Stemming from its success in Phase One of the UNICEF and Mercy Corps programs (see Battling Ebola: A Story of Two Programs), WCI is a preferred partner for Phase Two of both programs, both of which are now underway. In Grand Bassa County, WCI is working under ECAP Phase II to bolster the preventative healthcare capacity of more than 70 communities by creating and strengthening Community Health Committees, developing Community Health Risk Reduction Plans, and coordinating with district and county-level health teams. The goal of this program is to build the capacity of communities to deal with possible future Ebola and similar infectious disease outbreaks.

Meanwhile, WCI is working with UNICEF in Bomi County to focus on two objectives: preventative healthcare and rebuilding communities. Utilizing the same network used to spread messaging on EVD prevention, WCI will now work to dispense information on preventative health more generally. Outreach focusing on community engagement will help community members cultivate their skills in the fields of advocacy, leadership, and communication, with the goal of an increasing community acceptance of and involvement in preventative healthcare and the communication system. Finally, efforts to rebuild communities will address the ramifications of Ebola and social norms that continue to persist, including stigmatization and local burial traditions. WCI will continue to utilize door-to-door interventions, school visits, and town hall meetings, but will now incorporate radio clubs, single mothers’ groups, female-led Village Savings and Loans Associations, and traditional birth attendants.

WCI is proud to continue working with the same strong network of women’s leaders that it has since 2008 to implement both the Mercy Corps and UNICEF programs. These women are respected members of their communities, and through their increased capacity and training provided by WCI, they have proved to be vital contributors to the well-being and productivity of their communities. Women are the backbone of Liberian society, and it is because of them that the fight against Ebola and the restoration that followed has been so successful.