(ANS - Madrid)- New cases of Ebola in Sierra Leone and Liberia have caused alarm bells to ring again. "Liberia was free from the disease since 9 May but now there are three new cases. In Sierra Leone also we are concerned about the resurfacing of infections", says Fr Jorge Crisafulli, Provincial of the Salesians in English-speaking West Africa. "We cannot lower our guard. We face an invisible enemy", he says.

There are already more than 28,000 people affected by the Ebola virus. 11,200 have died from the virus in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea Conakry. The consequences for the population are of huge importance. For example, over 16,000 children have lost one parent or both.

Children have suffered a lot, but the Salesians in Sierra Leone have not abandoned them. More than 250 young people are accommodated in a centre where they have a chance to recover. "They can speak about their trauma, socialize, continue to learn and work hard to return to live with their families," says one of the volunteers who work with these children.

"My parents died of Ebola. An ambulance took them and neither I nor my four brothers ever saw them again. I myself was sick. They took me to the hospital and I was separated from my brothers. I was very sad. Three weeks later they took me to the Salesian centre and I have improved a lot. I want to go back and live with my brothers and my uncles. I want to study and become a doctor."  This is the story of Margaret, a fourteen year-old girl, but it is also the story of thousands of others. Five year-old Alfa lost his parents and twelve members of his family. Today he lives in the Salesian centre with his brothers. Ibrahim is only four. His lost his father who died from Ebola and his mother who ran away.

Faced with this situation, the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid draws people’s attention to the fact that Ebola and its consequences have not yet been defeated. For this reason they have launched a campaign called "Y ahora, ¿qué?" (What next?). "We still need the help of many people to secure the future of children and young people – Ebola children – in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea Conakry",  says Ana Muñoz, spokesperson for the organization.

Published 09/07/2015