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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Health
Katherine Purvis

Diaspora response to the Ebola crisis: share your stories

ebola diaspora response
Volunteers for the Lunchbox initiative package hot meals before distributing them to communities during the lockdown of Freetown in September. Photograph: Lunchbox

As the Ebola crisis rages on governments, NGOs, multilateral organisations and private sector groups rush to lend their support; sending medical staff and equipment, pledging millions in donations through the United Nations or the World Health Organisation, and setting up clinics in affected countries.

But the key players are not the only ones responding. During the lockdown in Freetown last month, members of the diaspora in London funded and coordinated an initiative that enabled a team of volunteers in the country to cook hot meals and distribute them to more than 2,500 people forbidden to leave their houses.

That’s just one example of how the Sierra Leone diaspora are contributing to the Ebola effort. Many more expatriates in the UK and the rest of the world are fundraising, pooling resources and doing whatever they can.

We want to hear from the diaspora – not just from Sierra Leone, but also from Liberia, Guinea and other affected countries – around the world. What are you doing in your community to respond to the Ebola crisis?

You can share your photos, videos and stories by clicking on the blue ‘contribute’ button on this article. You can also use the GuardianWitness smartphone app or the new Guardian app and search for ‘GuardianWitness assignments’.

We will use the most interesting contributions in our reporting.

  • GuardianWitness is the home of user-generated content on the Guardian. Contribute your video, pictures and stories, and browse news, reviews and creations submitted by others. Posts will be reviewed prior to publication on GuardianWitness, and the best pieces will feature on the Guardian site.
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