The African Development Bank (AfDB) has created 33 million dollars post-Ebola Social Investment Fund, with a special emphasis on women and girls and also released report on impact of Ebola on women.
Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, at the office of the AfDB's Special Envoy on Gender, disclosed this on Tuesday in Dar es Salaam during the launching of the report to mark the International Women's Day.
She said through the fund, the Bank intended to help women to come out of the current disadvantaged situation and rebuild the financial foundation, particularly in rural areas.
The 33 million dollar project is being implemented in partnership with the governments of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, as well as the U.S. State Department, and with the support of Mano River Union Secretariat.
“The fund is to support civil society organisations in the region in their efforts to reinvigorate economic empowerment and enhance the livelihoods of women,’’ she said.
Fraser-Moleketi said during her visit to the three affected countries in August 2015 she met women and men working tirelessly to eradicate this disease.
“Countless lives were lost in this battle and the repercussions will be felt for years to come in terms of economic growth.
“For women, there was, and still is, a danger of reverting to the way things were before,’’ she said.
Fraser-Moleketi said the bank just released a report on impact of Ebola on women.
She said the report investigated the futility of trying to build immunity to Ebola and future infectious disease shocks in households and communities without also addressing systemic gender inequality.
Fraser-Moleketi said the report suggested that factors that entrenched vulnerability for the entire population must be addressed in the immediate response, medium-term mitigation and long-term intervention.
"The gender effects of Ebola in the region are influenced by the skills and strategies used prior to the outbreak, and the mechanisms individuals used to cope and adapt differ.
“The report disclosed that a new study on Ebola, the disease that recently devastated the three West African countries, has made it clear that women in the three countries are likely to experience terrible impacts disproportionately,’’ she said.
The report has also highlighted that the data covers women alone, should not limit interventions, and that all efforts must be made to collect the relevant information to combat the inequalities underscored by disease outbreaks now.
According to its authors, the insights contained in the report are not only invaluable for dealing with other epidemics, but may also assist in the prevention of further outbreaks.
The authors of the report noted that, data must be disaggregated by gender in all country.
“This must include statistical analysis of the number of women confirmed, probable, and suspected cases, as well as fatality rate.
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