Dec 10 2021
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FOCUS 1000 (Facilitating and Organizing Communities to Unite for Sustainable Development) is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Sierra Leone that is committed to making the best investment in the most crucial period in a child’s life: the first 1000 days.

We have a team of over 100 staff members with diverse backgrounds cutting across public health, medicine, nutrition, education, social sciences, environmental sciences, and accounting. We also have a pool of over 120 young professionals that we have trained on data collection using digital technology. The organization has a presence in all 14 districts and 149 chiefdoms in Sierra Leone.

We work with a network of over 6000 religious leaders, 10,000 traditional healers, 4,000 market women, and 180 community-based organizations across the country. We have also established the Kombra Media Network comprising over 50 media practitioners to enhance the involvement of the media in promoting issues of women and children.

In addition to these focus areas, FOCUS1000 also releases publications on diverse situations across the country with respect to our focus areas.

Peer-Reviewed Scientific Publications by FOCUS 1000 (2015-2020)

  1. Integrated digital system for community engagement and community-based surveillance during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone: lessons for future health emergencies. Jalloh MF, Sengeh P, James N, Bah S, Jalloh MB, Owen K, Pratt SA, Oniba A, Sangarie M, Sesay S, Bedson J. BMJ Glob Health. 2020 Dec;5(12):e003936. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003936.

  2. Community knowledge, perceptions and practices around COVID-19 in Sierra Leone: a nationwide, cross-sectional survey. Sengeh P, Jalloh MB, Webber N, Ngobeh I, Samba T, Thomas H, Nordenstedt H, Winters M. BMJ Open. 2020 Sep 17;10(9):e040328. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040328.

  3. Risk perception during the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. Winters M, Jalloh MF, Sengeh P, Jalloh MB, Zeebari Z, Nordenstedt H. BMC Public Health. 2020 Oct 12;20(1):1539. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09648-8.

  4. Evidence of behaviour change during an Ebola virus disease outbreak, Sierra Leone. Jalloh MF, Sengeh P, Bunnell RE, Jalloh MB, Monasch R, Li W, Mermin J, DeLuca N, Brown V, Nur SA, August EM, Ransom RL, Namageyo-Funa A, Clements SA, Dyson M, Hageman K, Abu Pratt S, Nuriddin A, Carroll DD, Hawk N, Manning C, Hersey S, Marston BJ, Kilmarx PH, Conteh L, Ekström AM, Zeebari Z, Redd JT, Nordenstedt H, Morgan O. Bull World Health Organ. 2020 May 1;98(5):330-340B. doi: 10.2471/BLT.19.245803. Epub 2020 Mar 26.

  5. Community engagement in outbreak response: lessons from the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. Bedson J, Jalloh MF, Pedi D, Bah S, Owen K, Oniba A, Sangarie M, Fofanah JS, Jalloh MB, Sengeh P, Skrip L, Althouse BM, Hébert-Dufresne L. BMJ Glob Health. 2020 Aug;5(8):e002145. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002145.

  6. Homecare for sick family members while waiting for medical help during the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone: a mixed methods study. Schmidt-Hellerau K, Winters M, Lyons P, Leigh B, Jalloh MB, Sengeh P, Sawaneh AB, Zeebari Z, Salazar M, Jalloh MF, Nordenstedt H. BMJ Glob Health. 2020 Jul;5(7):e002732. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002732.

  7. Unmet needs and behaviour during the Ebola response in Sierra Leone: a retrospective, mixed-methods analysis of community feedback from the Social Mobilization Action Consortium. Skrip LA, Bedson J, Abramowitz S, Jalloh MB, Bah S, Jalloh MF, Langle-Chimal OD, Cheney N, Hébert-Dufresne L, Althouse BM. Lancet Planet Health. 2020 Feb;4(2):e74-e85. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30008-5.

  8. Investigating the Feasibility of Child Mortality Surveillance With Postmortem Tissue Sampling: Generating Constructs and Variables to Strengthen Validity and Reliability in Qualitative Research. O’Mara Sage E, Munguambe KR, Blevins J, Guilaze R, Kosia B, Maixenchs M, Bassat Q, Mandomando I, Kaiser R, Kone A, Jambai A, Myburgh ND, Ngwenya N, Madhi SA, Degefa K, Ackley C, Breiman RF, Raghunathan PL. Clin Infect Dis. 2019 Oct 9;69(Suppl 4):S291-S301. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciz564.

  9. A qualitative study to understand how Ebola Virus Disease affected nutrition in Sierra Leone-A food value-chain framework for improving future response strategies. Kodish SR, Bio F, Oemcke R, Conteh J, Beauliere JM, Pyne-Bailey S, Rohner F, Ngnie-Teta I, Jalloh MB, Wirth JP. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2019 Sep 10;13(9):e0007645. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007645.

  10. Perceptions and acceptability of an experimental Ebola vaccine among health care workers, frontline staff, and the general public during the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. Jalloh MF, Jalloh MB, Albert A, Wolff B, Callis A, Ramakrishnan A, Cramer E, Sengeh P, Pratt SA, Conteh L, Hajjeh R, Bunnell R, Redd JT, Ekström AM, Nordenstedt H. Vaccine. 2019 Mar 7;37(11):1495-1502. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.01.046. [not open access]

  11. Consumer perceptions and purchasing of packaged water products in Sierra Leone.
    Jalloh MF, Williams AR, Jalloh MB, Sengeh P, Saquee G, Bartram J. Pan Afr Med J. 2018 Aug 7;30:262. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2018.30.262.13676.

  12. Contraception determinants in youths of Sierra Leone are largely behavioral.
    Labat A, Medina M, Elhassein M, Karim A, Jalloh MB, Dramaix M, Zhang WH, Alexander S, Dickson KE. Reprod Health. 2018 Apr 19;15(1):66. doi: 10.1186/s12978-018-0504-9.

  13. Trust, fear, stigma and disruptions: community perceptions and experiences during periods of low but ongoing transmission of Ebola virus disease in Sierra Leone, 2015. Nuriddin A, Jalloh MF, Meyer E, Bunnell R, Bio FA, Jalloh MB, Sengeh P, Hageman KM, Carroll DD, Conteh L, Morgan O. BMJ Glob Health. 2018 Apr 1;3(2):e000410. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000410.

  14. Impact of Ebola experiences and risk perceptions on mental health in Sierra Leone, July 2015. Jalloh MF, Li W, Bunnell RE, Ethier KA, O’Leary A, Hageman KM, Sengeh P, Jalloh MB, Morgan O, Hersey S, Marston BJ, Dafae F, Redd JT. BMJ Glob Health. 2018 Mar 17;3(2):e000471. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000471.

  15. Risk Communication and Ebola-Specific Knowledge and Behavior during 2014-2015 Outbreak, Sierra Leone. Winters M, Jalloh MF, Sengeh P, Jalloh MB, Conteh L, Bunnell R, Li W, Zeebari Z, Nordenstedt H. Emerg Infect Dis. 2018 Feb;24(2):336-344. doi: 10.3201/eid2402.171028.

  16. National survey of Ebola-related knowledge, attitudes and practices before the outbreak peak in Sierra Leone: August 2014. Jalloh MF, Sengeh P, Monasch R, Jalloh MB, DeLuca N, Dyson M, Golfa S, Sakurai Y, Conteh L, Sesay S, Brown V, Li W, Mermin J, Bunnell R. BMJ Glob Health. 2017 Dec 4;2(4):e000285. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000285.

  17. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Ebola Virus Disease at the End of a National Epidemic – Guinea, August 2015. Jalloh MF, Robinson SJ, Corker J, Li W, Irwin K, Barry AM, Ntuba PN, Diallo AA, Jalloh MB, Nyuma J, Sellu M, VanSteelandt A, Ramsden M, Tracy L, Raghunathan PL, Redd JT, Martel L, Marston B, Bunnell R. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017 Oct 20;66(41):1109-1115. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6641a4.

  18. The Development of Standard Operating Procedures for Social Mobilization and Community Engagement in Sierra Leone During the West Africa Ebola Outbreak of 2014-2015. Pedi D, Gillespie A, Bedson J, Jalloh MF, Jalloh MB, Kamara A, Bertram K, Owen K, Jalloh MA, Conte L. J Health Commun. 2017;22(sup1):39-50. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2016.1212130.

  19. Attitudes about vaccines to prevent Ebola virus disease in Guinea at the end of a large Ebola epidemic: Results of a national household survey. Irwin KL, Jalloh MF, Corker J, Alpha Mahmoud B, Robinson SJ, Li W, James NE, Sellu M, Jalloh MB, Diallo AA, Tracy L, Hajjeh R, VanSteelandt A, Bunnell R, Martel L, Raghunathan PL, Marston B; 2015 Guinean Household Survey of Ebola Virus Disease Project Group. Vaccine. 2017 Dec 14;35(49 Pt B):6915-6923. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.06.026.

  20. Assessments of Ebola knowledge, attitudes and practices in Forécariah, Guinea and Kambia, Sierra Leone, July-August 2015. Jalloh MF, Bunnell R, Robinson S, Jalloh MB, Barry AM, Corker J, Sengeh P, VanSteelandt A, Li W, Dafae F, Diallo AA, Martel LD, Hersey S, Marston B, Morgan O, Redd JT. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2017 May 26;372(1721):20160304. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0304.

  21. ‘Once there is life, there is hope’ Ebola survivors’ experiences, behaviours and attitudes in Sierra Leone, 2015. Karafillakis E, Jalloh MF, Nuriddin A, Larson HJ, Whitworth J, Lees S, Hageman KM, Sengeh P, Jalloh MB, Bunnell R, Carroll DD, Morgan O. BMJ Glob Health. 2016 Nov 18;1(3):e000108. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2016-000108.

  22. Public Confidence in the Health Care System 1 Year After the Start of the Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak – Sierra Leone, July 2015. Li W, Jalloh MF, Bunnell R, Aki-Sawyerr Y, Conteh L, Sengeh P, Redd JT, Hersey S, Morgan O, Jalloh MB, O’Leary A, Burdette E, Hageman K. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016 Jun 3;65(21):538-42. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6521a3.

  23. Microbiological and Chemical Quality of Packaged Sachet Water and Household Stored Drinking Water in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Fisher MB, Williams AR, Jalloh MF, Saquee G, Bain RE, Bartram JK. PLoS One. 2015 Jul 10;10(7):e0131772. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0131772.

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