US Launches New Program to Restore Basic Education in Liberia - Agency

 

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Education Crisis Response program to help the Liberian government restore basic education disrupted by the Ebola outbreak, according to a statement published on the agency's website.

"USAID announced the $18.7 million Education Crisis Response program today to assist the Government of Liberia in restoring basic education in the Ebola-affected country and help return children to school safely," the statement, issued on Wednesday, stated.

The statement noted that the program aims at helping reopen schools in all 15 Ebola-affected counties in Liberia, protect already made education gains and investments, as well as prevent future disruptions in education.

"The program will help the Ministry of Education [of Liberia] enforce strict protocols in schools including daily temperature monitoring of children and teachers, hand washing requirements, and referral mechanisms with local health centers," USAID said in the statement. "The program will also train teachers and engage the community to reassure them that it is safe to send their children to school."

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the current Ebola outbreak has the lives of more than 9,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

In Liberia alone, more than 4,400 schools were closed in August 2014, leaving 1.5 million children at home until schools were deemed safe to reopen, the USAID said.

The Ebola epidemic broke out in Guinea in December 2013 and spread to neighbouring states. Ebola cases have also been documented in the United States and Europe.