Going Great Lengths to Support Burial Teams in Liberia

Going Great Lengths to Support Burial Teams in Liberia

Staff Profile: Freeman Kamara 

To say that Freeman Kamara goes to great lengths to do his job is an understatement. Kamara works as the “roving” Finance Officer for the Ebola response program in Liberia. It is his responsibility to deliver monthly cash payments to the Ministry of Health and Social Work burial and disinfection teams. As part of his job, he travels to districts throughout the county and distributes payments in a safe location designated by the local district leadership. This takes to some extremely remote locations where he travels by canoe, 4X4 vehicle and even on foot if the last few kilometers are not accessible by car. 
In order to ensure accuracy and transparency, allocation of  payments is contingent upon receipt of correctly completed and verifiable paperwork. Each body has a burial form that includes cause of death, particulars about the deceased and a list of members of the burial team, and is signed by the burial team leader. Payments are witnessed by two additional district stakeholders to verify the transaction and reduce the possibility of fraud. Each individual receiving payment also signs a receipt and acknowledges that payment has been made. The records are then handed over to finance and administrative staff in Monrovia on a monthly basis.  ​

Global Communities is providing logistical and strategic support to burial teams in all 15 counties in Liberia through the OFDA-funded Assisting Liberians with Education to Reduce Transmission (ALERT) program. Burial team support includes organizing burial teams within each county and providing training to ensure safe management of corpses, equipping teams with vehicles for the transfer of corpses, providing decontamination materials and personal protective gear, as well as providing compensation.

Read more about Global Communities’ Ebola response activities here: https://globalcommunities.org/ebola-response