MONROVIA – The Liberia Crusaders for Peace (LCP) has commenced a nationwide preventive awareness campaign aimed at curtailing the spread of the deadly Coronavirus in the country.
Report by Obediah Johnson, [email protected]
According to the group’s Executive Director, Madam Julie Endee, the move is intended to encourage citizens to continue to follow protocols set aside by health authorities to help eradicate the spread of Covid-19.
Madam Endee made these assertions in an exclusive interview with FrontPage Africa via telephone shortly after the campaign kicked off to south-eastern Liberia.
She added that persuasive and consistent means are being implored by the LCP to encourage citizens to continue to prioritize social distancing, the wearing of face masks, among others to prevent the spread of the virus.
She disclosed that mobilizers and campaigners of the LCP will work with various groups including the county health teams, youth, students, women, disabled, traditionalists, members of the girls guard and boys scout associations, among others to spread anti-Coronavirus messages to citizens and others across the country.
Madam Endee pointed out that these mobilizers and campaigners will serve both morning and evening shifts to ensure that preventive and awareness messages on the prevention of Covid-19 reach everyone including farmers, who most often return from their respective farms during the late evening hours.
“The Liberia Crusaders for Peace will be doing a nationwide Covid-19 awareness activities in the various counties. We are going to be talking about social distancing, mask wearing-we are going to share the jingles that were produced; we are going to give out promotional materials like flyers, posters, and banners. Most people are not even wearing the face masks”.
She added that series of community engagements would be held with the locals and others, beginning with Montserrado County.
“We also have some distributions to make outside of the project from the Global Alliance on Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) to the Ministry of Health. We are going to be implementing it”.
She indicated that Monitors from Montserrado County will be deployed in the counties, while comunicators of the awareness and preventive messages will be recruited from the various counties.
Ambassador Endee pointed out that the campaign will also be used to underscore the need for the vaccination of babies and children under five years during this Coronavirus pandemic.
Disregard for health protocols
Speaking further, Ambassador observed that many citizens continue to roam around street corners and other areas in total disregard for protocols set aside by health experts, including social distancing and compulsory wearing of face masks in public places or gatherings.
She attributed the situation to the doubting of the existence of the virus in Liberia by some citizens.
“It is going to take a lot of awareness to discourage our people from living in a state of denial. When citizens are in denial-that’s the problem-when people are not use to good health practices, it’s also a contributing factor. So what suppose to be done now is to look at the hotspots and intensify awareness in those areas”.
“Those who have survived need to tell their stories-those who are in the communities, banks or market places need strategies. We need people to encourage people in those areas to adhere to health protocols”.
Ambassador Endee maintained that mobilizers and campaigners of the LCP will change the strategies and remain consistent to ensure that Covid-19 preventive awareness messages are provided to citizens.
“It is very improtant to mask yourself. for the safety of you and your family. We need to now start reaching out to our people”.
LCP was not handpicked
At the same time, the Executive Director of the Liberia Crusaders for Peace has denied reports that the group was unilaterally selected to initiate the nationwide awareness campaign.
According to her, the LCP participated in a competitive bidding process at the Ministry of Health and came out victorious based upon its numerous years of experience in communicating awareness messages across the country.
She disclosed that five organizations, including the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY) participated in the process.
“For people to say we were singlehandedly picked, I think this is an understatement. For more than 25 years of experience into community engagement and communication. Our track record has been followed. This is an emergency period and we have the track record of single sourcing. We were not handpicked, we earned it”.
The preventive awareness campaign against Covid-19 being spearheaded by the LCP across the country, will also coincide with the distribution of facemasks, soap, rice and anti Covid-19 buckets to citizens across the country.
