Abdoulaye Bah
Abdoulaye Bah [1], a GV FR author and translator extraordinaire is from Guinea. Guinea is one African country struck by the current outbreak of the Ebola virus, where the epidemic situation remains at this time (Sept. 2014) stable.
We do wring our hands, mentally, over not being able to do anything. This is not entirely true. The fight against the virus is one thing. Support for local organizations trying to spread information and help out the families of the sick is another. Abdoulaye has contacts in Guinea, and vouches for Fatou Baldé Yansane [2].
Fatou Baldé Yansane
This tireless lady started out by scouring the streets with a simple megaphone to give information and advices on Ebola to the communities. With other women, she organized a TV telethon and is now a reference contact for grassroots initiatives in the capital Conakry.
Abdoulaye pitched in, asking the francophone GV community to help fund gloves kits on ground, the most urgent need. As usual, the transfer and use of donations for such a huge and pressing problem is a complicated choice. Should we give to a large NGO on ground such as Doctors without borders [3]? Or wire money to an individual in Guinea ? GV FR chose the community way : wire monies to Abdoulaye, who knows best, and will act as go-between.
We cannot do much from abroad, or save every one, but should other GVers wish to contact Abdoulaye, [4] or Fatou's organization in Guinea, please do: COFEL, cofelguinee at gmail dot com. Phone: (224) 664 213 533