Food delivered to Sierra Leone to help fight spread of Ebola

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — The U.N.’s World Food Program on Saturday delivered emergency food rations to 265,000 people, many of them quarantined in Sierra Leone, to help fight the spread of Ebola.

Food supplies are being distributed in the Waterloo district on the outskirts of Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, WFP’s Alexis Masciarelli said.

Waterloo, about 20 miles east of Freetown, has seen some of the highest cases of Ebola infections, and the deliveries are to help quarantined families by providing them enough to eat so they do not leave their homes.

Waterloo resident Christopher James said he got food for his family at one of the 60 distribution sites.

“Ever since the Ebola outbreak in our area, our kids were not having proper meals in a day,” said James. “We’ve had food constraints for the past two months, and this will help us to continue to live through this Ebola crisis in our country.”

WFP mobilized 700 aid workers to hand out more than 800 metric tons of food — rice and super cereal — to meet families’ food needs for 30 days. The distribution is in partnership with Caritas, Community Integrated Development Organization, civil society organizations and young volunteers.

“Our team is out in Waterloo to distribute food,” said Masciarelli. “We started on Friday and are continuing Sat- urday. It is a huge exercise.”

The food deliveries in the Waterloo area are going to “all Ebola-affect- ed people — be it in treatment centers or in quarantined households — to prevent this health crisis from becoming a food and nutrition crisis,” said Gon Myers, WFP Country Director in Sierra Leone.

A ship containing 7,000 tons of rice is expected to dock at Freetown on Sunday, said Masciarelli. “About twothirds of the rice will be unloaded in Freetown to be delivered to people in Sierra Leone. The ship will then deliver the remaining rice to Liberia.”