How to Support Ebola Relief Efforts on Chimp

As the Ebola crisis continues to spread in West Africa, the urgency to not only treat victims, but also to contain the virus, has intensified.

According to the CBC, this Ebola outbreak, which started last spring, has claimed over 4,700 lives, and those numbers are expected to grow despite a slight slowing in the infection rate.

The World Health Organization has said that more people are now dying from Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone than from malaria, and those three countries will likely see 5,000 to 10,000 new cases of Ebola per week by December, totalling more than 1 million people infected by the new year.

Because the Ebola virus is highly contagious, with no actual treatment or cure, and has a 50% fatality rate in this outbreak, much of the effort is going toward containment and prevention. Supplies and resources needed for that kind of work include:

• health care supplies
• protective gear
• public awareness and education initiatives
• treatment centres
• medical professionals and training

Calls for international aid have produced large donations from philanthropists and global nations, but charitable contributions are still needed to help get supplies on the ground in West Africa.

Many Canadian charities are calling for support — and every donation counts in this race against time.

Here are a few of the Canadian charities you can support through Chimp:

The Canadian Red Cross is on the ground in West Africa with health and disaster response specialists working to support containment and treatment operations.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) has sent 3,253 health workers to treat Ebola patients in West Africa. Twenty-one of its staff have been infected by the virus and only six have recovered.

UNICEF Canada is working to support children who have been victims of the Ebola outbreak — both as a result of contracting the virus, or by losing family members and caregivers to the outbreak. It’s also working to re-socialize Ebola survivors, who are often shunned by their communities.

Samaritan’s Purse Canada, a Christian charity that has been working to provide for basic needs in Liberia since 2003, has shifted its focus to offer home support for Ebola care and prevention with caregiver training, health care kits and public education.

Save the Children Canada is working to fight Ebola in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali and Guinea by building treatment centres and providing support for children who have lost their parents to the virus.

Want to launch your own fundraising group for Ebola relief? With Chimp, you can raise money for any charity in Canada and as many charities as you like. Talk to us — we can help!

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-877-531-0580