For philanthropist Katie Meyler, her Instagram account has become a means to animate the children of Liberia, a country crippled by Ebola.

The founder of the More Than Me charity, which ran a school in Liberia, before it closed in June due to the spread of the disease, initially left the country as the deadly virus tightened its grip.

But she recently decided to return to help combat Ebola in the community she has called home over the past nine years. Armed with her Instagram account, she has been documenting the crisis as More Than Me continues its community work.

“I am trying to use my Instagram account as a way to make these kids more real. These kids are no different, kids are kids,” Meyler said. “They are sad that school is not open. No one is giving them answers and no one knows when this is going to end, and they are seeing their neighbors and friends die.”

More than Me is converting a guesthouse into a building where children who have been exposed to the disease can be quarantined for 21 days and then reintegrated back into their communities when healthy.

In Liberia—where the man who brought the disease to href=”http://mashable.com/2014/09/30/cdc-ebola-case-us/”>Dallas recently is from—Ebola shows no sign of slowing.

According to the country’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the number of cases in the country reached 3,696 by Sept. 28. Community workers and a handful of international health organizations have been working to stop it.

Meyler, who has been working with local groups on the ground, noted that many had received limited training and little or no supplies.

She met dozens of community workers in Caldwell, a neighborhood located northeast of Monrovia, that have been educating people on how to combat the spread of the disease, without being paid for months.

“The people who are acting on the ground, on the frontlines fighting this thing, these are not highly trained workers. These are community members who have stepped up to fight with everything they can,” Meyler said. “This team had been working for three months without pay, without anything. They don’t have any money to pay for food for their families.”

Kriterion Monrovia, a group behind an independent art house cinema in Caldwell, has turned its attention to Ebola awareness, too. Pandora Hodge, a project coordinator for the local group, has explained the signs and symptoms of Ebola to community members. She has told them about the need for proper prevention and the key symptoms of the virus in hopes of familiarizing people with the disease.

The groups are self-organized and have asked the government for the most basic supplies to deal with the crisis. A list of their requests included buckets for bleach, stationary, and protective gear.

“You hear nothing but fear, fear, fear, and you forget that people live here,” said Janessa Wells, another American working in Monrovia. “Even though there is fear and death, Liberia is resilient and you still see people going to the market, and children just being children.”

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