Thare Machi Education (Isle of Man) is launching a new resource this week to help stop the spread of the deadly Ebola Virus in Africa. Funded by the Isle of Man International Development Committee through a grant awarded earlier this month, the resource is an interactive audio visual lesson produced in the languages of the countries worst affected.
One of the major problems in stemming the outbreak in three African countries has been the lack of good, clear, accurate advice for people to follow in order to stay healthy. The new lesson provides this advice and, crucially, plays in the local language.
The lesson will be distributed free of charge in English and French initially with the Krio language for Sierra Leone following in the next few days. TME (Isle of Man) is already developing links with partner groups in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia and it is anticipated the lesson could be in use in all three countries before the end of November.
The new lesson will be available in two forms, a DVD disc and an online version, downloadable from http://lite.tme.org.uk The new Ebola lesson will be put online during the week of 17th November but there is a sample of a related lesson on basic hygiene which can be viewed here: http://tme.org.uk/ebola/
Whilst the online version is readily available and works on most modern computer browsers, the DVD can be used in remote rural areas using portable DVD players which can re-charge the battery from a 12 volt supply.
TME (Isle of Man) has already been in contact with the Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone and he has specifically requested copies of the new DVD resource.
Three cases of Ebola have recently been confirmed in Mali, a country which is not well placed to resist a major outbreak. The French version of the new lesson is already being prepared for dispatch.
In addition, businessmen in Zimbabwe have requested the new Ebola lesson in the Shona language as, although it is not posing an immediate threat in that country, one infected person arriving on an aeroplane from West Africa could change that very quickly. Being prepared with appropriate resources could be key and this new Isle of Man funded initiative will be one of the first resources in Zimbabwe targeted at prevention in the local language. The Shona version is expected to be finished by 1st December.
Thare Machi Education (Isle of Man) was registered on the Isle of Man in 2013 in collaboration with the One World Centre based in St Johns. The charity is building on the work previously done by the UK registered charity of the same name but harnessing some of the surprisingly rich international links enjoyed by the Island.
TME (Isle of Man) representative and One World Centre Director Rosemary Clarke said:
“It is really exciting that the Isle of Man has been critical to getting these potentially life-saving resources out quickly and effectively. We are now looking for as many contacts as possible in the countries affected by the crisis so that we can publicise and make the lesson available as widely and as quickly as possible.”
Photo: The Isle of Man branded Ebola education disk
