Highlights
· The number of confirmed Ebola cases continued to decline in Sierra Leone with eight cases recorded in the week to 13 April 2015, the lowest figure since May 2014.
· Schools reopened in Sierra Leone on 14 April 2015, with 1.8 million children resuming education after almost nine months. While monitoring of schools is ongoing to verify that all schools have safety measures and supplies in place, UNICEF is advocating with Education authorities to ensure that that the directives in the government protocols for school safety are followed as a precondition for school reopening.
· Preparations are ongoing for Maternal and Child Health Week scheduled on 24 to 27 April 2015, where a package of essential interventions for prevention of diseases affecting children and their mothers will be delivered.
· On 8 and 9 April 2015, a two-day workshop was held on Sierra Leone’s Recovery and Transition Planning, with participation of all programmatic sections from UNICEF. Key priority areas were shared, including free essential healthcare for children and mothers, bringing all children back to school, maintaining safe and active learning environment as well as social protection for the vulnerable.
· UNICEF Sierra Leone requires USD 178 million for its response to the Ebola crisis until end of June 2015. To date, USD 126.4 million has been received – 71 percent of the total.