15 Years : 15 Stories ‘Transforming Health in Sierra Leone’

As part of Misean Cara’s ’15 Years : 15 Stories’ media project, this video showcases the transformative power of Health in Sierra Leone. Five years ago the Ebola epidemic wreaked havoc in the country of Sierra Leone. During the epidemic the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny risked their lives by going where no other aid workers would – into the places where the disease was rampant. The Sisters went to the poorest communities and visited and delivered food to people in quarantine who were suspected of having Ebola. Five years on, Ebola survivors are living on the margins of society because of the stigma associated with having Ebola. Survivors live isolated lives with little human interaction with the wider community. Many have lost their livelihoods because they cannot work due to Post-Ebola Syndrome with symptoms ranging from muscle wasting, joint pain, arthritis, respiratory issues, headaches, blurred vision, insomnia, nerve palsy and tremors. Francis, an Ebola survivor, lost 15 members of his family. Ebola didn’t just take his family, it took everything from him. Now he has no income, no help from the government and he is surviving from whatever help the Sisters can give to him.