Josephine Monger
My name is Josephine Monger; I was born on the 4th of August, 1990 in Harper, Maryland County. My early childhood was a typical middle class environment and my childhood was happy. I lived and is stay living happily with my family.
I started elementary school when I was three years old at the Liberian Refugee Camp in Ivory Coast. When I was seven years old, I moved back to Liberia and started attending the Nathan E. Gibson School in Duport Road. Because of the language barrier, I was registered for the kindergarten class instead of the first grade class. In 1997, I graduated from kindergarten. In September, 2000, I enroll at the St. Kizito Catholic School; I completed High School and graduated in September, 2010. This same year, I enrolled at the Stella Maris Polytechnic, Mother Patern College of Health Sciences.
During my junior year, I had the opportunity to work in communities to carry on developmental activities with the community dwellers. During this time, my passion for the social work profession grew and I became more interested in helping others realize their goals and reach their potential. As part of the curriculum, I was assigned at the SOS Children Village-Monrovia as interim for four months. During my interim ship, I realized that I didn’t make a mistake in choosing my profession. I completed my undergraduate studies in 2014 but because of the Ebola virus, the graduation ceremony was held in 2015, May.
During the Ebola crisis, I was asked to volunteer as Social Mobilization officer. Out of fear of the virus, I refused and said that I was not yet a graduate and I knew nothing about the virus and that an Organization like the World Health Organization should look for qualified and experienced professionals (especially doctor); but I was told by the recruiter that I was qualified and they needed me on board. Reluctantly, I agreed and started volunteering. I was trained in basic prevention and treatment methods and how to do home care along with a second year medical student at the Medical school. We work ten hours a day, seven days a week and thirty days a month. We were not paid but I was happy that I was able to provide education to community members who knew nothing about the virus and raise awareness on positive deviant behavior. During the second month, we were recruited as Research Assistants and were assigned in community to conduct a research and carry on a survey with survivors. After the research in the communities were concluded, we used the data collected to write two articles, I was listed as co-author of these two articles:
1. Community-based Reports of Morbidity, Mortality and Health-Seeking Behaviors in Four Monrovia Communities During the West African Ebola Epidemic
2. Community-Centered Responses to Ebola in Urban Liberia
After my experience, I became more comfortable to work in emergency and/or crisis sitting. Out of my passion to help people, I have volunteer with many organizations (both local and international, and religious organizations). My work as a volunteer offers me immense satisfaction and great pleasure.
My life has not always been easy, I have had both bad times and good times, and all of those moments have made me a better and stronger person. There are times that I want to give up on life and then I realized that believing in myself; having faith in God and my abilities and having confidence in my own powers can make be to raise above my problems and failures and make me a successful and happy person. I have Work hard to pursue my goals and keeping a positive attitude are the qualities that help me when I am required to maintain a level-head in times of success and failure.
Supervisors: Bendu Kamara-Zaizay, Patricia Omidian and Muyiwa Moyela
Phone: +231886230238, +231776230238
Address: Zayzay Community, Paynesville
Monrovia, Liberia
I started elementary school when I was three years old at the Liberian Refugee Camp in Ivory Coast. When I was seven years old, I moved back to Liberia and started attending the Nathan E. Gibson School in Duport Road. Because of the language barrier, I was registered for the kindergarten class instead of the first grade class. In 1997, I graduated from kindergarten. In September, 2000, I enroll at the St. Kizito Catholic School; I completed High School and graduated in September, 2010. This same year, I enrolled at the Stella Maris Polytechnic, Mother Patern College of Health Sciences.
During my junior year, I had the opportunity to work in communities to carry on developmental activities with the community dwellers. During this time, my passion for the social work profession grew and I became more interested in helping others realize their goals and reach their potential. As part of the curriculum, I was assigned at the SOS Children Village-Monrovia as interim for four months. During my interim ship, I realized that I didn’t make a mistake in choosing my profession. I completed my undergraduate studies in 2014 but because of the Ebola virus, the graduation ceremony was held in 2015, May.
During the Ebola crisis, I was asked to volunteer as Social Mobilization officer. Out of fear of the virus, I refused and said that I was not yet a graduate and I knew nothing about the virus and that an Organization like the World Health Organization should look for qualified and experienced professionals (especially doctor); but I was told by the recruiter that I was qualified and they needed me on board. Reluctantly, I agreed and started volunteering. I was trained in basic prevention and treatment methods and how to do home care along with a second year medical student at the Medical school. We work ten hours a day, seven days a week and thirty days a month. We were not paid but I was happy that I was able to provide education to community members who knew nothing about the virus and raise awareness on positive deviant behavior. During the second month, we were recruited as Research Assistants and were assigned in community to conduct a research and carry on a survey with survivors. After the research in the communities were concluded, we used the data collected to write two articles, I was listed as co-author of these two articles:
1. Community-based Reports of Morbidity, Mortality and Health-Seeking Behaviors in Four Monrovia Communities During the West African Ebola Epidemic
2. Community-Centered Responses to Ebola in Urban Liberia
After my experience, I became more comfortable to work in emergency and/or crisis sitting. Out of my passion to help people, I have volunteer with many organizations (both local and international, and religious organizations). My work as a volunteer offers me immense satisfaction and great pleasure.
My life has not always been easy, I have had both bad times and good times, and all of those moments have made me a better and stronger person. There are times that I want to give up on life and then I realized that believing in myself; having faith in God and my abilities and having confidence in my own powers can make be to raise above my problems and failures and make me a successful and happy person. I have Work hard to pursue my goals and keeping a positive attitude are the qualities that help me when I am required to maintain a level-head in times of success and failure.
Supervisors: Bendu Kamara-Zaizay, Patricia Omidian and Muyiwa Moyela
Phone: +231886230238, +231776230238
Address: Zayzay Community, Paynesville
Monrovia, Liberia
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The West African Ebola epidemic has demonstrated that the existing range of medical and epidemiological responses to emerging disease outbreaks is insufficient, especially in post-conflict contexts with exceedingly poor healthcare infrastructures. In this context, community-based responses have proven vital for containing Ebola virus disease (EVD) and shifting the epidemic curve. Despite a surge in interest in local innovations that effectively contained the epidemic, the mechanisms for community-based response remain unclear. This study provides baseline information on community-based epidemic control priorities and identifies innovative local strategies for containing EVD in Liberia.
Methodology/Principal Findings
This study was conducted in September 2014 in 15 communities in Monrovia and Montserrado County, Liberia – one of the epicenters of the Ebola outbreak. Findings from 15 focus group discussions with 386 community leaders identified strategies being undertaken and recommendations for what a community-based response to Ebola should look like under then-existing conditions. Data were collected on the following topics: prevention, surveillance, care-giving, community-based treatment and support, networks and hotlines, response teams, Ebola treatment units (ETUs) and hospitals, the management of corpses, quarantine and isolation, orphans, memorialization, and the need for community-based training and education. Findings have been presented as community-based strategies and recommendations for (1) prevention, (2) treatment and response, and (3) community sequelae and recovery. Several models for community-based management of the current Ebola outbreak were proposed. Additional findings indicate positive attitudes towards early Ebola survivors, and the need for community-based psychosocial support.
Conclusions/Significance
Local communities’ strategies and recommendations give insight into how urban Liberian communities contained the EVD outbreak while navigating the systemic failures of the initial state and international response. Communities in urban Liberia adapted to the epidemic using multiple coping strategies. In the absence of health, infrastructural and material supports, local people engaged in self-reliance in order to contain the epidemic at the micro-social level. These innovations were regarded as necessary, but as less desirable than a well-supported health-systems based response; and were seen as involving considerable individual, social, and public health costs, including heightened vulnerability to infection.
Working Papers
The West African Ebola epidemic has demonstrated that the existing range of medical and epidemiological responses to emerging disease outbreaks is insufficient, especially in post-conflict contexts with exceedingly poor healthcare infrastructures. In this context, community-based responses have proven vital for containing Ebola virus disease (EVD) and shifting the epidemic curve. Despite a surge in interest in local innovations that effectively contained the epidemic, the mechanisms for community-based response remain unclear. This study provides baseline information on community-based epidemic control priorities and identifies innovative local strategies for containing EVD in Liberia.
Methodology/Principal Findings
This study was conducted in September 2014 in 15 communities in Monrovia and Montserrado County, Liberia – one of the epicenters of the Ebola outbreak. Findings from 15 focus group discussions with 386 community leaders identified strategies being undertaken and recommendations for what a community-based response to Ebola should look like under then-existing conditions. Data were collected on the following topics: prevention, surveillance, care-giving, community-based treatment and support, networks and hotlines, response teams, Ebola treatment units (ETUs) and hospitals, the management of corpses, quarantine and isolation, orphans, memorialization, and the need for community-based training and education. Findings have been presented as community-based strategies and recommendations for (1) prevention, (2) treatment and response, and (3) community sequelae and recovery. Several models for community-based management of the current Ebola outbreak were proposed. Additional findings indicate positive attitudes towards early Ebola survivors, and the need for community-based psychosocial support.
Conclusions/Significance
Local communities’ strategies and recommendations give insight into how urban Liberian communities contained the EVD outbreak while navigating the systemic failures of the initial state and international response. Communities in urban Liberia adapted to the epidemic using multiple coping strategies. In the absence of health, infrastructural and material supports, local people engaged in self-reliance in order to contain the epidemic at the micro-social level. These innovations were regarded as necessary, but as less desirable than a well-supported health-systems based response; and were seen as involving considerable individual, social, and public health costs, including heightened vulnerability to infection.