An alliance of local African free-market pioneers that formed to
promote bitcoin’s economic benefits has put its campaign on hold to join
the fight against Ebola, the virus currently ravaging parts of West
Africa.
The Sierra Leone Liberty Group (SLLG) is seeking to raise donations
via bitcoin as a demonstration of the digital currency’s efficiency. In
doing so, the group hopes to show how a grassroots organization can
start to build a bitcoin ecosystem with limited resources.
The world’s worst-ever outbreak of Ebola began to spread through
Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia in March of this year, and has since
caused over 1,400 deaths, according to
The Guardian.
All three countries are currently under a state of emergency with
closed borders, major events canceled and whole regions quarantined.
Treatments for Ebola are still experimental and none are in widespread
use, so prevention is the only option available.
The situation highlights the very real problems Africa must confront
before it can be concerned with issues like new forms of currency and
even economic policy.
Local struggle, global appeal
In the face of the outbreak, the SLLG
and its friends have turned their immediate attention to containing Ebola’s spread.
The group is asking for bitcoin donations from around the world to
get funds directly to workers on the ground who need to buy supplies
that include chlorine, cleaning equipment and protective gear such
as rubber gloves, goggles and masks.
SLLG’s founder, Mustapha Cole, told CoinDesk of the difficulties confronting him and his fellow Sierra Leoneans:
“It is very hard to live in a society that [has] such a
deadly virus [...] especially when many of the renowned doctors in the
country are also victims of the virus.”
Another SLLG spokesperson added that the sheer number of people who
have died so far has led to extreme measures. Once an Ebola case is
identified in a certain area, the entire area may be quarantined from
two to 20 days. No-one may enter or leave, with locals depending on the
government to provide food supplies.
Therefore it is imperative to contain Ebola’s spread by educating
local townspeople on proper preventative methods and provide the
necessary supplies to do so. This is SLLG’s key task.
Current bitcoin mission
The organization’s
Facebook page shows pictures
of the group distributing soap, disinfectant, and engaging in
educational campaigns to teach people in small villages how to prevent
infection.
SLLG’s
donation drive joins
other current campaigns to help stop Ebola and demonstrate bitcoin’s speed and efficiency at gathering funds in small amounts from around the world.
However, Sierra Leone’s current means of converting bitcoin into
local currency and physical goods remain limited. SLLG’s American
mentor, the writer and economist
Dan McLaughlin, will receive and convert the bitcoins before wiring the funds to Sierra Leone via bank transfer.
Read more at:
http://www.coindesk.com/sierra-leone-group-diverts-bitcoin-campaign-fight-ebola/
