I first heard of Ebola on the 24th of May, and that was the first time I went on Google
and Googled what Ebola is. It was a kind of very scary and unimaginable name. What the
hell is Ebola? You're trying to figure out where did that come from? This is the very
first time that Ebola has struck Sierra Leone. So people have little or no preparedness.
When we first had Ebola, the area that is affected is the opposition political party's
stronghold. So there were a lot of misconceptions that 'Oh, census is coming in December. The
country is supposed to have census in December. And so what these guys are trying to do right
now is to kill some of us and reduce the numbers.' But then, as we get along the reality begins
to show itself. So denial was not an issue anymore. It's about the level of understanding
and the level of literacy that people do have. The outbreak has tremendously affected the
lifestyle of people. Right now, around 8 o' clock, 9 o'clock, everyone will be running
home. There are no more nightclubs. There are no more pubs. There are no more restaurants.
People don't shake hands anymore. People don't hug anymore. Everyone is suspicious about
someone. My kids have been home since July, and they cannot go to school because
schools are not functioning. That will hamper on the socio-economic development of the country
-- a country that is recovering from 11 years brutal civil war. It's not just the Ebola
that is killing people in the country. It's the poverty. It's the feeling of being left
alone. It's the feeling of hopelessness. Our health system was just not prepared for an
emergency like Ebola. We were struggling already on a regular basis, or on a day-to-day basis
in providing healthcare for people, the basic primary health care. We have very limited
number of medical practitioners, especially doctors. All the holding centers we have are
full. All the hospitals are full. People die of hypertension, people die of stress, people
die of common illnesses, maternity-related issues. If you were pregnant in Sierra Leone today,
it would be a very difficult situation because where do you go to hospital? People's life
at risk. Nothing is working in the country. It's as if you live in a world that everything
is not working, nothing is happening, and all you're looking for is a divine grace.