Jerry Gbardue

Jerry Gbardue

Q: This is Sam Robson. It is March 11th, 2017, and I am here with Mr. Jerry Gbardue. This is in Buchanan, Liberia, and I'm interviewing Jerry as part of our CDC [United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] Ebola Response Oral History Project. Jerry, thank you very much for being here with me.

GBARDUE: Thank you very much.

Q: Can I start by asking, would you mind, for the record, saying “My name is,” and then saying your name?

GBARDUE: My name is Jerry, Mr. Jerry Gbardue from Sinoe County, courier for Riders for Health.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about what you were doing immediately before the Ebola epidemic, where you were?

GBARDUE: I was with the county health team in Sinoe County. During the Ebola 00:01:00period, I was the first person of that county who transported samples to RIA [Robertson International Airport]. The first case in Sinoe County, I was the person, Jerry E. Gbardue, who transported samples to RIA as a case from the Government camp. Three persons died at the same time in Government camp. The diagnostic officer collected the sample, and this sample was taken by Jerry to RIA. I also worked with Global Communities on the burial team. At the time where we worked at the ETU center, we buried a lot of Ebola bodies in Sinoe County. [Serving on the board] as the burial team supervisor. I was also trained by the US Marines that came to Liberia in Sinoe County. I was trained at the city hall as a hygienist, and was graded by the US marines. I have taken the third place 00:02:00out of thousands of persons in Sinoe County. Boris [Pavlin] from WHO [World Health Organization], if you were to go to his record, it would tell you about Jerry. [But Riders for health] came in Liberia. They visited Sinoe County at that movement, I was recommended by the county health team to the sample transportation. And they called upon some gCHV [general community health volunteers] from the various districts, and I was also recommended by the CHO [county health officer], Dr. Wilmot G. Frank, in Sinoe County. They have taken our name down, brought us to Buchanan, trained us as a riders ( riders for health).

We should really give thanks and appreciation to Riders for Health, and also to CDC, Center for Disease Control. They have done well in protecting the citizens of Liberia from this bad disease in Liberia through the transport process. We 00:03:00should also give Riders thanks for training us, giving us the idea to move samples from one end to another end. And to my fellow citizens who are out there, we risked our life for the people in Liberia. If you check the record, at the time of the Ebola outbreak, I entered a room where we had three persons lying down in the room dead. I took the spray can, disinfected the bodies, and collected a sample from the bodies, and it was taken to RIA. Ebola continued, there's an outbreak in Liberia since that time, and later on, Ebola ceased. So I'm giving information that we should be strong in the society, to defend our people and all the rest.

Q: Thank you very much. Can you tell me, why do you do this work? Why do you do what you do?

GBARDUE: I sacrifice myself because if we don't sacrifice ourselves, our people, 00:04:00at the end of the day, there will be a lot of chaos. If you say I don't want to do it--even my wife refused me, saying that you have taken risks with yourself. If you die--what will become of you today or tomorrow? I told her, I said, I will not die. God will bless me. At the end of the day, we fought that battle and Jerry becomes successful and alive. And now presently working for Riders for Health in Liberia; to be specific, Sinoe County.

Q: Thank you very much. Is there anything else you want to say before we end the interview?

GBARDUE: Yes. I will also encourage CDC to continue helping Riders for Health in Liberia. Not to stop in the short term, but to continue to give support to help our citizens, at least in case of outbreak--if CDC leaves Liberia, I believe there will be another outbreak, because once CDC leaves there will be no support 00:05:00for riders for health in turned of samples transport, if somebody like John dies from some sort of thing and there is no testing, that virus or that disease will spread. But once CDC is alive and it continues to support Riders for Health, I believe there will be no war of outbreak in any part of Liberia. So I'm begging CDC to remain and give support to Riders for Health. Even if the six months finish to see how best to renew the contract with Riders for Health.

Q: Thank you so much for being here. I very much appreciate you.

GBARDUE: Thank you very much, sir.

END