23 October 2014
It is early morning in Nairobi as I am preparing to depart
for a 90 days deployment to WFP’s Ebola Response in Monrovia, Liberia. It was
only a little more than a week ago that I was called for this mission by the
Deputy Executive Director of WFP.
The sky is orange from the first rays of sun. My taxi passes
through the morning traffic in the industrial area of Nairobi as I make my way
to Jomo Kenyatta Airport. I will be missing my family and friends in Kenya, but
from now on I will have to set my mind in emergency mode.
Since all commercial flights in Africa have stopped going to
any of the Ebola affected areas, my route will be from Nairobi to Dakar, and
further on with UNHAS (United Nations Humanitarian Air Service) to Monrovia
next day.
The flight practically crosses the continent from East to
West, and is scheduled for 9 hours with a short stop-over in Abidjan, Ivory
Coast.
The plane passes the great Lake Victoria, Uganda, and the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Huge rivers carve their way through massive
dense forest underneath us, and I can not help wondering which one of them is
Ebola. The river that gave name to the first outbreak of the virus in 1978.
I am reading the Economist that has a front page covered
with a picture of a nurse in protective gear. She looks like someone who is
about to enter a space shuttle, but in fact she is in Monrovia, where I will be
arriving tomorrow.
Arriving in Dakar makes me reflect on the subtle differences
between the former French and British colonies. The airport does not compare to
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and the pace in service is a decade behind
Kenya. However, the City appears to have solved some of the logistical problems
that notoriously bothers the citizens of Nairobi. I even observed a police
officer stopping traffic to allow a mother and son to pass the road in a busy
intersection. Unthinkable in Nairobi.
24 October
Up at the brake of dawn. I need to be at the military
airport by 7.30 hours to get on the UNHAS flight that will take me to Monrovia.
The procedure that passengers have to go through bare witness to the gravity
and fear of further spread of the Ebola virus. All passengers are checked for
temperatures and hand washing is taking place prior to entering the facility.
The nurse that meets you looks much like the nurse I had seen on the cover of
the Economist. Stigma is slowly moving closer, as I reflect upon the threat of
us being trapped in the epicentre of the Ebola epidemic, with no human traffic
being accepted into the neighbouring countries.
On my way to Monrovia the Canadian build Bombardier 100
aircraft drops passengers in Conakry,
Guinea and Freetown, Sierra Leone. Both Guinea and Sierra Leone has experienced
heavy sustained rainfall recently, which was visible from the air as massive land areas were flooded. A ‘perfect storm’ when malaria and Ebola
strikes at the same time while health care resources are stretched to the limit.
In Freetown a small group of MSF doctors and nurses entered
the aircraft to continue onwards to Monrovia. They all looked exhausted and
psychologically affected by the experience they came from in Sierra Leone.
In Monrovia the International Airport is completely empty.
The only air crafts and helicopters here are labeled with WFP logos.
I am picked by a driver (David) who has his radio going.
The song “Ebola it Real” is playing, with its raw hip hop beat and street slang.
This might just be an effective messaging
tool for the youngsters here.
As we go along, the driver points out the visible behavioral
changes taking place in the daily lives of Liberians. Hand washing facilities with
chlorine from little buckets are visible along the streets and by the entrances
of most houses. Greetings are no longer by hand but by elbow. No hugs, safe
distance!
The visibility of the UN is high in a country that has undergone
years of civil war during the rule of Charles Taylor and prior to that. UNMIL (United Nations Mission to Liberia) has had
peacekeeping forces here for years, and only recently a new Liberians police force has been trained. The horrors of the past are witnessed by an unusual
high number of adults with chopped feet and hands, many of them were children
when mutilated by other child soldiers.
In the perimeter of the city MSF is treating a large number
of Ebola patients. It is a grim reminder of what silently spreads through the
slums of Monrovia at an alarming speed.
The public information efforts by the Government, UN, and NGOs are
communicated through television, radio, and awareness posters. Messaging on Ebola has high
visibility across town.
Entering the WFP Office in Monrovia is an awakening.
Although resources are beginning to come through, WFP itself has an old rundown
building, not appearing to have been constructed for the purpose of being an
office, and clearly not large enough to accommodate for the full Ebola Response Team.
Staff are therefore being placed at several locations.
In addition to the main WFP Office, there are offices at the Port and in the Airport.
I have now signed in and will be getting my UN
identification card and phone line within the next few days. My IT equipment was
prepared in Nairobi prior to deployment.
25 October
Ebola is a
simple virus, but also a subtle one. When the virus infects a cell the
polymerese makes copies of the genome (RNA) and the cell is ticked into using
these to make the proteins that the virus needs. These include two, called VP35
and VP24, which stymie interferons from being made; a class of molecule that
alerts the immune system to infection. VP 35 prevents interferons from being
made; VP24 stops their cries for help from being heard. Immune cells which the
virus attacks in the bloodstream early on carry the infection to the liver, the
spleen and lymph nodes. Symptoms may manifest themselves in a day or two or may
wait weeks. Eventually the virus’s spread triggers an immune overreaction known
as a cytokine storm. Blood vessel walls become leaky, blood pressure and core
temperature drop, organs fail and the body goes into shock. In the current West
African outbreak, 70 percent of the virus infected have died.
Today WHO reports that the number of Ebola infected has
risen to more than 10,000 and that the number of confirmed deaths has reached
4,922. Liberia has taken the highest toll of all with 2,705 deaths so far.
However, these are just the confirmed cases. Some NGO’s are reporting that
entire villages in Liberia has been wiped out in the northern provinces of the
country.
WHO estimates that the treatment costs of maintaining a 50
bed isolation centre amounts to approximately US $ 900,000 a month. Translating
this into what WFP has delivered in Monrovia alone, the operational costs of
1,200 beds would amount to 21.6 million US dollars a month. In the worst case
scenario we are looking at monthly costs of 1-2 billion US a month in December
2014 if 100,000 beds will be required.
US military has arrived in Monrovia today and will commence
with the construction of isolation centres with approximately 1,700 beds.
One of the most effective means of decreasing the spread of Ebola
is to minimize the movement and contact between people (all schools are closed in Liberia), trade and commerce is therefore slowly coming to a
stand still, while agricultural production is already contracting due to restrictions in market access.
If the trend continues, access to food might soon become scarce, and Liberians will face a scenario where people will start moving to larger cities to find food. WFP
therefore needs to scale up food deliveries to targeted communities most affected by Ebola, to ensure that undernutrtion is not added to the problems faced by the health care system.
I now have a small room with a tea kitchen, shower, and
bathroom. Nothing fancy, but I do have a TV and access to BBC and CNN.
My Internet connection is extremely slow, but I will get a dongle from the office in the coming days. I chose this place after realizing
that prices have sky rocketed due to the massive influx of internationals arriving in
Monrovia as part of the Ebola Response. I paid US $ 1,200 in cash to the Lebanese owners for a months
contract. I am 50 m from the ocean, and I found a restaurant on the beach that sells cold beer.
It is very humid and the temperature has been well beyond 30 degrees today, however my body temperature remained stable at the various daily
checks that we go through. It is interesting to observe how casual labourers at
our construction sites have their temperatures written down on a piece of paper
that is tagged onto the sleeve of their shirts. They are checked three times
daily.
26 October
It is Sunday at the office. More people are arriving in support of WFP operations in Liberia. Today I met colleagues from our Country Operations in Central African Republic, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Ethiopia.
The scope of the operation is huge. WFP must scale-up to meet the ever increasing demands for medical equipment and supplies to health workers, and I am engaging with our colleagues in the Liberia Country Office to understand what contracts are currently in place, and what additional capacity can be found within the country.
Liberia is 94,000 square kilometers (more than twice the size of Denmark) and borders to Sierra Leone in West, Guinea in North, and Ivory Coast in East. The country has less than 700 km of paved roads, and the recent rains has caused a nightmare scenario for land side transportation.
The countries population is smaller than all of its neighbouring countries at approximately 4 million people. This is partly due to the huge migration of Liberians to the United States, as well as the effect of decades of civil war and instability. Although the country is fertile with some of the best water resources in the world, the country only ranks 175 in the Human Development Index among the worlds 187 economies.
Liberia relies heavily on foreign assistance and remittances. Civil war, corruption and government mismanagement of national resources has destroyed much of the countries economy, especially the infrastructure.
The country is facing major challenges with an official unemployment rate of close to 80 percent. Unless the government manages to stimulating the local economy through improved infrastructure and access to markets for private enterprise, its challenges will only increase as more than 40 percent of the population is below 14 years of age.
If the fundamental problems are not dealt effectively, there is a real risk that the country could return to the conditions of the past with civil unrest and war. This may however not worry or affect the private lives of the power elite in Liberia, as they are bound to take the first flight out of the country to and settle for a life in the United States, where most wealthy Liberians have their primary addresses.
Many parliamentarians elected in Liberia spend more time in the United States than in Liberia!
As for WFP and the Logistics Cluster activities, we will only have to deal with the immediate challenge of operating on muddy roads, and find ways to bring a fast fix to a situation that requires sustained efforts. I truly hope for a brighter future for the children of this country. Two generations have lost out on proper schooling, so it will not be easy to overcome the challenges here.
Maybe we should bring in 1,000 Kikuyu's to cultivate the land, as one colleague from Kenya pointed out. "It will not take 1,000 Kikuyu's more than 3 years to make a real change in the economy of this country".
Many parliamentarians elected in Liberia spend more time in the United States than in Liberia!
As for WFP and the Logistics Cluster activities, we will only have to deal with the immediate challenge of operating on muddy roads, and find ways to bring a fast fix to a situation that requires sustained efforts. I truly hope for a brighter future for the children of this country. Two generations have lost out on proper schooling, so it will not be easy to overcome the challenges here.
Maybe we should bring in 1,000 Kikuyu's to cultivate the land, as one colleague from Kenya pointed out. "It will not take 1,000 Kikuyu's more than 3 years to make a real change in the economy of this country".
October 27
Monday morning briefing. This is the first time I see the entire operations team in Monrovia. The Special Operation Unit comprises of Aviation, Logistics, Engineers, IT-, and Public Information Officers.
It is a dedicated team, and while some are newcomers like me, others are already deeply engaged in projects that are progressing with a strong sense of urgency. The situation simply requires immediate action, and the team is focused and inspired by the guidance of senior staff that have been through numerous emergencies across the world.
Importantly, a budget proposal to the United States for US $ 68 million was finalized. In addition to food distributions, WFP delivers medical equipment, beds, mobile storage units, fuel, etc. to destinations across the country.
October 28
Today the Liberia TEAM had a visit from WFP Assistant Executive Director Ramiro Lopes Da Silva and the Regional Director for West Africa Denise Brown. They will be with us for the next two days getting an overview of the operation as it is progressing.
My work has been focused on getting additional logistics capacity through the Republic of Guinea to Liberia. Here we only have approximately ten private partnerships for land-side transportation, and they are beginning to refuse some of the destinations that require immediate transportation.
It is not easy to import trucks from Guinea to Liberia, and have them running with drivers from another Ebola affected country, but since we are in dire need of additional capacity I have been trying to push this through in a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The coming days or weeks will reveal how effective the system is to respond to such a request.
Meanwhile I have decided to call a meeting with all transporters to understand why they are refusing to go to certain destinations, and remind them of their contractual obligations. Either way, we will need to find a short term solution, even though this is not a buyers market.
We have engineers waiting for construction materials, which will be way more expensive than what these transporters may demand in incentives to move equipment to those destinations. We gotta move on this quickly.
October 29
It turns out that the local transport arrangement is not to blame for the delay or reluctance of contracted companies to move our cargo. The problem is illustrated below:
The issue has now been resolved through contracting of smaller and more mobile trucks with 5-10 mt capacity to take the route from our logistics hub in Monrovia to Zwedru Sub-Office.
The pressure is on to get equipment and food moving to the treatment centres, while stocks are arriving in increased quantities by the day to the Monrovia Logistics Hub by Air and Sea.
Liberia's Red Cross today reported that their teams had collected 117 bodies last week, down from a high of 315 in September. It therefore appears that the efforts of isolation, treatment, and safer burials is having a real effect across the country. Hopefully this trend will continue, but it all depends on the sustained efforts throughout a longer time period.
Also, the Ebola Virus is known to follow a pattern of going into 'sleep' for a while, followed by yet another round of vicious outbreaks.
30 October
It is a week since I left Nairobi now. It feels like more. So many thoughts have gone through my mind, long work-days, and I have not rested well at any point since I arrived.
I will need to try to sleep early tonight, but the constant influx of news keeps me awake.
The lady at the guesthouse keeps wanting to give me back some money I paid for gas to my stove, but I am out of my room before the office is open in the morning and I return back after it closes. Maybe I will catch her over the weekend?
We are going to work on establishing contracts for our own fuel depots at the FLB's across the country. Although there is an agreement with UNMIL having fuel resources in strategic locations, fuel drums and manual pumps will be required to keep the generators going at treatment centers and guesthouses for humanitarian aid workers.
Also, I have set up a meeting with a local merchant who has indicated interest in leasing a vessel that could carry equipment and food from Monrovia in north-west to Harper in the south-east. If we land an agreement we could use the vessel to taxi goods between all accessible ports. The indicated capacity is approximately 60 MT full truck loads.
I have organized a meeting with all contracted transporters tomorrow morning to re-assess their capacity, brief them on our operations, and see if we can squeeze some more capacity out of them. Transporters are known to be resourceful.
I now have my Liberian drivers licence, which grants me the right to drive cars, trucks, buses, and motorbikes. I have a picture to prove it!
31 October
This morning I moved from an apartment on the ground floor to one on the second floor. It makes a huge difference as I can now tell the difference between day and night. The rain continues to fall in buckets over Monrovia and the rest of the country, affecting road access to large parts of the country.
I had organized two meetings today to address the issue of access and capacity in the most remote destinations.
My first meeting was with Mr Talal Labban, a self-made Lebanese businessman, who now operates the first ferry service from Monrovia to Harper. The ferry is an interesting alternative to land-side transportation since we are in the process of establishing office- and warehouse space there, supporting the Ebola Response in the South-Eastern Districts of the country.
Mr. Labban was excited about the prospect of making business, and he looked very pleased with the weather, as it was pouring down, which makes his ferry even more attractive as alternative to the muddy roads. He said "With this weather it will be a while before you can pass by road to Harper. You should come and see my vessels tomorrow, and we can even eat lunch on board my ferry". He gave me his email details, which made me giggle talaliban@gmail.com.
I will meet him tomorrow for lunch.
In the afternoon I had scheduled a meeting with private sector transport partners, and I took the time to inspect WFP warehouses, that were in the process of receiving rice from a vessel that had arrived in the morning. We are pushing on to make deliveries, and more than 5,000 mt of food has reached beneficiaries for the past month. Great accomplishment I might add.
I had a successful meeting with our partners, and I managed to squeeze both commitment, ideas, and solutions to some of the immediate problems we are facing.
We will move forward with a small mobile and dedicated fleet to our Forward Logistics Bases (FLB's). All will soon avail of two 10 mt 4 x 4's on daily rentals. These will allow for much more flexibility in assisting partners and NGO's with various types of commodity transport.
1 November
This Saturday I allowed myself to sleep until 8.30 before making my way to the office. This makes the day a bit special from other days, as there is no operations meeting in the weekend mornings. In every other regard weekends and work days are the same.
After six weeks in Liberia - staff are entitled to a week of "Rest and Recuperation" (R&R). This could take place in either Dakar or Accra, Nairobi is not allowed. For many however, there has been no R&R, as there has been no replacements arriving.
WFP is working hard on getting staff to join, but the organization is squeezed as never before due to 4 ongoing emergencies. Syria, South Sudan, Central African Republic, and the Regional Ebola Response in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
I held a meeting with Mr. Labban and inspected the largest of his three vessels operating from Monrovia to the South-East coast of the country. The vessel is a 35 year old Spanish ferry with a transport capacity of 5,500 MT. His two other ships are former fishing boats with a capacity of 400 mt and 110 mt. All types of vessels can be useful in our supply chain.
Before we finalize a request for quotation, I need to know what these guys are capable of, as we are moving high density food as well as bulky equipment.
It turns out that Mr. Labbans vessels are able to ferry smaller loads to the shore, even where there is no port. In these locations he plans on using motorised rescue boats from the main vessel to bring the goods to shore, from where a pick-up truck can deliver door-to-door. I guess this is as close to UPS as you get in Liberia, but everything comes at a cost.
I have a rough estimate and I believe it is worth testing this market, providing an alternative to muddy roads.
2 November
This morning Oscar and I cruised down-town, while preaching was taking place in the Churches around Monrovia. The streets were practically empty in the downtown area. Coming towards the shore you can see West Point, which is the biggest slum in West Africa, and the epicentre of Ebola in Monrovia.
From the top of a hill you can view the city and the bays along the seashore. It looks beautiful from a distance, but you would not want to get in the water anywhere around here. Either you will be drawn to deep sea by the violent current or you are likely to be exposed to waste from sewage going straight into the ocean. The beach at West Point is basically one big open toilet.
On the way back to the office we stop to have a look at some small booths selling local art. This turns out out to be a bit of a gold mine. Old dusty masks from across the country are on display. They are unique and original, and they have a magical spiritual feel to them. Such masks go for thousands of dollars in Nairobi and New York, but it appears that the art collectors missed out on the Liberian masks due to the fact that no tourists ever really visit this country.
This afternoon I will aim at taking a swim in the pool. Having restricted mobility, there are few options for exercise.
We can not complain about the food in general, but the selection and availability of vegetables and fruits is limited, and if you find something green you must exchange with an equal amount of green (dollars - dead presidents).
3 November
More people are arriving today. A new week gets of the mark with an update for the week ahead. A seemingly endless number of coordination meetings are taking place.
Since I arrived, plenty of stocks are beginning to pile up in warehouses around Monrovia, and WFP is pushing hard for a distribution plan that will allow us to begin the preposition of stocks around the country. Most of the stocks are meant for emergency treatment units.
Today, I finalized two RFQ's; one for Provision of dedicated transport capacity for our Forward Logistics Bases (FLB's), another for Coastal Sea Transport.
I have also initiated a search for 250 l fuel drums and manual pumps.
4 November
I am awaiting offers for my RFQ's and should have contracts in place early next week. It is always a bit of a process to have such initiatives approved, but I am confident that these contracts will be extremely helpful in weeks to come, when partners will take advantage of WFP's logistics support in the most remote parts of the country.
Fuel drums are not easy to get by here in Monrovia. TOTAL does not have any of the sort, and local dealers only have small stocks available. Therefore I have taken a different approach, attempting to get 2,000 US gallon tanks, from which we can tap fuel into drums.
In the evening I went with a couple of colleagues to a downtown joint on Randall Street. The place is called Monroe Chicken, celebrating US President Monroe, who was the founding father of the Lone Star State of Africa.
We were all pretty amazed to find Franziskaner Pilsner in a burger restaurant. Why not?
Liberia gained independence from the United States in 1847 as the first state among the former African colonies. Historians believe that many of the indigenous people of Liberia migrated there from the north and east between the 12th and 16th centuries AD.
Portuguese explorers established contacts with people of the land later known as "Liberia" as early as 1461. They named the area Costa da Pimenta (Pepper Coast) because of the abundance of melegueta pepper. Even today, the most popular Liberian dish is pepper soup!
In 1602 the Dutch established a trading post at Grand Cape Mount but destroyed it a year later. In 1663, the British installed trading posts on the Pepper Coast. No further known settlements by non-African colonists occurred until the arrival in 1821 of free blacks from the United States.
5 November
Getting close to two weeks in Liberia, and the global reporting on Ebola has cooled down significantly in the last few days. The news channels are looking for other topics to cover, but here EBOLA is still real. Either way, the focus has in reality mostly been about protecting the citizens of other countries from the spread of the virus. U.S. and Europeans returning to their homes, and what kind of quarantine measures are needed.
People are the real factor. People that become aware, who change their daily routines, particularly when it comes to hygiene and safe burials. This is what ultimately will defeat the virus here, others can afford to wait for a vaccine.
For us who have travelled from Nairobi in support of the Ebola Response in West Africa, the situation is such, that we risk to be placed in quarantine at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, unless we have stayed 21 days outside an Ebola Affected country prior to arrival.
Unfortunately this is a demotivating factor for anyone who has a life to return to.
However, once you are here, all negative thoughts must be put aside. You must cope with the reality here. Remind yourself that you are privileged, and you are helping someone who needs you to be working efficiently to put an end to the suffering right here, right now.
6 November
Today 40 WFP trucks were loaded onto a vessel in Rotterdam destined for the Liberia. The vehicles are donated by the Dutch Government and have previously served the military.
As can be seen below, the trucks are now painted and have undergone thorough maintenance before being loaded onto the vessel. Check it out!
We are looking forward to receiving them on the 18 November, by when I should have cleared registration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The trucks will primarily support the Forward Logistics Bases and make final leg deliveries.
On a personal note, I have purchased two items that have improved my daily quality of life. I bought a small electric water boiler for tea and coffee, and a portable speaker with bluetooth connectivity.
7 November
This morning we learned that the number of Ebola outbreaks are diminishing in Liberia. Although data sources are not completely accurate or reliable, all indications from various sources indicate that the situation is improving in most parts of the country.
Meanwhile, it seems that the situation in Sierra Leone and Guinea has not improved, and the efforts to contain the virus may be more difficult due to higher population density and mobility. It is also said that the hygienic measures applied in Liberia, have not caught on in the same way in particularly in Sierra Leone, where health workers are viewed with much scepticism.
On Fridays there is a feeling of more urgency with all of the paper work that needs signing prior to weekends. This may seem odd as the staff that are here for the Special Operation (Ebola Response) do not really observe weekends. This is however not the case for Liberia Country Office staff, as they still operate with a normal work schedule.
This evening the team went out for dinner at Mamba Point which is one of the Hotels that is making a good profit as a consequence of the Ebola Virus.
Food was excellent and the draught beer pipes were flowing reasonably well.
8 November
At the office by 9:30. Working on getting a fleet of drivers for the 40 trucks donated by Holland. My strategy is to get one company with financial muscle and experience to manage drivers, while we as WFP will direct them to their final destinations from our forward logistics bases.
Also, we received news that 25 land cruisers and hi lux pick up trucks will be flown in from Dubai on Tuesday and Friday, so I have again requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist us with clearances, registration, and number plates.
Finally I have been working with HQ to tap into an MoU with Caterpillar to deliver forklifts for our operations. We require seven 3 mt capacity 4 x 4's, one telehandler for the airport, and a huge 15 mt forklift for empty containers at the Logistics Hub in Monrovia.
From the United Nations Humanitarian Emergency Depot located in Accra, we are procuring wrapping film and wrapping machines to assist UNICEF and WHO to make custom fit kits for the various health clinics in need of stocks.
Finally, I made it to the great little super market "Stop & Shop" located a couple of kilometres from where I live. There is not much in terms of meat, vegetables, or dairy products - but you can find frozen Danish sausages, vegetables, and butter.
9 November
Unlike what the name would suggest, there is nothing futuristic or galactic about the "Star Base". Here you can buy basic canned food, cheap alcohol, frozen meat and a bit of cereals.
October 28
Today the Liberia TEAM had a visit from WFP Assistant Executive Director Ramiro Lopes Da Silva and the Regional Director for West Africa Denise Brown. They will be with us for the next two days getting an overview of the operation as it is progressing.
My work has been focused on getting additional logistics capacity through the Republic of Guinea to Liberia. Here we only have approximately ten private partnerships for land-side transportation, and they are beginning to refuse some of the destinations that require immediate transportation.
It is not easy to import trucks from Guinea to Liberia, and have them running with drivers from another Ebola affected country, but since we are in dire need of additional capacity I have been trying to push this through in a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The coming days or weeks will reveal how effective the system is to respond to such a request.
Meanwhile I have decided to call a meeting with all transporters to understand why they are refusing to go to certain destinations, and remind them of their contractual obligations. Either way, we will need to find a short term solution, even though this is not a buyers market.
We have engineers waiting for construction materials, which will be way more expensive than what these transporters may demand in incentives to move equipment to those destinations. We gotta move on this quickly.
October 29
It turns out that the local transport arrangement is not to blame for the delay or reluctance of contracted companies to move our cargo. The problem is illustrated below:
The issue has now been resolved through contracting of smaller and more mobile trucks with 5-10 mt capacity to take the route from our logistics hub in Monrovia to Zwedru Sub-Office.
The pressure is on to get equipment and food moving to the treatment centres, while stocks are arriving in increased quantities by the day to the Monrovia Logistics Hub by Air and Sea.
Liberia's Red Cross today reported that their teams had collected 117 bodies last week, down from a high of 315 in September. It therefore appears that the efforts of isolation, treatment, and safer burials is having a real effect across the country. Hopefully this trend will continue, but it all depends on the sustained efforts throughout a longer time period.
Also, the Ebola Virus is known to follow a pattern of going into 'sleep' for a while, followed by yet another round of vicious outbreaks.
30 October
It is a week since I left Nairobi now. It feels like more. So many thoughts have gone through my mind, long work-days, and I have not rested well at any point since I arrived.
I will need to try to sleep early tonight, but the constant influx of news keeps me awake.
The lady at the guesthouse keeps wanting to give me back some money I paid for gas to my stove, but I am out of my room before the office is open in the morning and I return back after it closes. Maybe I will catch her over the weekend?
We are going to work on establishing contracts for our own fuel depots at the FLB's across the country. Although there is an agreement with UNMIL having fuel resources in strategic locations, fuel drums and manual pumps will be required to keep the generators going at treatment centers and guesthouses for humanitarian aid workers.
Also, I have set up a meeting with a local merchant who has indicated interest in leasing a vessel that could carry equipment and food from Monrovia in north-west to Harper in the south-east. If we land an agreement we could use the vessel to taxi goods between all accessible ports. The indicated capacity is approximately 60 MT full truck loads.
I have organized a meeting with all contracted transporters tomorrow morning to re-assess their capacity, brief them on our operations, and see if we can squeeze some more capacity out of them. Transporters are known to be resourceful.
I now have my Liberian drivers licence, which grants me the right to drive cars, trucks, buses, and motorbikes. I have a picture to prove it!
This morning I moved from an apartment on the ground floor to one on the second floor. It makes a huge difference as I can now tell the difference between day and night. The rain continues to fall in buckets over Monrovia and the rest of the country, affecting road access to large parts of the country.
I had organized two meetings today to address the issue of access and capacity in the most remote destinations.
My first meeting was with Mr Talal Labban, a self-made Lebanese businessman, who now operates the first ferry service from Monrovia to Harper. The ferry is an interesting alternative to land-side transportation since we are in the process of establishing office- and warehouse space there, supporting the Ebola Response in the South-Eastern Districts of the country.
Mr. Labban was excited about the prospect of making business, and he looked very pleased with the weather, as it was pouring down, which makes his ferry even more attractive as alternative to the muddy roads. He said "With this weather it will be a while before you can pass by road to Harper. You should come and see my vessels tomorrow, and we can even eat lunch on board my ferry". He gave me his email details, which made me giggle talaliban@gmail.com.
I will meet him tomorrow for lunch.
In the afternoon I had scheduled a meeting with private sector transport partners, and I took the time to inspect WFP warehouses, that were in the process of receiving rice from a vessel that had arrived in the morning. We are pushing on to make deliveries, and more than 5,000 mt of food has reached beneficiaries for the past month. Great accomplishment I might add.
I had a successful meeting with our partners, and I managed to squeeze both commitment, ideas, and solutions to some of the immediate problems we are facing.
We will move forward with a small mobile and dedicated fleet to our Forward Logistics Bases (FLB's). All will soon avail of two 10 mt 4 x 4's on daily rentals. These will allow for much more flexibility in assisting partners and NGO's with various types of commodity transport.
1 November
This Saturday I allowed myself to sleep until 8.30 before making my way to the office. This makes the day a bit special from other days, as there is no operations meeting in the weekend mornings. In every other regard weekends and work days are the same.
After six weeks in Liberia - staff are entitled to a week of "Rest and Recuperation" (R&R). This could take place in either Dakar or Accra, Nairobi is not allowed. For many however, there has been no R&R, as there has been no replacements arriving.
WFP is working hard on getting staff to join, but the organization is squeezed as never before due to 4 ongoing emergencies. Syria, South Sudan, Central African Republic, and the Regional Ebola Response in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
I held a meeting with Mr. Labban and inspected the largest of his three vessels operating from Monrovia to the South-East coast of the country. The vessel is a 35 year old Spanish ferry with a transport capacity of 5,500 MT. His two other ships are former fishing boats with a capacity of 400 mt and 110 mt. All types of vessels can be useful in our supply chain.
Before we finalize a request for quotation, I need to know what these guys are capable of, as we are moving high density food as well as bulky equipment.
It turns out that Mr. Labbans vessels are able to ferry smaller loads to the shore, even where there is no port. In these locations he plans on using motorised rescue boats from the main vessel to bring the goods to shore, from where a pick-up truck can deliver door-to-door. I guess this is as close to UPS as you get in Liberia, but everything comes at a cost.
I have a rough estimate and I believe it is worth testing this market, providing an alternative to muddy roads.
2 November
This morning Oscar and I cruised down-town, while preaching was taking place in the Churches around Monrovia. The streets were practically empty in the downtown area. Coming towards the shore you can see West Point, which is the biggest slum in West Africa, and the epicentre of Ebola in Monrovia.
From the top of a hill you can view the city and the bays along the seashore. It looks beautiful from a distance, but you would not want to get in the water anywhere around here. Either you will be drawn to deep sea by the violent current or you are likely to be exposed to waste from sewage going straight into the ocean. The beach at West Point is basically one big open toilet.
On the way back to the office we stop to have a look at some small booths selling local art. This turns out out to be a bit of a gold mine. Old dusty masks from across the country are on display. They are unique and original, and they have a magical spiritual feel to them. Such masks go for thousands of dollars in Nairobi and New York, but it appears that the art collectors missed out on the Liberian masks due to the fact that no tourists ever really visit this country.
This afternoon I will aim at taking a swim in the pool. Having restricted mobility, there are few options for exercise.
We can not complain about the food in general, but the selection and availability of vegetables and fruits is limited, and if you find something green you must exchange with an equal amount of green (dollars - dead presidents).
3 November
More people are arriving today. A new week gets of the mark with an update for the week ahead. A seemingly endless number of coordination meetings are taking place.
Since I arrived, plenty of stocks are beginning to pile up in warehouses around Monrovia, and WFP is pushing hard for a distribution plan that will allow us to begin the preposition of stocks around the country. Most of the stocks are meant for emergency treatment units.
Today, I finalized two RFQ's; one for Provision of dedicated transport capacity for our Forward Logistics Bases (FLB's), another for Coastal Sea Transport.
I have also initiated a search for 250 l fuel drums and manual pumps.
4 November
I am awaiting offers for my RFQ's and should have contracts in place early next week. It is always a bit of a process to have such initiatives approved, but I am confident that these contracts will be extremely helpful in weeks to come, when partners will take advantage of WFP's logistics support in the most remote parts of the country.
Fuel drums are not easy to get by here in Monrovia. TOTAL does not have any of the sort, and local dealers only have small stocks available. Therefore I have taken a different approach, attempting to get 2,000 US gallon tanks, from which we can tap fuel into drums.
In the evening I went with a couple of colleagues to a downtown joint on Randall Street. The place is called Monroe Chicken, celebrating US President Monroe, who was the founding father of the Lone Star State of Africa.
We were all pretty amazed to find Franziskaner Pilsner in a burger restaurant. Why not?
Liberia gained independence from the United States in 1847 as the first state among the former African colonies. Historians believe that many of the indigenous people of Liberia migrated there from the north and east between the 12th and 16th centuries AD.
Portuguese explorers established contacts with people of the land later known as "Liberia" as early as 1461. They named the area Costa da Pimenta (Pepper Coast) because of the abundance of melegueta pepper. Even today, the most popular Liberian dish is pepper soup!
In 1602 the Dutch established a trading post at Grand Cape Mount but destroyed it a year later. In 1663, the British installed trading posts on the Pepper Coast. No further known settlements by non-African colonists occurred until the arrival in 1821 of free blacks from the United States.
5 November
Getting close to two weeks in Liberia, and the global reporting on Ebola has cooled down significantly in the last few days. The news channels are looking for other topics to cover, but here EBOLA is still real. Either way, the focus has in reality mostly been about protecting the citizens of other countries from the spread of the virus. U.S. and Europeans returning to their homes, and what kind of quarantine measures are needed.
People are the real factor. People that become aware, who change their daily routines, particularly when it comes to hygiene and safe burials. This is what ultimately will defeat the virus here, others can afford to wait for a vaccine.
For us who have travelled from Nairobi in support of the Ebola Response in West Africa, the situation is such, that we risk to be placed in quarantine at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, unless we have stayed 21 days outside an Ebola Affected country prior to arrival.
Unfortunately this is a demotivating factor for anyone who has a life to return to.
However, once you are here, all negative thoughts must be put aside. You must cope with the reality here. Remind yourself that you are privileged, and you are helping someone who needs you to be working efficiently to put an end to the suffering right here, right now.
6 November
Today 40 WFP trucks were loaded onto a vessel in Rotterdam destined for the Liberia. The vehicles are donated by the Dutch Government and have previously served the military.
As can be seen below, the trucks are now painted and have undergone thorough maintenance before being loaded onto the vessel. Check it out!
We are looking forward to receiving them on the 18 November, by when I should have cleared registration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The trucks will primarily support the Forward Logistics Bases and make final leg deliveries.
On a personal note, I have purchased two items that have improved my daily quality of life. I bought a small electric water boiler for tea and coffee, and a portable speaker with bluetooth connectivity.
7 November
This morning we learned that the number of Ebola outbreaks are diminishing in Liberia. Although data sources are not completely accurate or reliable, all indications from various sources indicate that the situation is improving in most parts of the country.
Meanwhile, it seems that the situation in Sierra Leone and Guinea has not improved, and the efforts to contain the virus may be more difficult due to higher population density and mobility. It is also said that the hygienic measures applied in Liberia, have not caught on in the same way in particularly in Sierra Leone, where health workers are viewed with much scepticism.
On Fridays there is a feeling of more urgency with all of the paper work that needs signing prior to weekends. This may seem odd as the staff that are here for the Special Operation (Ebola Response) do not really observe weekends. This is however not the case for Liberia Country Office staff, as they still operate with a normal work schedule.
This evening the team went out for dinner at Mamba Point which is one of the Hotels that is making a good profit as a consequence of the Ebola Virus.
Food was excellent and the draught beer pipes were flowing reasonably well.
8 November
At the office by 9:30. Working on getting a fleet of drivers for the 40 trucks donated by Holland. My strategy is to get one company with financial muscle and experience to manage drivers, while we as WFP will direct them to their final destinations from our forward logistics bases.
Also, we received news that 25 land cruisers and hi lux pick up trucks will be flown in from Dubai on Tuesday and Friday, so I have again requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist us with clearances, registration, and number plates.
Finally I have been working with HQ to tap into an MoU with Caterpillar to deliver forklifts for our operations. We require seven 3 mt capacity 4 x 4's, one telehandler for the airport, and a huge 15 mt forklift for empty containers at the Logistics Hub in Monrovia.
From the United Nations Humanitarian Emergency Depot located in Accra, we are procuring wrapping film and wrapping machines to assist UNICEF and WHO to make custom fit kits for the various health clinics in need of stocks.
Finally, I made it to the great little super market "Stop & Shop" located a couple of kilometres from where I live. There is not much in terms of meat, vegetables, or dairy products - but you can find frozen Danish sausages, vegetables, and butter.
9 November
Unlike what the name would suggest, there is nothing futuristic or galactic about the "Star Base". Here you can buy basic canned food, cheap alcohol, frozen meat and a bit of cereals.
I got myself a blanket to enhance the effectiveness of my sleep.
On the way back, we drove through town and passed a very busy street market. Freshly baked bread made my day, and I had a good lunch before making my way down to take a long walk along the beach.Lots of people were walking with their finest Sunday clothes.
When Liberia issued their own currency in 1847 it was on par with the US dollar. Today the currency is used as change for US dollars, as one Liberian dollar is equivalent to 1 US cent.
10 November
Another day in the office. Lots of pending issues, and I need to get a vehicle to meet with transporters. I am done with my legal documents, now it is time to test the market.
It is exciting to find out how much wrapping film is needed to kit UNICEF and WHO's stuff for distribution to Emergency Treatment Units (ETU's) and Community Care Centres (CCC's). This is another task of the day, and YES we have the stuff in the UNHRD in Ghana!
One of WFP's finest
After researching the matter I realize that we need 5 kilometres of wrapping film a week, which needs to be colour coded for the consignments in accordance to partner and destination of delivery.
It is pretty cool to be in logistics. You look at all the politicians and wonder what they are planning to do next? We will find a solution to that as well.
11 November
I finally got the offers from the local transporters through the tender opening panel process. Now I am in business, and soon we will have a fleet of dedicated vehicles for all of our Forward Logistics Bases.
I also finalized my recommendation to the Procurement Committee with analysis of offers and specifications on diesel fuel tanks. This will take some time, but I have done my part.
In the evening I was in touch with my cousin working for Denmark's Radio (national television), who asked if I would go live on their morning news programme the following day. I agreed.
12 November
This morning I did a live Skype interview on Danish national television (DR 2) - explaining about WFP and its important role in support of the Ebola Response in West Africa. The spot was no more than 5 minutes, but I think it went fairly well, considering that I was communicating without having a visual of the journalist in the studio.
I argued that the Ebola epidemic requires an unconventional emergency response, one that is unprecedented and different in nature from natural disasters and human conflict. This is more of a Regional and potential Global public health threat. Therefore a response must include a multi sector approach, one in which food assistance must compliment public health initiatives. I explained how WFP through its logistics services, aviation, and ICT support assists the entire humanitarian community during the Ebola Response, and gave a brief description of the kind of operational challenges WFP faces in this context.
13 November
A day of closing ongoing tendering processes for the provision of a dedicated fleet of vehicles for WFP Cluster activities at our Forward Logistics Bases, and the provision of coastal sea transports to key locations along the shore of Liberia.
All contracts were awarded, and I am in touch with the companies to ensure that their vehicles are ready to be loaded for their destinations, departing from the Monrovia Logistics Hub with loads of medical kids and UNICEF equipment.
From now on we will be able to support most of the requests from partners in remote destinations, while additional capacity will be in place in the coming weeks when our 40 DAF vehicles arriving with BBC Holland at the port on Monday are being fitted with communication equipment and dispatched on duty.
I have sent RFQ to the largest transport companies in Liberia to get quotations for fleet management services.
This evening the whole TEAM went out to eat at a restaurant named The Angler. Everybody left the office at 20:00 hour, divided our selves into three vehicles, and drove off to this place that was well hidden of the main road to the beach. There would have been no way to tell that an Oasis was hiding behind tall walls at the end of the road.
The place made me think of the nice surf and turf restaurants you find on Long Island. Nice wooden building with raw wooden surfaces and wide plank floors. Dimmed illumination and attention to details, the bar in the centre of the room was designed as a fishing boat. Food was excellent, and even better there was frosted glasses and draught beer.
November 14
Cool to see my contracted trucks arriving to the Logistics Hub in Monrovia. They are being loaded with kits before departing, and WFP visibility stickers have been attached. Good stuff for the doctors and nurses in many of the most remote destinations.
From now on the FLB transport managers can provide extended services to the Humanitarian Community and Government Entities on request.
I also nailed the contract for coastal shipping, and the new agreement will be put to test on Wednesday next week, when a large consignment of heavy equipment is to be shipped from Monrovia to Harper in the South-East of the country.
On the way back to our Guest House, Oscar and I got another grim reminder of why we are here in Liberia.
People were watching as the pavement was being cleaned. A suspected Ebola patient had suddenly collapsed, and the scene was being decontaminated by ambulance personnel. Yes, Ebola is real, and it is still very close to us.
All evening I was in touch with transporters and the Heads of FLB's to ensure that the trucks arrived on location. I went to bed and passed out.
15 November 2014
On a Saturday we normally try to make the atmosphere a bit more relaxed at work. There are no formal meetings, but people try to catch up on various coordination issues. It is mostly the pipeline and distribution plans that are being discussed today, as the over-all strategy for the Ebola response is now focusing more and more on rapid response actions to targeted areas, whereas our initial mission was to build capacity across the country in preparedness for the worst case scenarios.
I kept following up on issues for the dedicated fleet, and I believe we are on top of the situation now.
Our office is really close to the West Point Slum, and there are a few tall buildings that have been completely stripped during the civil war and are now left as skeletons over viewing the city.
These days people organise picnics on the open empty floors, just to enjoy the view.
October 16
I am writing this blog to remind myself why I am here and to record my experience. It is a kind of therapy that helps me organise my thoughts. It seems as if the rest of the world is so far away, partly because of the focused efforts here, but also due to the fact that we are physically isolated from the rest of the world.
Stigma is real as much as Ebola is real. We have learned that colleagues returning to WFP Headquarters in Rome are no longer permitted to enter through the main entrance. Permission to enter is only allowed through the car entrance. Once inside, staff that have been posted in Guinea, Sierra Leone, or Liberia will be directed to a small tent on the parking lot, while waiting for a medical physician and a check-up.
On a more cheerful note, we just had a Scottish engineer joining us. Jim came straight from Afghanistan, and has been through worse hardship than most people.
The first thing he does when arriving on mission is to adjust his "donut of misery", which is a graph that counts the months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds left of his assignment. Every day a new message awaits him reminding him of the worst assignments an engineer can face on the planet, and that comforts him, Jim.
17 November
I went straight to the port this morning to meet with our private sector transporters. The operation is under pressure to deliver and be flexible, as we are taking on more and more tasks for the humanitarian community, having focus on delivering rapid response to "hot spots". Meanwhile our staffing situation remains unchanged. It is apparently very difficult to convince anyone to come to the Ebola Affected countries.
We identified a few bottlenecks that has caused disruption in our pipeline. Not surprisingly, we our to few staff to process the requests, which has increased the lead time.
I will therefore step in to support port operations in the weeks ahead, which I think will be quite an interesting challenge, especially as we will be getting some large shipments in the coming weeks. At 1 AM our 40 DAF trucks will be arriving and will be off-loaded in the morning. This will be very cool.
18 November
BBC Holland arrived late last night to the APM Terminal in Monrovia, so it was a good time to go and inspect our new fleet while I am stationed at the Port.
It is quite something to see how the off loading takes place.
By this evening we should have them all off loaded and driven to our workshop. From there the registration process commences while the vehicles are having communication equipment installed.
The trucks will be instrumental for the rapid response, and I will ensure that we have drivers and sufficient back up capacity in my next contract for fleet management.
I am getting involved with business at the port, and we are trying to resolve some supply chain bottlenecks, that involve transporters and our own tracking systems. Unfortunately we have limited capacity to process the many additional requests from partners, so we have requested for additional staffing in support of this.
Also, the transport rates have become an issue with the influx of commodities to Liberia.
19 November
With the arrival of 16 light vehicles for the operation, I was assigned my very own Landcruiser. This will be a bit of a game changer for me, as I have been reliant on drivers and colleagues for transportation for the past month. Security regulations does not allow us to use any means of public transportation or taxi service. When offered to select my own number plate the choice was easy: UN-100.
Today I made a booking for our first coastal shipping of goods to both Greenville and Harper. Fifty tons of food and five Mobile Storage Units (1,7 tons a piece).
Also, I finalized the analysis of offers for the RFQ for Provision of Fleet Services. I confirmed that it is indeed cheaper to recruit locally to hire a company from outside to do it.
In my "Donut of Misery" I found a new message as I passed the 30 percent land mark. It quite ironically stated "Are we there yet?".
I learned a lot about gems and diamonds from Jim today. One of the things he has become an expert in from working the places he has.
Just outside the office a fisherman wanted to sell me a lobster. It was perhaps the biggest I have ever seen!
20 November
I have spent most of my day at the port with the Country Office Logistics Team. We are planning for new patterns in food distributions, assisting the government with last mile deliveries to hot spots,with focus on the hardest accessible areas.
WFP Forward Logistics Bases are used as strategic storage depots from which WFP can assist its partners partners with storage and deliveries of non-food items, WFP's permanent warehouses across the country are used for storage of food.
Storage facilities are located in Voinjama, Zwedru, Gbranga, Harper and Buchanan. Each of the FLB's have six MSU's (Mobile Storage Units of 10 m x 24 m) and a sizable open storage area. Local store keepers, handlers, drivers and guards have been employed at all of these locations.
While WFP has mobilized staff from more than 20 countries for this emergency, the vast majority of staff remain Liberian, comprising of more than 80 percent.
The 2,000 gallon fuel tanks that I procured some weeks ago are locally manufactured, and custom made for us. All of the contracts I have initiated while here, are benefiting the private sector in Liberia.
In particular the transport sector is gaining a lot from WFP's presence and operations, having enabled entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and improve their fleet and services.
This in turn increasing the level of competition, making transport of goods more affordable for traders and small holder farmers to gain access markets.
21 November
Today, we got news that three Russian helicopters (Mi-8's) would be made available for us to assist in the collection of blood samples from people that have fallen ill and are suspected Ebola cases.
It is very important to ensure that patients that are suffering from other deceases are not mixed with Ebola patients in the ETU's. With assistance of helicopters it will be possible to speedily transport blood samples from the most remote areas of the country and conduct efficient blood screenings in Monrovia within a few hours.
I have learned that three Mi-8 Helicopters come with a 20 person crew including pilots. I will therefore need to find them appropriate accommodation in a secure location not to far from the Airport.
Given the huge influx of Internationals in Monrovia, it has become a bit of a challenge to find such spaces anywhere, in particular as all of the crew will need to be in one location.
Now that I have my own vehicle "UN-100" I can operate smoothly without being to reliant on others.
I have become pretty good at finding my way around Monrovia, and when driving together with a Liberian colleague, the trip gets more interesting as I get familiar with the smaller back roads that I would otherwise never get to see. Among other interesting things I got a view of Charles Taylor's house, that had been burned to the crisp a few years ago.
I had consultations with five hotels/guesthouses, and negotiated hard to get the price down. I will consolidate final offers by tomorrow and make a recommendation.
22 November
I got the location I wanted, and managed to get at 35 pct discount on the hotel. All good.
Now it is time to prepare for for yet an other vessel to reach the Port in Monrovia. Again, many partners are receiving goods, and WFP is coordinating the transport of various items on board.
This time the vessel has donations from both Sweden and the Netherlands, so it will be an event it self to witness the discharge, as both ambassadors and the President of Liberia will be present.
I am starting to feel a bit tired after hitting week 5 since my deployment here in Liberia. I have grown to appreciate the people of this country, and I am having less difficulties understanding the strong accent that most people have here.
Liberians are generally very direct, but at the same time very open and friendly. You can make friends here, as long as you are patient and willing to sit down and go with the flow. Most people are not in a rush, and you should not be in a rush if you want to achieve anything around here. Patience and multi-tasking is the way forward.
23 November
This Sunday I decided to recharge my batteries. I actually would have liked to go to the beach, but the weather was pretty miserable all day. That is when you must find a place to watch Premier League. It is an opportunity to meet people, who are passionate about their clubs, and have plenty of excuses for drinking a cold beer.
24 November til 30 November
I have decided to change my daily reporting to weekly reporting, as I am finding myself getting a bit to engaged in the details of work. At this point my daily routines are certainly becoming less news worthy.
I would therefore like to distance myself from details, and instead focus on the broader scope of this Operation as it evolves in the weeks to come.
We are targeting our food response for the so called "hot spots" in close coordination with the Government Health Authorities. It is hoped that this will help minimize movement of populations and the spread of the virus.
We have moved more than 2,000 MT of food in this week, and have completed all deliveries for November while also prepositioning food across the country for December. Next week we will complete the full prepositioning with an additional 3,000 Mt.
In theory this can be done through primary transport with the dispatch of 500 long haul trucks transporting commodities to strategic storage locations. One can imagine the site of trucks as they are lining up at our main warehouses in the port in Monrovia. Sweaty men carrying bags of 50 kg rice and placing them one after the next on the flatbeds. Food commodities include vegetable oil, rice, soy/corn-blend, high energy biscuits, and ready to eat foods such as plumpy supp (enriched peanut butter).
Prepositioning of food is always good when resources are available, but mostly this is done when a rainy season is approaching, and there is an expectation that poor road conditions will prohibit delivering of food. In the case of Liberia it is more due to the fact that we are moving all kinds of items for the humanitarian community, and therefore need to ensure that we never fail to deliver our primary mandate.
In theory this can be done through primary transport with the dispatch of 500 long haul trucks transporting commodities to strategic storage locations. One can imagine the site of trucks as they are lining up at our main warehouses in the port in Monrovia. Sweaty men carrying bags of 50 kg rice and placing them one after the next on the flatbeds. Food commodities include vegetable oil, rice, soy/corn-blend, high energy biscuits, and ready to eat foods such as plumpy supp (enriched peanut butter).
Prepositioning of food is always good when resources are available, but mostly this is done when a rainy season is approaching, and there is an expectation that poor road conditions will prohibit delivering of food. In the case of Liberia it is more due to the fact that we are moving all kinds of items for the humanitarian community, and therefore need to ensure that we never fail to deliver our primary mandate.
The construction of fuel tanks for the Forward Logistics Bases are almost complete and will be delivered on location by the end of next week. WFP is making things happen – there is a reason to be proud of what we are doing.
Our 40 DAF trucks are getting ready to be deployed for secondary transport, getting fully kitted with communication equipment and tracking devices.
In addition a fleet of 30 long haul trucks have now been cleared by the Government of Liberia to enter the country from Guinea. They will be passing through the northern border town of Ganta and make their way to Monrovia at the end of next week. This will dramatically increase our capacity and flexibility for fleet management.
Our vessel carried heavy duty ambulances destined for the toughest road terrain in the country, these Mercedes UNIMOG's will go anywhere - with no guarantee of comfort for the patient travelling.
On the way to the Port this week I saw a dead man was lying on the side of the street with at sheet on his face. Although the cause of death had not yet been determined, no risks were taken by the ambulance crew when dealing with the body.
However there is reason to be concerned about the crowds of people that always gather to have a look at the deceased. It is a bit absurd to watch as their feet are being sprayed by health workers in full body suits.
1 December to 5 December
I am rounding up week six completing my first cycle in Liberia. On Friday I am set to fly to Ghana on R&R.
The week will bring lots of activities at the port, most imported vehicles will have been cleared through customs and ready to be released.
Fortunately there has been a persistent drop in the number of new Ebola cases in Liberia, however Sierra Leone has never been harder hit than this week. On Wednesday WHO released new figures from the three most affected countries.
I am rounding up week six completing my first cycle in Liberia. On Friday I am set to fly to Ghana on R&R.
The week will bring lots of activities at the port, most imported vehicles will have been cleared through customs and ready to be released.
Fortunately there has been a persistent drop in the number of new Ebola cases in Liberia, however Sierra Leone has never been harder hit than this week. On Wednesday WHO released new figures from the three most affected countries.
