged to send students who have demonstrated or have potential for leadership roles in your school. Each school group must be accompanied by one adult supervisor. The first 1,500 applicants will be accepted free of charge for this year’s conference. Students in grades 9 through 11 for the 2015 fall semester are eligible to register.
Conference Activities
The conference will include several national keynote speakers discussing various leadership topics. A full list of speakers and topics will be posted closer to the conference.
Participants
Member schools are encouraged to send students who have demonstrated or have potential for leadership roles in your school. Each school group must be accompanied by one adult supervisor. The first 1,500 applicants will be accepted free of charge for this year’s conference. Students in grades 9 through 11 for the 2015 fall semester are eligible to register.
Conference Activities
The conference will include several national keynote speakers discussing various leadership topics. A full list of speakers and topics will be posted closer to the conference.
Video
We will be filming an OHSAA video during the sessions of the conference. We encourage participating schools to bring or wear their school colors (banners, jackets, etc.) for the video. This will be a fun way to get the day started and we will post it on the OHSAA Student Leadership Conference web page!
Registration
Schools may register a maximum of four students. One adult supervisor must accompany the students.
At a later time, schools will be able to register their students and adult for the conference. A link to the Student Leadership Conference will appear on your school tab on the www.ohsaa.org. All participants must register for the conference by a deadline date to be posted later. If we are not at capacity by this deadline, we will open it up for schools to add an additional number of students to their group.
Parking
Auto/SUV: There are numerous pay parking garages that are either attached or within a short walk of the Ohio Union.
School Bus/Large School Van: A semi-circular drive is on the south
side of the Ohio Union for convenient drop-off/pick-up at 1:05 pm.
Schedule
Schedule
Time
|
Session
|
8:00 – 8:30 am
|
Registration
Check-in and Name Badges
|
8:30 – 9:00 am
|
Welcome
and Introductions
|
9:00 – 9:30 am
|
Clay Hall -
Sports Director ABC 6/Fox 28 "Football Fever"
|
9:30 – 10:00 am
|
Bobby Carpenter -
Ohio State Football All-American Linebacker - NFL - Patriots
|
10:00
– 10:30 am
|
Chris Hahn -
WWE/WWF Wrestler, Actor - Movies, Captain America
|
10:30
– 11:00 am
|
Larry Hoepfner -
Columbus Blue Jackets
|
11:00
– 11:30 am
|
Shawn Harper -
NFL - Rams, Colts, Titans
|
11:30
– 12:00 pm
|
Joel Penton -
OSU Football - Community Service/Academic Achievement
|
12:00
– 12:45 pm
|
Eddie Slowikowski -
Three-Time All-American Track - USA Gold Medal Winner Pan Am Games - Loyola
Athletic Hall of Fame
|
12:45
– 1:00 pm
|
Closing
Session
|
* A to-go lunch will be provided for pick-up on the way out of the
conference.
Registration Information:
A link for registration will be provided when
registration is open.
The Gathering Place - Donate & Shop - August 8th & 9th
- Please Share this link with others -
- To Download PDF for easier viewing and printing, CLICK HERE! -
-Sunday, August 02, 2015
Saturday, August 01, 2015
Sunday, July 26, 2015
World Kindness Liberia Used Clothes Distribution
Scroll Down to Read About WKL (World Kindness Liberia)
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World Kindness Liberia Used Clothes Distribution
Liberia was
established by freed slaves from America in 1822. The population of Liberia as
of the National Statistics of 2008 stands at 3.5 million. Liberia entered into
a bloody civil war in December 1989 that
lasted until July 2003. The
country is still struggling to recover from the 14 years of bloody civil war
which took away more than 250,000 lives and ransacked the entire country,
leaving so much of wounds to be healed. The government of President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf, the first post-war democratically elected president has been
struggling to put the broken pieces of Liberia together which has yet remained
an ever evolving challenge with the poor economic condition of the country.
At another front of the already devastated
condition for Liberia is the eruption of one of the world’s deadliest diseases
ever known in human history-the Ebola Virus. The virus entered into Liberia
from neighboring Guinea and Sierra Leone in March, 2014 and has taken away the
lives of more than 2700 people many of whom were bread winners for their
families. The virus continues to take away several lives and no one can predict
when the situation will actually subside.
Among the numerous social burdens
resulting from the deadly Ebola Virus Epidemic on the society in Liberia is the
abundance of children now left without breadwinners who would continue to live
in total neglect and wants if their calls on kindness are not heard timely.
World
Kindness Liberia’s Direct Intervention
One of the worst affected communities by
the deadly Ebola Virus epidemic in Monrovia is a very poor community called
Wheinzon. More than 8 homes in the same neighborhood were struck by the bullets
from the virus leaving scores of children without their breadwinners.
A house to house survey was conducted by
World Kindness Liberia on July 22, 2015 from which a total of 19 desperately
needy children of the deadly Ebola Virus victims were enlisted to benefit from
a used clothes ration along with 63 other children among others living in total
desolation in the Wheinzon community. There were a total of 39 females
beneficiaries ranging from age 7 months to 17 years, and in the male category
43 benefitted ranging from age 1month to 17 years.
On July 25, 2015, the eve of Liberia’s Independence Day, World Kindness
Liberia carried on the distribution of used clothes from which every child who
was enrolled benefitted. The used clothes distribution was a milestone in the
piloting phase of World Kindness Liberia’ charity programs and in the history
of the organization.
Challenges
The requests from the parents guidance of
these kids that kept ranging over and over in the ears of World Kindness
Liberia is the need for assistance to help these children to go to school,
there will be no other way for them if kindness is not extended to them in such
a way.
It becomes challenging because World
Kindness Liberia at the moment has not identified any source of funding through
which it could make such crucial and meaning impact on the lives of these
precious children. Unfortunately, schools are about to be officially reopened
in September, 2015 after the slowdown of the Ebola Virus epidemic. Registration
should begin in August, 2015.
However, World Kindness Liberia is opened
to any help from anyone who may wish to make such an impact in the life of a
child. They still need more clothes, shoes, school bags, copybooks, pens,
pencils, etc.
Your kindness can take a child to another
level.
Monday, July 06, 2015
Sunday, July 05, 2015
COST OF FREEDOM TRIBUTE (July 1-5, 2015) - Links to our Blog Posts
Location: Twinsburg, Ohio . . .
Wednesday, July 1 - “Rolling Thunder” escorts Cost of
Freedom Tribute into Twinsburg, Ohio
Wednesday, July 1 - Thank You to escorts and others
Wednesday, July 1 – Slide Show
Thursday, July 2 – Posting of Colors
Thursday, July 2 – Slide Show
Friday, July 3 – Slide Show
Friday, July 3 -
Fireworks Video
Saturday, July 4 – Slide Show
Sunday, July 5 Video Clips (Early Morning)
Sunday, July 5 – Slide Show (Early Morning)
Cost of Freedom - Sunday, July 5, 2015 - Video Clips
Sunday, July 5, 2015 - Between 5:00 a.m. - 6:15 a.m.
To view Photo Slide Show from same time, CLICK HERE!
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To view Photo Slide Show from same time, CLICK HERE!
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Cost of Freedom - Sunday, July 5, 2015 - Photos
Sunday, July 5, 2015 - Between 5:00 a.m. - 6:15 a.m.
To view brief Video Clips from same time, CLICK HERE!
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To view brief Video Clips from same time, CLICK HERE!
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Saturday, July 04, 2015
Friday, July 03, 2015
Thursday, July 02, 2015
COST OF FREEDOM TOUR - Thank You & Welcome
Thank You & Welcome to "Rolling Thunder" and other Escorts, Volunteers, Workers
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Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Fatherhood Initiative - Keynote Speech (Closing Remarks Only) by Senator Sherrod Brown
- For links to other speeches and slide show, Click Here! -
**
Fatherhood Initiative - "My Dad" Speech #1
- For links to other speeches and slide show, Click Here! -
**
Fatherhood Initiative - "My Dad" Speech #2
- For links to other speeches and slide show, Click Here! -
**
Fatherhood Initiative "My Dad" Speech #3
- For links to other speeches and slide show, Click Here! -
**
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Inspirations - Friday, June 19, 2015
Inside of a ring or out, ain't nothing wrong with going down. It's staying down that's wrong.
Muhammad Ali - Former Heavyweight Boxing Championg.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Henry Ford's Radio Interview Replay - Courtesy of Tina Hobson
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Family, Friends & Associates,
If you took the time to tune in to my Radio Interview with Tina Hobson last night, THANK YOU!
For those who may have missed the program, Tina has provided a replay available by PRESSING HERE!
There are several minutes of background music on the front end of the Replay.
Please feel free to share this message with others.
Thank you for your support.
Henry
Friday, June 12, 2015
Interview by Tina Hobson - Friday, June 12, 9:00 pm
Family, Friends & Associates,
Just a note to let you know that I have the honor of being interviewed later today by Author, Businesswoman and Radio Host Tina Hobson. If you are available and interested, please CLICK HERE to join the conversation this evening at 9:00 pm.
Please feel free to share this message with others.
Thank you for your support.
Henry
Tuesday, June 02, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Just Us Rhythm "The Accomplished Achiever" Scholarship Affair - May 23, 2015
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Slide Show Above - Two Video Clips Below
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Saturday, May 16, 2015
Monday, May 11, 2015
The Community Talk Show "Sisters Talk" - Friday, June 5, 2015
Location is Cleveland Clinic South Point Building B, 20000 Harvard Avenue
Need additional information on the Community Talk Show?
Email: renee.recovery.jones@gmail.com
-
Need additional information on the Community Talk Show?
Email: renee.recovery.jones@gmail.com
-
-
Location is Cleveland Clinic South Point Building B, 20000 Harvard Avenue
Need additional information on the Community Talk Show?
Email: renee.recovery.jones@gmail.com
Location is Cleveland Clinic South Point Building B, 20000 Harvard Avenue
Need additional information on the Community Talk Show?
Email: renee.recovery.jones@gmail.com
Mother's Day 2015 at Rhea & Jake's
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Jake watching the grill and the inside of his eyelids while Rhea watches the granddaughter!
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Saturday, May 09, 2015
Friday, May 08, 2015
Thursday, May 07, 2015
Friday, May 01, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Inspirations - Monday, April 27, 2015
Few people take objectives really seriously. They put average effort into too many things, rather than superior thought and effort into a few important things. People who achieve the most are selective as well as determined.
Richard Koch - Author
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Tina Hobson's Book Signing - April 18, 2015
Tina Hobson's Book Signing of OH HOW HE LOVES ME
at the Gimme Java Coffee Shop
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Photos also available on Facebook by CLICKING HERE!
Photos also available on Facebook by CLICKING HERE!
Thursday, April 16, 2015
NBMBAA Cleveland Northeast Ohio Event - April 16, 2015
National Black MBA Association Cleveland NEO Event April 16, 2015
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Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
D.J. Olskol at Frederick's Wine and Dine
Thursday, April 09, 2015
Kent State University Community & Ministerial Breakfast
Regional Academic Center, Twinsburg, Ohio
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- This Slide Show is also available on FACEBOOK by Clicking Here! -
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Thursday, April 02, 2015
Ebola Crisis Quote from H.E. Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan
Madam Chair, Esteemed Colleagues,
Lest we forget, up until 1976 our continent or mankind in general did not know or experience anything called Ebola. Also up until the 1980’s mankind did not know or experience anything called HIV/AIDS. Again until December 2013 when a different strand of the Ebola virus emerged from the jungle and began to infect people in the remote parts of Guinea, the widely held belief was that Ebola was a Central or East African problem. So although we pray against the outbreak of new virus diseases or the re-occurrence of old virus diseases in the future, we cannot rule out this possibility 100%, as we do not know when or where next our continent could face another major public health challenge.
Therefore, if we allow hysteria and paranoia to underpin our reactions to this Ebola outbreak, we would create a legacy of blanket stigmatization and unnecessary restrictions, which would be tantamount to unwittingly writing a dangerous prescription for how countries on our continent should be treated whenever they get afflicted with any public health challenge in the future. It is this grim possibility that we all, as African nations, must avoid by revisiting all measures that are not consistent with expert advice but only fly in the face of African solidarity and integration.
Thank You.
Ebola Crisis Statement by H.E. Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan - Sep. 8, 2014
Information gathered from Facebook Posting. For original posting CLICK HERE!
STATEMENT BY
H.E. AUGUSTINE KPEHE NGAFUAN,
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA
AT THE EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF THE AFRICAN UNION (AU)
ON THE EBOLA OUTBREAK
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
SEPTEMBER 8, 2014
Madam Proxy of the Foreign Minister of Mauritania, Chairperson of the AU Executive Council;
H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the AU Commission;
Mr. Carlos Lopes, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission of Africa (ECA;)
Representatives of the WHO, AfDB and other Partners;
Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Health present;
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:
Let me begin by commending the African Union Commission for convening this extraordinary meeting of the Executive Council to discuss the “expanding crisis of Ebola with a view to developing a common understanding of the epidemic and a collective approach in effectively addressing this unprecedented spread of the killer disease.” We note that this meeting is also intended to, among other things, “develop a common understanding of the related challenges and thoroughly discuss all Ebola related issues, including the evolution of the killer disease, the policies put in place in different Member States to combat the crisis, the effects of closing borders and free movements of populations across borders, suspension of flights to affected countries, and stigmatization of nationals from affected countries.”
Esteemed Colleagues,
Since the formation of our continental body in 1963, countless meetings have been convened at the continental level to discuss political, security, economic and other forms of crises. Rarely has a health crisis been elevated to such a high level of significance as to warrant the convening of an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Council. This only testifies to the fact that the AU takes this Ebola crisis and its deleterious effects on the affected countries and the wider African continent very seriously. So let me commend the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H. E. Mrs. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and the entire AU family for such farsighted and timely action.
I come from Liberia, a small country in West Africa with a population of nearly 4 million persons; a country, which for the most part of fourteen years spanning 1989 and 2003, was mired in one of the worst civil conflicts our continent has ever witnessed. I come from Liberia, a country which, in August of 2013, celebrated ten consecutive years of un-interrupted peace and stability. During this period, two successive democratic elections acclaimed as free, fair and transparent were held; and the country had begun taking some giant steps, amidst huge challenges, on the highroad of recovery and development.
But on March 22, 2014, the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), having begun in the remote parts of Guinea in late 2013 entered the Liberian border city of Foya, which sits at the intersection of both Guinea and Sierra Leone. Since then, in spite of measures instituted by the Liberian Government and people buttressed by the international community, the Ebola virus continues to spread its deadly tentacles and has, as at September 6, 2014, claimed a total of 1,114 lives within a total of 1915 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases.
Besides the toll it has taken on our society in terms of loss of human lives, the Ebola Virus Disease could not have hit us at a more inauspicious time. The wider health care delivery system is being undermined and there are concerns from our health authorities about the potential for cholera or measles epidemics in the coming months. We expect GDP growth to plummet by more than 2% from the previous projection of 5.9% as the agriculture and other critical sectors of our economy suffer paralyses. In a sense, the presence of Ebola is equivalent to pressing the pause button on the progress of our country as practically every sector of our society is being negatively affected.
The Government of Liberia and its and partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF), the US Centers of Disease Control (CDC), UNICEF, USAID, UNFPA and many others have been working tooth and nail to bring the disease under control. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the Government declared a State of Emergency under which the Government has taken a slew of other measures including the suspension of school, the sending of non-essential government workers on compulsory leave, and the implementation of rigorous exit screening and control measures at all airports and seaports in Liberia. In July of this year, the Government of Liberia, with support from the WHO, developed a six-month, US$21 million Operational Plan for the Accelerated Response against the Ebola Epidemic.
However, no sooner had the Operational Plan been launched than it became evident that the scale of the crisis was so huge that it would require much more in terms of financial and other resources to contain the virus. In its latest Ebola Response Roadmap issued on August 28, 2014, the WHO estimates that it would cost US$257 million to roll out the full Ebola intervention package with the aim to contain the virus within six months in the three most affected countries – Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. Liberia alone is estimated to require a total of US$145 million to effectively contain the virus in the next six months.
Liberia applauds the recent contribution by the AU of the amount of US$150,000 to our Special Ebola Trust Fund Account and the AU’s commitment to deploy upwards of 30 critically needed medical personnel to Liberia for a period of six-months to assist us combat Ebola. We were also honored to have hosted in Liberia last week a three-member AU Assessment Team which came to smoothen the ground for the full roll-out of the AU Commission’s Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA) under which nearly 100 medical personnel would be deployed to Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone over the next six months. We also laud all African countries that will be contributing personnel to the AU medical contingents that will shortly be deployed in West Africa.
Madam Chair, Esteemed Colleagues,
Liberia can never stop being grateful to all members of the international community, which include some African countries that have contributed cash and kind to assist our fight against Ebola. Among African countries deserving special mention are the Federal Republic of Nigeria for committing US$500,000 to assist our fight; the Democratic Republic of Congo for recently deploying a six-member medical assessment team to Liberia in advance of the deployment of a larger group of medical experts to Liberia; the Republic of Ghana for committing to assist in airlifting critically needed humanitarian supplies to the worst affected countries; and the Kingdom of Morrocco for maintaining flights of its national carrier, the Royal Air Maroc, to and from Monrovia. The Royal Air Maroc is the only African airline still flying to Liberia. The only other airline still flying to Liberia is SN Brussels of Belgium.
But as we grapple tooth and nail with the killer disease, we have unfortunately been buffeted with a spate of actions ranging from the suspension of flights by commercial airlines to the refusal or reluctance of some of our fellow African countries to allow even humanitarian flights destined to our countries to refuel or make technical stops in their countries. Some of our fellow African countries have even gone as far as imposing “total travel bans” on all persons (except their own citizens) from Liberia and other worst-hit countries. We have also had situations where Liberian students previously admitted into undergraduate and graduate programs in some African countries have been denied the opportunity to travel to pursue their education despite their willingness to subject themselves to whatever level of screening.
Liberia is troubled to note that some African countries are still frantically implementing these extremely disproportionate measures even in light of advice from the WHO and other international bodies warning against these restrictions. What is even more heart-rending and ironical is that no country in Europe, Asia, the Americas, or elsewhere has done to us what some of our fellow African countries have done to us. Some of these countries taking these exaggerated measures do not share contiguous borders with any of the affected countries and receive far less travellers from our region as compared to some countries in Europe or the United States that have not imposed total travel bans on us but have instead instituted screening procedures and other safeguards at their airports and other ports of entry. Such extremely harsh measures as total travel bans border on blanket stigmatization of countries affected by Ebola. We therefore call on those African countries proceeding on this track to reconsider their actions.
In order to fully appreciate the moral dimensions of these overly harsh measures, we urge our brothers and sisters from those countries imposing them against Ebola affected countries to pause for a moment and imagine what would happen if all other countries in the world were to treat Ebola affected countries in the same way as you are doing. While we do not contest your right to protect, first and foremost, the interest of your citizens and residents, we however feel that if we all should remain true to our often- touted commitment to African solidarity and the ideals of the founding fathers of the OAU/AU, you should institute measures that not only protect your own citizens and residents but also promote the greater good of African solidarity, which imposes an obligation on all African states not to make it doubly difficult for Ebola afflicted countries to quickly unshackle themselves from the grips of the deadly virus. Yes, we deeply mourn and regret the loss of a little upwards of 2,000 persons in our region as a result of the Ebola virus. But if we juxtapose this figure with the combined population of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone (the worst affected countries) which stands above 20 million, we will quickly realize the extent of the unfairness and harshness of some of the measures and restrictions that have been imposed by some African countries.
Madam Chair, Esteemed Colleagues,
Lest we forget, up until 1976 our continent or mankind in general did not know or experience anything called Ebola. Also up until the 1980’s mankind did not know or experience anything called HIV/AIDS. Again until December 2013 when a different strand of the Ebola virus emerged from the jungle and began to infect people in the remote parts of Guinea, the widely held belief was that Ebola was a Central or East African problem. So although we pray against the outbreak of new virus diseases or the re-occurrence of old virus diseases in the future, we cannot rule out this possibility 100%, as we do not know when or where next our continent could face another major public health challenge.
Therefore, if we allow hysteria and paranoia to underpin our reactions to this Ebola outbreak, we would create a legacy of blanket stigmatization and unnecessary restrictions, which would be tantamount to unwittingly writing a dangerous prescription for how countries on our continent should be treated whenever they get afflicted with any public health challenge in the future. It is this grim possibility that we all, as African nations, must avoid by revisiting all measures that are not consistent with expert advice but only fly in the face of African solidarity and integration.
Thank You.
STATEMENT BY
H.E. AUGUSTINE KPEHE NGAFUAN,
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA
AT THE EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF THE AFRICAN UNION (AU)
ON THE EBOLA OUTBREAK
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
SEPTEMBER 8, 2014
Madam Proxy of the Foreign Minister of Mauritania, Chairperson of the AU Executive Council;
H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the AU Commission;
Mr. Carlos Lopes, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission of Africa (ECA;)
Representatives of the WHO, AfDB and other Partners;
Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Health present;
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:
Let me begin by commending the African Union Commission for convening this extraordinary meeting of the Executive Council to discuss the “expanding crisis of Ebola with a view to developing a common understanding of the epidemic and a collective approach in effectively addressing this unprecedented spread of the killer disease.” We note that this meeting is also intended to, among other things, “develop a common understanding of the related challenges and thoroughly discuss all Ebola related issues, including the evolution of the killer disease, the policies put in place in different Member States to combat the crisis, the effects of closing borders and free movements of populations across borders, suspension of flights to affected countries, and stigmatization of nationals from affected countries.”
Esteemed Colleagues,
Since the formation of our continental body in 1963, countless meetings have been convened at the continental level to discuss political, security, economic and other forms of crises. Rarely has a health crisis been elevated to such a high level of significance as to warrant the convening of an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Council. This only testifies to the fact that the AU takes this Ebola crisis and its deleterious effects on the affected countries and the wider African continent very seriously. So let me commend the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H. E. Mrs. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and the entire AU family for such farsighted and timely action.
I come from Liberia, a small country in West Africa with a population of nearly 4 million persons; a country, which for the most part of fourteen years spanning 1989 and 2003, was mired in one of the worst civil conflicts our continent has ever witnessed. I come from Liberia, a country which, in August of 2013, celebrated ten consecutive years of un-interrupted peace and stability. During this period, two successive democratic elections acclaimed as free, fair and transparent were held; and the country had begun taking some giant steps, amidst huge challenges, on the highroad of recovery and development.
But on March 22, 2014, the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), having begun in the remote parts of Guinea in late 2013 entered the Liberian border city of Foya, which sits at the intersection of both Guinea and Sierra Leone. Since then, in spite of measures instituted by the Liberian Government and people buttressed by the international community, the Ebola virus continues to spread its deadly tentacles and has, as at September 6, 2014, claimed a total of 1,114 lives within a total of 1915 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases.
Besides the toll it has taken on our society in terms of loss of human lives, the Ebola Virus Disease could not have hit us at a more inauspicious time. The wider health care delivery system is being undermined and there are concerns from our health authorities about the potential for cholera or measles epidemics in the coming months. We expect GDP growth to plummet by more than 2% from the previous projection of 5.9% as the agriculture and other critical sectors of our economy suffer paralyses. In a sense, the presence of Ebola is equivalent to pressing the pause button on the progress of our country as practically every sector of our society is being negatively affected.
The Government of Liberia and its and partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF), the US Centers of Disease Control (CDC), UNICEF, USAID, UNFPA and many others have been working tooth and nail to bring the disease under control. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the Government declared a State of Emergency under which the Government has taken a slew of other measures including the suspension of school, the sending of non-essential government workers on compulsory leave, and the implementation of rigorous exit screening and control measures at all airports and seaports in Liberia. In July of this year, the Government of Liberia, with support from the WHO, developed a six-month, US$21 million Operational Plan for the Accelerated Response against the Ebola Epidemic.
However, no sooner had the Operational Plan been launched than it became evident that the scale of the crisis was so huge that it would require much more in terms of financial and other resources to contain the virus. In its latest Ebola Response Roadmap issued on August 28, 2014, the WHO estimates that it would cost US$257 million to roll out the full Ebola intervention package with the aim to contain the virus within six months in the three most affected countries – Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. Liberia alone is estimated to require a total of US$145 million to effectively contain the virus in the next six months.
Liberia applauds the recent contribution by the AU of the amount of US$150,000 to our Special Ebola Trust Fund Account and the AU’s commitment to deploy upwards of 30 critically needed medical personnel to Liberia for a period of six-months to assist us combat Ebola. We were also honored to have hosted in Liberia last week a three-member AU Assessment Team which came to smoothen the ground for the full roll-out of the AU Commission’s Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA) under which nearly 100 medical personnel would be deployed to Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone over the next six months. We also laud all African countries that will be contributing personnel to the AU medical contingents that will shortly be deployed in West Africa.
Madam Chair, Esteemed Colleagues,
Liberia can never stop being grateful to all members of the international community, which include some African countries that have contributed cash and kind to assist our fight against Ebola. Among African countries deserving special mention are the Federal Republic of Nigeria for committing US$500,000 to assist our fight; the Democratic Republic of Congo for recently deploying a six-member medical assessment team to Liberia in advance of the deployment of a larger group of medical experts to Liberia; the Republic of Ghana for committing to assist in airlifting critically needed humanitarian supplies to the worst affected countries; and the Kingdom of Morrocco for maintaining flights of its national carrier, the Royal Air Maroc, to and from Monrovia. The Royal Air Maroc is the only African airline still flying to Liberia. The only other airline still flying to Liberia is SN Brussels of Belgium.
But as we grapple tooth and nail with the killer disease, we have unfortunately been buffeted with a spate of actions ranging from the suspension of flights by commercial airlines to the refusal or reluctance of some of our fellow African countries to allow even humanitarian flights destined to our countries to refuel or make technical stops in their countries. Some of our fellow African countries have even gone as far as imposing “total travel bans” on all persons (except their own citizens) from Liberia and other worst-hit countries. We have also had situations where Liberian students previously admitted into undergraduate and graduate programs in some African countries have been denied the opportunity to travel to pursue their education despite their willingness to subject themselves to whatever level of screening.
Liberia is troubled to note that some African countries are still frantically implementing these extremely disproportionate measures even in light of advice from the WHO and other international bodies warning against these restrictions. What is even more heart-rending and ironical is that no country in Europe, Asia, the Americas, or elsewhere has done to us what some of our fellow African countries have done to us. Some of these countries taking these exaggerated measures do not share contiguous borders with any of the affected countries and receive far less travellers from our region as compared to some countries in Europe or the United States that have not imposed total travel bans on us but have instead instituted screening procedures and other safeguards at their airports and other ports of entry. Such extremely harsh measures as total travel bans border on blanket stigmatization of countries affected by Ebola. We therefore call on those African countries proceeding on this track to reconsider their actions.
In order to fully appreciate the moral dimensions of these overly harsh measures, we urge our brothers and sisters from those countries imposing them against Ebola affected countries to pause for a moment and imagine what would happen if all other countries in the world were to treat Ebola affected countries in the same way as you are doing. While we do not contest your right to protect, first and foremost, the interest of your citizens and residents, we however feel that if we all should remain true to our often- touted commitment to African solidarity and the ideals of the founding fathers of the OAU/AU, you should institute measures that not only protect your own citizens and residents but also promote the greater good of African solidarity, which imposes an obligation on all African states not to make it doubly difficult for Ebola afflicted countries to quickly unshackle themselves from the grips of the deadly virus. Yes, we deeply mourn and regret the loss of a little upwards of 2,000 persons in our region as a result of the Ebola virus. But if we juxtapose this figure with the combined population of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone (the worst affected countries) which stands above 20 million, we will quickly realize the extent of the unfairness and harshness of some of the measures and restrictions that have been imposed by some African countries.
Madam Chair, Esteemed Colleagues,
Lest we forget, up until 1976 our continent or mankind in general did not know or experience anything called Ebola. Also up until the 1980’s mankind did not know or experience anything called HIV/AIDS. Again until December 2013 when a different strand of the Ebola virus emerged from the jungle and began to infect people in the remote parts of Guinea, the widely held belief was that Ebola was a Central or East African problem. So although we pray against the outbreak of new virus diseases or the re-occurrence of old virus diseases in the future, we cannot rule out this possibility 100%, as we do not know when or where next our continent could face another major public health challenge.
Therefore, if we allow hysteria and paranoia to underpin our reactions to this Ebola outbreak, we would create a legacy of blanket stigmatization and unnecessary restrictions, which would be tantamount to unwittingly writing a dangerous prescription for how countries on our continent should be treated whenever they get afflicted with any public health challenge in the future. It is this grim possibility that we all, as African nations, must avoid by revisiting all measures that are not consistent with expert advice but only fly in the face of African solidarity and integration.
Thank You.
Monday, March 30, 2015
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Sunday, March 29, 2015
Fighting Ebola . . . An On The Ground Action Plan from those Risking It All to Save Humanity.
In our ever-shrinking world, Ebola is NOT an African problem, it is a WORLD problem!
See what those ON THE GROUND in Liberia are doing! See what YOU can do . . . Please read below and take the action you are able to . . .
- PROPOSAL -
- BUDGET -
- ACTIVITIES PLAN -
See what those ON THE GROUND in Liberia are doing! See what YOU can do . . . Please read below and take the action you are able to . . .
- PROPOSAL -
- BUDGET -
- ACTIVITIES PLAN -
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