Aid Organizations Working in Ebola Regions (v2.0)
Kelly Hills
2014-11-13 00:00:00
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Because, contrary to popular opinion, humans don’t always suck, people want to help. However, the best thing to do right now is use established supply lines.1

In support of both people’s inclination to give, and to have that giving filter through established supply lines, here is a list of trustworthy organizations2 that, as of Tuesday, November 12, are still operating in areas of West Africa affected by Ebola. I’ll update this list as I come across more information, or as people enter/leave the affected region(s). Feel free to add your suggestions in comments.

Please check to see if your workplace does matching donations for charity.

The CDC Foundation

The CDC Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that connects individuals and the private sector with CDC’s expertise and distribution channels. The Fund’s Global Disaster Relief Response Fund is only activated during extreme emergencies, and has been activated for the Ebola crisis. They are providing personal protective equipment, communications equipment, emergency operations equipment, and funds for public health campaigns. The CDC Foundation received a rating of 96.07 from Charity Navigator. Donations are accepted worldwide.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

IFRC is the world’s largest humanitarian network. Their donation page currently has a Syria crisis appeal, but if you select “donate,” the second option is for their Ebola campaign. You can also make a donation to your specific Red Cross or Red Cresent; here is the link to the American Red Cross website; that donation is tax-deductible. (I would recommend donating directly to the IFRC website, as that is guaranteed for Ebola efforts.) The American Red Cross receives an 85.25 rating from Charity Navigator.

Here’s the link to the Australian Red Cross donation page. They’re helping with awareness, contact tracing, medical treatment, and burial.

Direct Relief

Direct Relief is coordinating with doctors on the ground in Sierra Leone and Liberia to provide personal protective equipment and other supplies, which are being sourced directly from manufacturers. You can direct your donation to their Ebola efforts; they accept international donations. Charity Navigator gives Direct Funds a pretty amazing 99.71 rating.

AmeriCares

AmeriCares is organizing air shipments to hospitals in Liberia that have no necessary personal protective equipment, including gloves, gowns, and masks. They are accepting contributions for future shipments. AmeriCares receives a rating of 92.89 from Charity Navigator. Donations are tax-deductible.

Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders

MSF has been pushed to its limits in the outbreak region, and vocal about it. What they need right now, however, is not more supplies, but more people. Their current fundraising campaign for Ebola is listed as fulfilled, and they are requesting that donations be made to their general fund for a more flexible response. MSF anticipates being in the West African region for at least six more months, so it’s entirely likely that they will re-open fundraising for that region. That said, given the extended timeline, it’s plausible general funds will be used. However, they are working in multiple regions of the world, so there is no guarantee that donations to the general fund will be used in West Africa. MSF/Doctors Without Borders receives a 92.03 rating from Charity Navigator. Donations are tax-deductible.

World Food Programme

With quarantine (quite literally cordon sanitaires) enacted in many of the Ebola-affected regions, food supplies are becoming critical, and people have begun breaking through these forced quarantines to find food. The World Food Programme is ramping up efforts to feed people caught in the Ebola quarantines. You can read more about that here, and donate at this link. World Food Programme is 100% funded by donations, and the US arm of the organization receives an 89.11 from Charity Navigator. US residents who would like their donation to be tax deductible can donate here.

UC San Francisco: Support the Emergency Ebola Response

UCSF clinician Dan Kelly has returned to Sierra Leone to operate a nationwide distribution network for emergency medications and supplies from their international partners; support the Ebola isolation and referral center at Kono’s Public Hospital; implement strict screening and control measures at the UCSF facility in Sierra Leone; coordinate emergency referrals to Ebola treatment centers in Kailahun District; collaborate with the District Health Management Team to implement effective contact tracing and sensitive community engagement. International donations are accepted, and US donations are tax-deductible.

UNICEF

UNICEF is working in Nigeria to help quell their Ebola outbreak. Those in the United States can make a tax deductible donation at this link. If you’re an international donor, go here to find your country. The United States Fund for UNICEF is rated 93.69 by Charity Navigator.

Elizabeth R Griffin Research Foundation

The Griffin Foundation is working in Ebola safety and prevention; you can find information here. I don’t know much about the group, but the foundation was formed in memory of a woman who died after contracting macaque-born B virus. The foundation works worldwide to promote safe and responsible practices for handling biological materials. So, you know, seems like they’re pretty useful right now. This foundation has not been rated by Charity Navigator.

Hospitals for Humanity

Hospitals for Humanity provide quality and affordable health care in disaster areas and people in the developing world. In addition to providing care, they also provide medical training and education to the local population. You can help by either volunteering for a medical mission or donating. Hospitals for Humanity has applied for 501(c)(3) status, but not received it yet. They are not rated by Charity Navigator.

Global Giving Ebola Epidemic Relief Fund




Ebola continues to spread across West Africa, with the number of those affected continuing to rise dramatically. The latest report from the World Health Organization counts 3,069 cases of Ebola in the region and 1,552 deaths from the disease so far.




Global Giving’s Ebola Epidemic Relief Fund focuses on getting grant money on the ground fast, so that rapid responses to changing situations can be made. They are in the middle of a 400,000 fundraising appeal. Here is a full list of grants to date:

• BRAC (Sierra Leone) – $10,000

• DEVELOP AFRICA (Sierra Leone) – $26,000

• DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS (Sierra Leone) – $5,000

• FOUNDATION FOR RESTORING WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE TO LIBERIA (Liberia) – $18,000

• GBOWEE PEACE FOUNDATION (Liberia) – $5,000

• GREATEST GOAL MINISTRIES (Sierra Leone) – $20,000

• IMANI HOUSE (Liberia) – $30,000

• INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS (Sierra Leone) – $10,000

• INTERNEWS (Guinea) – $10,000

• LIFELINE ENERGY (Liberia) – $5,000

• WEST POINT WOMEN FOR HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT (Liberia) – $10,000

Global Giving is a charity fundraising web site that receives an impressive 97.94 rating from Charity Navigator. An anonymous donor is matching all new recurring monthly donations to the Ebola Epidemic Relief Fund. Donations are tax deductible for Americans.

Africa Responds

Africa Responds is a collaborative platform through which African organizations and allies pool their resources, networks, and collective voices to respond to the Ebola outbreak. Like Global Giving, they focus on local, already established and embedded local organizations. Their partner organizations have highlighted three critical areas of need: PPE, community mobilization and outreach, and caretaker and family support. Funds from the campaign will support these needs. Africans in the Diaspora, with support from International Development Exchange, will manage and disburse the funds as well as produce follow-up updates and reports. You can donate here.

International Rescue Committee

The International Rescue Committee staff and community health workers in Liberia and Sierra Leone are working to educate people on how to stop the spread of the virus. They are also bolstering local health systems with medical staff, protective gear and logistical support. They are also in the process of opening a treatment center in Liberia. Importantly, IRC is offering medical care to those with treatable diseases who would otherwise die as people are too afraid to visit health centers. (This is seriously so important. We’re at the point where it’s believed more people are now dying of treatable diseases than Ebola.) IRC has a very high 95.35 rating from Charity Navigator. You can donate to IRC here.

Partners in Health

Partners In Health was founded in 1987 to deliver health care to the residents of Haiti’s mountainous Central Plateau region. In the 25 years since then, PIH has expanded in Haiti’s Artibonite and Central Plateau regions, and launched additional projects around the world. PIH is working with two grassroots organizations: Last Mile Health in Liberia and Wellbody Alliance in Sierra Leone. These longtime PIH partners are already working to train health workers, identify sick patients, and deliver quality care.

PIH is actively recruiting clinicians, logisticians, and other health system professionals to support the work of Last Mile Health and Wellbody Alliance. They are seeking a large number of short-term volunteers and longer-term positions to help support the community-based effort needed to contain the Ebola outbreak. Experienced clinical and non-clinical health sector workers interested in staffing the ETUs and supporting existing community-based work should apply here. You can also donate here. Donations are tax deductible. PIH receives a 90.60 rating from Charity Navigator.

Heart to Heart International

Heart to Heart International works to broaden access to healthcare services and connect global partners with local communities. Because of the desperate need in West Africa–and to do their part to keep the virus from spreading further–Heart to Heart International will open and operate an Ebola Treatment Unit in Liberia. The facility is already under construction and is expected to open in November. They are also recruiting doctors and medical personnel to help, as well recruiting Liberian health workers to operate the facility. In addition to operating an ETU, HHI will continue to ship supplies like protective suits and gloves to help health workers on the ground. HHI receives an impressive 99.90 from Charity Navigator, and donations are tax deductible. You can donate here.

Google

This might seem strange, but right now, for every $1 you donate through Google, they will match and double. So if you donate a dollar, they’ll donate two. The goal is for another 7.5 million, and they’re almost there, but hey, every little bit. Give away Google’s money here.

There are more organizations listed at Charity Navigator.




  1. For more information on why this is the case, read Harvard professor Calestous Juma’s excellent Al Jazeera op-ed on how the lack of infrastructure in the affected region and how this affects all public health. []

  2. Trustworthy as defined by me, based on research, name recognition, and Charity Navigator if possible. Vague, I know, but I wanted to get an international-as-possible list up as quickly as I could. []