CHILDREN in West Africa are being orphaned, stigmatised and discriminated against because of the deadly Ebola virus.
AT least 3,700 children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have lost one or both parents to the disease, according to UNICEF.
Many have nowhere to go as extended families are refusing to care for them, the Disasters Emergency Committee said. Save The Children is working in the remote Kailahun district in Sierra Leone, one of the worst affected areas in the country. One of the young boys they are supporting lost his father and six members of his family to Ebola. Justin Forsyth, chief executive of Save the Children, said children are suffering the most. “One of the main tragedies of Ebola is that many children, who have already witnessed one or both parents dying in terrible circumstances, are now being abandoned because people are so terrified of contracting the disease. “The traditional safety net of community support is under threat.”