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There is currently no timescale
on when we might be able to continue our in-country efforts with our new
programme in Liberia because of the Ebola outbreak.
We have deferred placing staff
in Liberia and our focus is on making necessary planning arrangements outside
the country.
The government offices are
closed as the authorities deal with the crisis, which has halted the processing
of necessary permissions paperwork to allow us to operate within the country.
Two new MAF staff houses at the SIM/ELWA compound on the outskirts of Monrovia
are almost completed and we are also working with local contacts to clear two
containers from the Netherlands, of furniture for the houses plus staff
personal effects.
The Cessna Caravan, which will
be borrowed temporarily from MAF’s work in East Africa, is being repainted in
South Africa and next month will be flown to Uganda for final preparation and
re-registration.
Emil Kundig will be MAF’s
Programme Manager in Liberia. He had been due to arrive there with wife Margrit
this month, however, they are travelling to Uganda this week for the time being
to continue essential preparations.
Emil said: “We do wish we could
be setting up camp in Liberia. The visit to Uganda is not unexpected as I need
to convert my licences to the new aircraft. We are part of God’s plan
nevertheless and we trust Him for His planning and working out. Our hearts and
prayers go to the people in Liberia and West Africa where our hopes are that
soon things will be under control.”
We are continuing to closely
monitor the changing situation with our ministry partners and have been invited
to be a part of regular inter-agency
meetings.
We have been working with the
Department for International Development (DFID), the World Health Organisation
and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office together with other health
specialists and non-governmental organisations and have subsequently developed
a management plan to govern MAF’s work in Africa in respect of the Ebola virus.
It is designed to mitigate the
risks and ensure good preparation if there is a confirmed case in an area where
we are based. This includes organising supplies of personal protective
equipment and operational procedures in affected zones.
The new policies have been drawn
up in conjunction with MAF’s Disaster Response Manager, John Woodberry.
There have been confirmed cases
of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where MAF-US has a programme.
MAF has other Africa operations
in Uganda, Chad, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, Madagascar, Mozambique, Mali,
South Africa, Lesotho and Angola.
We are treating the situation
seriously and approaching it with a calm and organised response.
We ask for your prayers for the
ongoing situation in Africa. We pray against fear and panic, we pray that the
church may remain strong and be a true witness. And we seek God’s wisdom
and direction.
