The Effectiveness of International Non-Governmental Organizations’ Response Operations during Public Health Emergency: Lessons Learned from the 2014 Ebola Outbreak in Sierra Leone

Abstract

International Nongovernmental Organizations (INGOs) have played critical roles in improving the quality of primary health care in ordinary time and, indeed, responding to epidemic crises in developing countries. Due to a lack of empirical research for effectiveness of their responding activities, the legitimacy and accountability of nonprofits’ engagement in the health crisis as a critical responder is doubted. This paper aims to examine the effectiveness of INGOs in a context of managing a fatal epidemic outbreak of Ebola in Sierra Leone during May–November, 2014; building healthcare infrastructures, providing medical supplies, educating local residents, and training response staffs. The analysis results show that development of healthcare infrastructures and provision of medical supplies have been significantly effective in terms of decreasing the severity of the crisis in chiefdoms. The findings imply that policy tools, which allow INGOs to enter to the field in a timely manner, can improve the effectiveness of INGOs’ responses in current and future epidemic outbreaks in developing countries where people suffer from a lack of health infrastructures.

Hygiene programming during outbreaks: a qualitative case study of the humanitarian response during the Ebola outbreak in Liberia

“…Consequently, the interventions that emerged focused relatively narrowly on the provision of 'hardware', improving knowledge, and increasing fear. These interventions might have been effective at reducing transmission [48]. Evidence from stable settings certainly supports the initial choice among many humanitarian organisations to prioritise infrastructure [49][50][51][52].…”

Strengthening International Health Security by Embedding the Role of Civil Society Organizations in National Health Systems: Lessons from the 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola Response

“…To address some of these challenges NGOs fell on globally approved approaches and tools to formulate plans and strategies, mobilized their resources, outbreak response experiences and helped to establish ownership and accountability mechanisms-which are often non-existent in the public sector of LMICs. These efforts thus supported improved stewardship of resources and promoted an effective coordinated cross-sectoral response to the epidemic [47][48][49].…”

Social Protection as a Key Tool in Crisis Management: Learnt Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In fact, the first cases of Ebola were registered in Sierra Leone by September 30, 2014. Then, the (Shin et al 2018;Meltzer et al 2014). Accordingly, many NGOs and some international organizations supported the governments to breakout the Ebola pandemic.…”

“…Then, the pandemic spread to neighbouring country such as Liberia. By December 2014, Sierra Leone and Liberia counted about 11,751 infected cases and 3691 deaths (Shin et al 2018 ; Meltzer et al 2014 ).…”

“…Accordingly, many NGOs and some international organizations supported the governments to breakout the Ebola pandemic. For instance, UNICEF implemented infant feeding programs which targeted to improve the quality of primary health care, building units to isolate infected people, delivering medical supplies, and increasing communities’ awareness (Acosta et al 2011 ; WHO 2015 ; Hewlett and Hewlett 2007 ; Shiwaku et al 2007 ; Hick et al 2010 ; Shin et al 2018 ).…”