The Ebola Crisis: What You Can Do To Help

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa – the worst in the history of the disease – has claimed more than 2,400 lives and continues to spread. Countries hit by this disease need more resources: more health care workers, more beds, more protective equipment, and more ambulances.

As medical teams work to treat the deadly disease, and airports around the country stand ready to quarantine any new sick travelers, one thing is certain: An international response is essential, and the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) has never been more critical.

WHO works to protect against threats to global health and disease outbreaks — such as the Ebola virus — around the world. Last month, WHO released a roadmap recommending how governments, non-governmental organizations and other partners can stop further transmission of Ebola and treat people who have become infected. The UN estimates that $600 million is needed to fully fund the Ebola outbreak response.

However, despite the organization’s best efforts, WHO has faced increased funding cuts at an international level over the last few years, making it ever more dangerous were U.S. contributions to be reduced, depending on what Congress decides to allocate in its final spending bill later this year. 

Take Action Now

What can you do to help? Here are three ways you can take action now to help the UN:

1. Donate to the UN Foundation’s Ebola Response Fund to support the life-saving efforts of UN agencies including WHO. Funds will be used to obtain supplies, such as personal protective equipment and chlorine, and to provide technical assistance to the governments of Ebola affected countries. 
2. Are you a UNFCU member? UNFCU established an Ebola Relief Fund and will match member contributions made through October 31, 2014, up to $ 25,000.
3. Send a note to your members of Congress urging them to pay our UN dues and fully fund the WHO, so that it can work to combat Ebola and other disease outbreaks.