Gboko Stewart, gboko@journalrage.org
Paynesville- FHI360 has begun the removal of flyers bearing the photo of Dominic Bropleh at clinics and hospitals across Montserrado County.
The removal of the flyers comes in the wake of a journalRAGE story in which the gay man accused the organization of outing his health status of being HIV positive.
He said he brought it to the attention of Madam Cytirus Kerbay, FHI Technical Advisor, and she promised to look into it, but never did.
Bropleh, 32, said the organization and its implementing partners and affiliates paid no heed to his concerns when he registered the attending and associative risks that outing him had caused within his family and community.
Bropleh’s story prompted the organization and USAID to immediately launch an investigation into the matter.
FHI360 implements the PEPFAR initiative for USAID in Liberia.
As part of a series of measures, the company seconded its safeguarding expert from Washington to Monrovia to reinforce and strengthen its procedures which, according to sources, appear to be wanting.
Sources say the safeguarding expert arrived in the country over the weekend, and on Monday, May 22, held a meeting with implementing partners of the organization.
She is expected, according to sources, to hold a meeting with monitoring and evaluation managers, project coordinators and peer navigators.
It is not clear whether she would meet with Bropleh. The organization in an earlier statement to journalRAGE said it had reached out to him to offer support. Bropleh could not be reached for a comment.
However, the removal of the flyers is part of instructions from Washington to Monrovia to discard and remove all flyers bearing the image of Dominic Bropleh.
“What I can tell you is that we have asked our local partner to stop distributing the fliers with Mr.[Bropleh’s] image,” an FHI spokesperson said.
The flyers were posted across clinics at hospitals in Montserrado and several counties.
A journalRAGE fact finding mission at the ELWA Hospital and JDJ clinic observed that flyers, which were emblazoned on the walls last week have been removed.