OMPT Tapped by CDC for Ebola Prevention Training
Adapted from Government Video Press Article.
CHICO, Calif. — One Mobile Projector Per Trainer has been selected by the Centers for Disease Control to respond to the Ebola crisis in West Africa.
OMPT will supply aid organizations engaged in the fight against Ebola with 100+ specialized mobile video production and projection units. The OMPT units will contain safety procedures videos, created in local languages, that show West Africans how they can adapt traditional practices and stem the spread of the Ebola virus. Because the OMPT projection units are battery-powered, there is no need for a local power source and the videos can be shown in the most rural locations.
“Stopping the spread of the disease is as much a communications challenge as a medical one,” said Matt York, founder and executive director of OMPT. “With a large portion of the affected population at a low literacy rate, it is very important that we convey in the local languages and visually show the steps people need to take to stop the spread of the disease.”
The OMPT team, lead by York, will travel to Conakry, Guinea, and teach on-the-ground aid personnel how to create video lessons and use the video projection technology starting in early January 2014. Additional trips to Liberia and Sierra Leone are planned for the following months.
The four-day video production workshop will teach aid workers how to make videos. The videos, which will be done in the local languages, will feature prevention measures as well as trusted leaders and testimony from Ebola survivors. The videos will be stored on micro SD cards and can be delivered by hand from village to village and shown via mini-projectors on hut walls. No electricity required.
The 100+ OMPT video production kits are specially suited for use in areas without consistent access to electricity. All the equipment is battery-powered and can be operated and recharged using alternative energy sources like solar panels (which OMPT provides) or alligator clips connected to car or motorcycle batteries.
OMPT wants to extend its services to other West African countries battling the spread of Ebola via education. OMPT has two initiatives to raise the necessary funds for the expansion. First, on December 13th and 14th, 2014 OMPT will participate in the Project for Awesome 2014 on YouTube. This two-day fundraising blitz is a community-driven online charitable movement to raise money and awareness for worthy non-profits. The following Tuesday, December 16th, OMPT will launch a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, titled “Fight Ebola with Cordless Video.” The campaign will seek to raise $50,000 and will run through December 31st.