The last Ebola outbreak, in Sierra Leone, left that country with a huge debt to the IMF, for loans taken on to fight the disease, writes Frances Middleton

As a veteran door knocker with Christian Aid’s red envelopes, I was horrified to read about the worsening Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Report, 15 May). The last Ebola outbreak, in Sierra Leone, left that country with a huge debt to the IMF, for loans taken on to fight the disease. That money is still being repaid, leaving Sierra Leone’s healthcare programmes, such as they are, even worse off. In a country of 7 million people there are 130 doctors.

Sierra Leone is the focus of this year’s Christian Aid Week, aiming to fund more health clinics to reduce the number of women who die in childbirth – currently 10 a day. Part of the campaign is a petition asking the government to lobby the IMF to cancel this debt. Please sign it on the Christian Aid Week website.

I hope to God that the DRC receives the help it needs to end the conflict and deal with Ebola and its many other problems – including looking after the rainforest for all our sakes.

What a sad world. However, I’ll be out door knocking again this evening.

Frances Middleton

Honingham, Norfolk

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