“We thank Israel for their generous contribution to help stop Ebola and for recognizing that children are especially vulnerable during emergencies. Although progress has been made in controlling Ebola, much remains to be done to fully stamp out the disease and provide care to children whose lives have been upended by it.…"
Israel Gives Largest Per-Capita UNICEF Ebola Donation
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
After Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party refused to send IDF field hospitals to West Africa to treat Ebola victims, the Foreign Ministry, which is not in Likud control, and other parts of the government stepped in. And now the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)says that Israel made the world’s largest per-capita contribution to fight Ebola – $8.75 million.
“We thank Israel for their generous contribution to help stop Ebola and for recognizing that children are especially vulnerable during emergencies. Although progress has been made in controlling Ebola, much remains to be done to fully stamp out the disease and provide care to children whose lives have been upended by it.…The donation from Israel could not have come at a more critical time, as global attention on the crisis is waning. This is an investment not only in current efforts to combat the virus, but also in the long-term health and well-being of children and families across West Africa.” Caryl Stern, president and CEO of the US Fund for UNICEF, said according to a report in Ha'aretz.
Israel has also sent fully equipped medical clinics to West Africa, along with medical specialists to operate them and train local health workers, despite Ya’alon’s original refusal to do so.
About 19,000 people have contracted Ebola so far. More than 6,900 have died from it, leaving as many as 10,000 orphans who are often stigmatized or even shunned by their communities over fears of catching the virus.
Many schools remain closed due to the Ebola outbreak, leaving about 5 million children without education.