Orphans and Caretaker

Orphans and Caretaker

Mercy Kennady, 9, and Harris Wreh, 17, with Martu Weefor and their caregiver Justina King, in the Paynesville suburb of Monrovia, Liberia. Ms. King took care of Mercy and Harris while the siblings were at an interim care center for children exposed to EVD. Ms. Weefor, a friend of the children's family, agreed to foster the children, whose mother died of EVD and whose father passed away long before the outbreak. The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare set up the center, where children who were in direct contact with patients suffering from EVD were accommodated during 21 days of isolation, the virus's maximum incubation period. There they were cared for by workers-themselves Ebola survivors-trained to monitor the children closely for signs of EVD. In parallel, active tracing of childrens' extended family was also undertaken, with the ultimate goal of reuniting them with relatives immediately after the conclusion of the quarantine period.

Photograph by Christine Nesbitt, courtesy of UNICEF