Ebola Response in West Africa

Our Impact

responders sent

pounds of supplies transported

people provided with solar lights

people provided with food aid

$ 0

in transportation provided

Our Partners

Our Response

The Ebola outbreak affecting Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria was largest in history and the first in West Africa. During the main outbreak (Spring 2014 to Fall 2015), the virus spread to 28,465 people and took the lives of over 11,000. Sierra Leone and Liberia were especially hard hit, with high concentrations in urban areas.

The scarcity of medical supplies proved to be a major barrier to the eradication of this outbreak. Because Ebola is transmitted via bodily fluids, personal protective equipment (PPE) had to be worn by anyone administering care to infected patients, including 2-3 pairs of gloves, a gown, eye protection, a face mask, and shoe covers. With the logistics supply chain severely constricted and the amount of supplies desperately needed reaching an all-time high, many aid organizations initially found it difficult to deliver the aid necessary to combat this epidemic.

Airlink recognized the dire need in West Africa. In August 2014, Airlink pulled together five of its nonprofit partners – Afya Foundation, AmeriCares, ChildFund International, Direct Relief, and MedShare – who had aid supplies to deliver to Liberia. Through a cooperative effort between logistics actors (American Logistics Aid Network, LIFT, UPS, and FedEx), and charter airline ATX Air Services, Airlink was able to coordinate the delivery of 15,000 pounds of PPE to Monrovia, Liberia on August 25.

Later that same week, Airlink also organized a shipment of nearly 5,000 pounds of PPE and other medical supplies to Sierra Leone, donated by the National Organization for Sierra Leoneans in North America (NOSLINA). Thanks to Brussels Airlines and Kuehne + Nagel, this shipment of much-needed medical relief arrived quickly in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where it was used immediately.

Then, with the realization that the situation was continuing to deteriorate and with the help of a USD $3 million grant from the Paul G. Allen Foundation, Airlink established an Air Bridge from the US and Europe directly into West Africa, and delivered more than 500 tons of aid cargo and nearly 70 healthcare workers to support the crisis. The Airlink Air Bridge initiative was created to fulfill Airlink’s Commitment to Action as a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, and includes partnerships with Direct Relief International, AmeriCares, LIFT, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Greenbaum Foundation, ChildFund International, AFYA Foundation, American Logistics Aid Network, Brussels Airlines, and Western Global Airlines. To see the full commitment, please visit our Commitment page.

Shipments included 2 forklifts, and aid cargo totaling more than:

3,175,547 pairs of gloves
2,194,093 masks and respirators
228,569 goggles, hoods, and safety glasses
173,716 full-body personal protective equipment
186,574 syringes and blood collection supplies
70,312 units of infection control supplies
568,719 units general medical and surgical supplies

The supplies were timely and provided them with an opportunity to keep the centers efficient and opened to the public. One Officer-In-Charge at a facility that benefited from the project informed our team that during the delivery of the medical supplies, the clinic was at the cross-road of shutting down due to lack of personal protective equipment (PPE); but thanks to the supplies.., their center shall remain opened and continue its services to the residents

During distribution of the supplies in Lofacounty, one of the hardest hit areas of Liberia, some health workers were in tears accepting the supplies because they are so desperate for whatever they can get their hands on. Thanks to Airlink’s support, we were the first to reach these areas with supplies.

The Airlink provided cargo flights represented approximately 17% of the total weight and 32% of the financial value of material assistance that Direct Relief furnished over this period. A huge thank you to Airlink for being such an instrumental part of Direct Relief’s response to help the people in West Africa, both to combat Ebola and to help rebuild the health systems in affected countries

Airlink support made it possible for agencies with supplies in the US to link up with the inter-agency flights out of Cologne. The result was a higher degree of cargo consolidation ensuring more frequent flights, or in other words a faster delivery of theessential items. In addition, Airlink and the Logistics Cluster shared information on air requirements, challenges and needs in the field, which contributed to the development of our Logistics Cluster air support strategy

Ebola Response in West Africa