International community must save us from ebola’s terrifying clutches

In the dark times that now engulf Liberia, many people have asked themselves “Who do we turn to?”

I have always enjoyed my work with WaterAid across the borders of Liberia and Sierra Leone, to offer poor and excluded people a chance of a better life through access to the basics: clean water, a safe toilet and hygiene.

But today, living here in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, all I feel is fear: fear that a relative may contract Ebola; fear that a close friend may die of it; fear that our vital work will be held up and fear that I may not even finish writing this piece.

So far, no one on our WaterAid team has contracted the virus but the rate at which the disease is claiming lives, and the lack so far of a vaccine or cure or an effective approach to eradicating the virus terrifies me.

After Liberia’s civil war ended in 2003, the country faced an uphill battle to rebuild. Even today many parts of Monrovia, are without electricity or proper roads. More than 80 per cent of our country’s people are without access to a basic toilet, and 25 per cent do not have clean water.

None of us expected this crisis to go on so long. We thought the end of the rains in October would mean an end to the virus. But now we are all aware that it is likely that things will get worse, maybe much, much worse, before they get better. Sometimes I feel like God has sent his wrath upon us.

As it is, living and working in this crisis is like I am already in a sort of hell. All my hope, except that which I have in God, has been lost. Everything now seems a worthless vanity as the peace we once had has been replaced by fear and hopelessness.

Everybody including family members, colleagues and church congregations treat each other suspiciously because of Ebola. Homes, work places, social centres are all practicing good hygiene, so as to try and keep the virus at bay. But the risk and death toll of Ebola continues to rise relentlessly.

The sirens of ambulances picking up the sick and dying are constant. The cries of the victims have become a formulaic song in the ears of everyone here. The hands of friends and loved ones have been put away, dodging our traditional West African handshakes.

Every time we leave home, we are afraid. Upon our return, even our own family members are reluctant to touch us until we’ve bathed and changed clothes.

This cannot be a problem for Liberia alone to handle. The international community must continue to step in.

But when even the doctors and nurses here to help us – our earthly life-givers – are dying, where else do we run to but to God? I believe that God is in our land. He is not asleep. He will restore the hope we once had in each other.

Patience Zayzay is WaterAid Liberia’s Policy and Campaigns Assistant

WaterAid has been working in the country to bring safe water and toilets to homes and schools. We’ve also worked closely with government to establish a committee on safe water and sanitation, and to work on strategy, planning, technical support and financing for water, sanitation and hygiene programmes.