John Best is no stranger to aid work. In fact, the North Bay resident has been deploying on missions with the Canadian Red Cross since 2005, so when the call came to help in Sierra Leone, one of the countries most affected by the Ebola outbreak, John knew what he had to do.
As a technician, John was tasked with some large responsibilities. He ensured that essential resources, such as water and electricity, were consistently available for the Ebola treatment centre in Kono, Sierra Leone. He also set up a power supply for the temporary Red Cross administrative and IT offices in Koidu.
During his mission, the biggest challenge he had to overcome was providing enough water for the Ebola treatment centre. “When I arrived, the wells in Koidu and Kono that were supplying the treatment centre were only producing a fraction of the 20,000 litres of water needed per day. I had to source local contractors to help remedy the problem,” said John.
While working to resolve the issue with the wells, John discovered that surrounding communities were also drawing from one of the wells that was supplying the treatment centre. He was stationed at the temporary offices in Koidu when he saw a young girl use a large bucket to draw water from the well. Curious, he followed her back to her village, which was about two kilometres away.
.jpg.aspx?width=400&height=532 "Little-girl-from-well-(1).jpg")
John added the well in the little girl’s village to the list of those to fix. “Not only did I get the three original wells producing the amount of water needed but I was able to help give that village a source of water. That was a real highlight of the mission for me,” said John.
John knows that his role is one of many that have made a positive impact on the people affected by Ebola in Sierra Leone. “I couldn’t travel anywhere without people thanking me for what I was doing,” he said. John is one of 36 Canadian Red Cross workers to deploy to West Africa since the outbreak began, and one of six to complete a mission in Kono.
As a technician, John was tasked with some large responsibilities. He ensured that essential resources, such as water and electricity, were consistently available for the Ebola treatment centre in Kono, Sierra Leone. He also set up a power supply for the temporary Red Cross administrative and IT offices in Koidu.
During his mission, the biggest challenge he had to overcome was providing enough water for the Ebola treatment centre. “When I arrived, the wells in Koidu and Kono that were supplying the treatment centre were only producing a fraction of the 20,000 litres of water needed per day. I had to source local contractors to help remedy the problem,” said John.
While working to resolve the issue with the wells, John discovered that surrounding communities were also drawing from one of the wells that was supplying the treatment centre. He was stationed at the temporary offices in Koidu when he saw a young girl use a large bucket to draw water from the well. Curious, he followed her back to her village, which was about two kilometres away.
Young girl carrying water back to her village.
Once there, John realized that the well in the village had run dry. “The young girl was travelling four kilometres a day with a large and heavy bucket of water on her head because it was the only access she and her family had to clean water. I knew I had to do something to help,” he said.John added the well in the little girl’s village to the list of those to fix. “Not only did I get the three original wells producing the amount of water needed but I was able to help give that village a source of water. That was a real highlight of the mission for me,” said John.
John knows that his role is one of many that have made a positive impact on the people affected by Ebola in Sierra Leone. “I couldn’t travel anywhere without people thanking me for what I was doing,” he said. John is one of 36 Canadian Red Cross workers to deploy to West Africa since the outbreak began, and one of six to complete a mission in Kono.
John, local contractors and a village chief stand in front of a sign that marks one of the wells they fixed.
Now back at home and having completed his 21 day rest period, John is ready to continue giving back. As a volunteer for the Canadian Red Cross branch in North Bay, he plans to continue to positively impact the lives of those in need – be it in Canada or anywhere around the world.