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Ebola Crisis Fund Launches

Fund seeks to raise money to stem the spread of the virus and alleviate victim suffering

Ebola Crisis Fund Launches

Fund seeks to raise money to stem the spread of the virus and alleviate victim suffering

Published 08-14-14

Submitted by Geneva Global

The Ebola Crisis Fund seeks to raise $1 million over the next three months as an immediate response to help stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus. As donations are received, the Ebola Crisis Fund will fast-track funds to vetted organizations in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria as soon as a matter of days. Over the next few weeks, as more funds are available, grants will be provided to organizations in the surrounding countries to address the Ebola crisis and stop its spread.

Ebola, a contagious and highly lethal hemorrhagic fever, is sweeping through West Africa and continuing to worsen, according to the World Health Organization. The viral disease is spread easily through touch, and the best way to limit its reach is to quarantine the infected. Ebola’s early symptoms are similar enough to other tropical diseases like malaria that patients often aren’t quarantined quickly enough. Furthermore, misconceptions make containing the virus difficult. Many villagers suspect aid workers of bringing in the disease, prompting the formation of militias in some rural communities to prevent health workers from accessing many at-risk groups.

Major barriers to containing the outbreak include the inability to educate communities in Africa about Ebola, identify suspected cases, expedite isolation and treatment of suspected cases, and execute tracing of those who have come into contact with infected patients. The fund’s granting will therefore focus on raising awareness of the virus and building the capacity of nonprofit and aid organizations based in the affected and at-risk regions.

For more details, and to see examples of the organizations that have been identified to receive funding, please visit www.ebolacrisisfund.org. The fund has been established by Capital for Good, partially funded by the Legatum Foundation, and is being managed by Geneva Global.

About Capital for Good

Capital for Good is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to connecting donors and grantmakers with the most effective international and domestic non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Our mission is to alleviate poverty and suffering and advance the health, education, prosperity and well-being of poor, vulnerable and marginalized people in the United States and around the world. For more information about Capital for Good please visit www.capitalforgood.org.

About Legatum Foundation

The Legatum Foundation is the development arm of the Legatum Group, a multibillion dollar investment firm. Drawing on Legatum’s investment heritage, the Foundation allocates capital at the bottom of the Prosperity Ladder™ to projects, people and ideas that create enduring prosperity. The Legatum Foundation invests in projects to help the most disadvantaged in society and has funded more than 1,400 organisations, impacting over 64 million lives throughout the developing world. Examples include investing to eradicate Neglected Tropical Diseases through the END Fund, end slavery through the Freedom Fund and help children get back to school through Speed Schools in Africa. The Foundation has a preference towards funding local, community based organisations, where in many cases, a modest grant produces an outsized impact. The Legatum Foundation is a founding donor of the Ebola Crisis Fund. For more information about Legatum Foundation please visit www.legatum.org.

About Geneva Global

Geneva Global is an innovative social enterprise that works with clients to maximize the performance of their global philanthropic and social impact initiatives. On behalf of its clients, Geneva Global's work has directly benefited more than 60 million people through 1,500 projects in over 100 countries. Geneva Global provides strategic advice, independent research, active program and grant management as well as impact measurement. Its international network of on-the-ground experts provides community-based approaches catalyzing positive social change. For more information about Geneva Global please visit www.genevaglobal.com.

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