Epidemic preparedness in Liberia

Description of proposed project

This project aims to enhance epidemic preparedness in rural Liberia by building a community-led risk communication and rumor management system. It will empower local communities to detect, report, and respond to misinformation and behavioral factors that influence the spread of infectious diseases. The initiative addresses a key weakness in outbreak preparedness: the gap between early warning systems and real-time community action.

Background and Rationale:

Following the 2014–16 Ebola outbreak, Liberia made strides in strengthening disease surveillance. However, recent Mpox cases revealed ongoing challenges in risk communication, timely community engagement, and misinformation control—especially in rural areas. A UNICEF–Ministry of Health U-Report poll during the Mpox outbreak uncovered low risk perception, misinformation, and stigma, particularly among vulnerable populations. Social media monitoring confirmed that false information was spreading faster than official messaging, underscoring the urgent need for trusted, audience-specific communication rooted in local realities.

Many communities remain disconnected from formal health systems. While Liberia’s CEBS and IDSR systems help detect outbreaks, they are not designed to capture social behavior trends or real-time public sentiment. This project will bridge that gap by embedding risk communication and rumor tracking into existing community structures, creating a feedback loop between the population and the public health system.

Objectives:

Establish a community-based rumor tracking and response system in three rural districts.

Train community health workers, radio hosts, and youth leaders in epidemic communication and misinformation management.

Set up a simple dashboard to analyze and share rumor and feedback data with district health offices.

Co-create and deliver locally relevant health messages that promote trust and behavior change.

Evaluate the project’s impact on health knowledge, trust in health authorities, and rumor prevalence.

Implementation Plan:

Phase 1: Planning & Community Engagement (Months 1–2)

Identify pilot districts with MoH and local authorities.

Conduct rapid assessments and stakeholder mapping.

Form Community Risk Communication Committees (CRCCs).

Develop a social behavior change communication (SBCC) toolkit with local input.

Phase 2: Capacity Building & Setup (Months 3–4)

Train 60+ community actors in risk communication and rumor tracking.

Set up WhatsApp-based channels for rumor reporting.

Develop a user-friendly dashboard for data visualization and analysis.

Launch radio programming and local theatre performances to address identified concerns.

Phase 3: Feedback Loops & Real-Time Messaging (Months 5–6)

Weekly collection and analysis of rumor data by community focal points.

Adapt radio scripts and messages in response to real-time feedback.

Collaborate with surveillance teams to triangulate community insights with health data.

Provide community-level feedback to build transparency and trust.

Phase 4: Evaluation & Documentation (Months 7–8)

Conduct pre- and post-intervention surveys on health knowledge and risk perception.

Assess behavior change and communication uptake.

Document best practices and produce recommendations for scale-up.

Expected Outcomes:

A functional, community-owned rumor tracking and response system.

Improved understanding of disease risk and preventive behaviors.

Strengthened trust between communities and public health actors.

A replicable model for RCCE integration into epidemic preparedness frameworks.

Alignment with Effective Altruism Principles:

This project embodies core EA values:

Evidence-Informed: Builds on known gaps and international RCCE guidelines.

Tractable: Uses existing community structures and low-tech tools.

Neglected: Risk communication at the local level remains underfunded.

Scalable: Can be adapted across districts or other LMICs post-evaluation.

Use of Funds (Estimated Budget):

Community training & toolkit development – $3,000

Mobile-based reporting & rumor dashboard – $2,000

Radio & local media content creation – $2,000

Monitoring & evaluation (including surveys) – $1,500

Coordination, logistics & documentation – $1,500

Total grant requested: $10,000 USD

Conclusion: As outbreaks become more frequent and complex, especially in fragile health systems, the importance of resilient and people-centered communication systems cannot be overstated. This project leverages my recent fieldwork in Liberia and aims to build a sustainable model that enables communities to act quickly and confidently in the face of emerging threats. With ACX Grant support, we can strengthen epidemic readiness by making trusted information just as contagious as the disease.

Why are you qualified to work on this?

I am a public health specialist with over eight years of experience in global health security, epidemic preparedness and response, and risk communication in low- and middle-income countries. My qualifications include a medical degree (MBBS), a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), and a Master of Project Management (MPM), complemented by advanced training in epidemiology, social and behavioral science, and health communication.

Most recently, I served as the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for the Strengthening Outbreak Notification and Response (SONAR) project in Liberia, implemented by the Task Force for Global Health in collaboration with the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL). In this role, I led the first-ever national evaluation of Liberia’s Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system. This work included direct engagement with community-based surveillance structures and revealed clear gaps in timely public communication and community engagement—especially for diseases like Mpox.

I also supported NPHIL in conducting retrospective data analysis on priority infectious diseases, including Lassa fever, and worked closely with surveillance officers, local leaders, and public health partners (e.g., WHO AFRO, Africa CDC, and AFENET). These engagements gave me firsthand insight into the realities, opportunities, and limitations of risk communication at the community level.

Additionally, I have trained over 180 master trainers in Pakistan on IDSR, including modules on risk communication and community engagement (RCCE), and served as a master trainer for WHO and EMPHNET. My expertise bridges technical epidemiology, social science, and participatory methods—precisely what this project demands.

These combined experiences make me well positioned to design and implement a community-led, evidence-informed, and culturally grounded risk communication model in Liberia.