Fortunately, the expert prognosticators of tragedy on a global level fell far short of their November prediction of 1.5 million victims of Ebola by January 2015. The World Health Organization reported, as of January 15, there have been 21,329 cases of Ebola, with the vast majority being in the three West African countries. Since I live and work in one of those countries, those numbers mean something to me, personally.
Of those 8300+ who died of Ebola, about 1000 were children, mostly those under five years old. Statistically, the adults are four times more likely to contract the disease; but if the kids do, they are more likely to survive it than the adults, with the exception of the vulnerable under-five age group.
The real question is what happens after Ebola? The pre-schooler and his primary school sibling survived seeing their parents dying of Ebola; the bodies of Mama and Papa carried off in an ambulance to be buried far from the family home; and being put in a strange car to go to a treatment center, where they ended up getting terribly sick one day after being in the new place. They thought they would die; they hoped they’d die, because then they’d see Mama and Papa again. The preacher had told them that. They experienced how painful it is to die of Ebola and hoped it’d end soon.
But, for thousands and thousands of these kids, only the sickness ended; dying because of Ebola didn’t. Ten thousand children (8000 in Sierra Leone) are on the streets, hoping someone will notice them.
Not all of the Ebola orphans had the disease; some were never sick at all. It doesn’t matter to a society filled with fear. The children are rejected at every home they seek shelter, even being run out of the village of their birth.
Those who recovered from the deadly illness are of no threat to anyone at all, but it doesn’t matter. They survived the agony of Ebola, only to be thrust into the pain of rejection and starvation.
Their only friends are the orphans who live on the streets because their parents died of Ebola. No one wants them, either. It doesn’t matter that they never had Ebola or that it’s well-past the period of risk for someone getting Ebola from a family member. They are afraid it might “jump on them,” anyway.
Please remember these abandoned kids today. Pray for them to find a home. Truly, it’ll take a miracle from God to open the hearts of extended family members to receive the little ones into their home.
The Bible says that “Perfect love casts out fear.” (I. Jn 4:18) Only the love of God infiltrating the hearts of the frightened family will give them the courage to open their arms to the hurting children. Please, don’t forget them!
