Ebola Orphans Cry for Support
By Yusuff Moseray Suma
Ebola orphans between the ages of 10-16 years at Bumba village in Pakimassabong Chiefdom, Bombali District, have cried for urgent support to pursue their education. It could be recalled that in the 2014-2015 Ebola scourge, Bumba village was amongst the villages that were badly hit by the Ebola scourge. During the outbreak, the village recorded twenty-seven (27) confirmed cases, twenty-five (25) deaths, and two (2) female survivors.
A 14-year-old girl, Janet S. Kamara, one of the orphans, said she had been promoted to JSS 3. Unfortunately, she couldn’t continue because both parents had passed away when the Ebola struck the village. She further said the person who used to pay her fees had stopped paying for a reason she could not tell this medium. “My dream is to become a nurse and help the poor people, but how can I achieve such a dream without education?” Janet lamented.
Another orphan, Daniel Kargbo, a 12-year-old boy in JSS 2, describes his situation as heartbreaking and unforgettable. Daniel lost both parents in the middle of the Ebola outbreak. According to Daniel, his father first died of the virus, followed by his mother. “My mother gave up the ghost a few minutes after she dropped me from school,” Daniel narrated with tears running down his eyes.
Daniel, whose dream is to become a lawyer or medical doctor, said if all that is needed is given to him, he will achieve that dream, help fight against future outbreaks, and stand as a legal representative for vulnerable children in Sierra Leone and Africa as a whole.
After several advocacy drives, sadly, the majority of these children have stopped attending school due to the lack of school fees and other necessary learning materials. Today, the hopes and aspirations of these orphans remain unclear and unpredictable.
