Program Officer Leah McManus wrote a blog article that was featured in The Huffington Post, titled "Amidst Ebola Crisis, Coordination and Long-Term Thinking Pay Off." In the article, she discusses her personal connection to Liberia and a new SMS platform made possible by UNICEF and IntraHealth International called mHero, which would support health workers amid the outbreak.

Excerpt: 

For most of us, only a handful of moments will etch themselves forever into our memories. For me, one came when I learned that Ebola had broken out in West Africa.

It was December 2013 and I was watching the news. The ticker tape across the bottom of the screen confirmed an outbreak in Guinea. The news anchor didn’t even mention it.

Then I watched from afar as the epidemic spread out of control and crossed the border into Liberia, a country I call my second home.

After decades of civil war finally ended in 2003, Liberia made commendable progress mending its ravaged health system. But it was far from ready for Ebola. My country was under attack and there was nothing I could do to help.

Read the entire blog post, Amidst Ebola Crisis, Coordination and Long-Term Thinking Pay Off, on The Huffington Post.