“Hundreds if Not Thousands of Lives Were Saved”

We are witnessing a big Ebola outbreak in Africa which has me thinking back to 12 years ago when I served as Peace Corps country director in Guinea. Many Guineans were highly skeptical about that Ebola outbreak, and there were many rumors and widespread resistance to that outbreak. My staff used our deep community connections to educate citizens about the disease and the precautions required.  

Ultimately, this initiative was estimated to reach 3.2 million people, one quarter of Guinea’s population, and that Ebola outbreak was largely ended. U.S. Ambassador Dennis Hankins wrote, “Peace Corps local staff were able to make a key contribution in fighting Ebola. Through their collective efforts, I am convinced hundreds if not thousands of lives were saved.”  

You can read my New Hampshire Business Review column at: https://read.nhbr.com/nh-business-review#2026/07/31/?article=4412387