Response of the Holy See Caritas Internationalis and

Response of the Holy See, Caritas Internationalis and other Catholic Church. Related Organizations to the Ebola Epidemic in coastal West Africa: Crisis and Opportunities Monsignor Robert J. Vitillo Caritas Internationalis Religion and Sustainable Development Conference Washington, DC – 08 July 2015

Contributions of Caritas and other Catholic Organizations at national, diocesan and local levels Caritas While governments and intergovernmental organizations struggled to mount a coordinated response, Caritas and other religious organizations responded immediately and effectively to this crisis, at global, regional, national, and local levels by:

Training by local staff and international volunteers at Catholic health clinic in rural Dolotown

Securing, from international Church-related donors, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), medications, and funds for risk incentive pay for staff

Advocating for greater support from national and local governments and from the international community

Community awareness and outreach is key

A “survivor”, Dr Fanta, speaking on Radio Veritas about her experience Recovered patients can be important assets in Community-based training Programs and in confronting Stigma and Discrimination

Providing material and pastoral assistance to those unable to provide for their daily sustenance (in particular, those in 21 -day quarantine)

Assisting WHO to revise what formerly was called its “Dead Body Management Policy” into its “Guidelines for Safe and Dignified Burials” and Implementing them in the field

Holy See – Special Initiative in response to Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Coastal West Africa With a specific mandate from Pope Francis, the Holy See granted 500, 000 Euro to enhance and expand the programs already described above. Interested donors have provided additional funds. Grants presently are being forwarded to Catholic Church-related offices in the three affected countries

What is the “comparative advantage” of FBO responses to EVD? • FBOs are in the communities before the crisis and will be there after the international NGOs and foreign governmental experts have left; • We need access to funding and resources in accord with the burden of care that we shoulder’ • We treat the whole person and the whole family and there is usually no question of a “silo” approach because often we are the only service providers in the area; • We serve without discrimination – we don’t have to ask about “gender identity” or sexual orientation or marital state – we serve all; • Our calling to serve comes from above – as the Latin saying goes, “Caritas Christi urget nos” (“The love of Christ drives us”)

This letter to Fr. Peter Konteh of Caritas Freetown tells it all … • It is written by Yattah, who lost her parents to Ebola; she and her brotheralso were infected but survived. Now the famiy struggle to fulfill basic needs.