UNICEF to train 400 mental health, social workers

The United Nations Children Fund or UNICEF says as orphaned children of Ebola victims confront the devastation left by the disease, it is accelerating response to roll out both traditional and new ways to meet their physical and emotional needs.

In a statement issued here, UNICEF says it has trained 400 additional mental health and social workers in Liberia, including 2,500 Ebola survivors, now immune to the disease – to provide care to quarantined children in Sierra Leone; and providing an estimated 60,000 children in Guinea living among Ebola-affected communities with psychosocial support.

UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Manuel Fontaine, said amid a climbing death toll and widespread panic, the Ebola outbreak continues to ravage West Africa, leaving thousands of orphaned children in its wake.

“Thousands of children are living through the deaths of their mothers, fathers or family members from Ebola. These children urgently need special attention and support; yet many of them feel unwanted and even abandoned,” Fontaine said in a news release.

“Orphans are usually taken in by a member of the extended family, but in some communities, the fear surrounding Ebola is becoming stronger than family ties,” he noted. Since its outbreak earlier this year, Ebola has claimed more than 3,000 lives while infecting over 6,500 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

However, alongside the devastating physiological effects of the virus, the release said the outbreak has also ignited panic and fear across the affected areas with some victims, and their children, being spurned by their local communities.

“Ebola is turning a basic human reaction like comforting a sick child into a potential death sentence. The vast majority of children affected by Ebola are still left without appropriate care,” he explained. “We cannot respond to a crisis of this nature and this scale in the usual way. We need more courage, more creativity, and far, far more resources.”

According to preliminary reports obtained by UNICEF, the Ebola death toll in the three affected countries continues to rise, suggesting a spike in the numbers of orphaned children in the past few weeks and the likelihood that they will double by mid-October.

At the same time, the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) continues to establish its headquarters in Accra, Ghana, to lead the world body’s efforts in containing the spread of the disease.

“Our strategy is built around five pillars so we can move fast to stop the outbreak, treat the infected, ensure essential services, preserve stability and prevent any further outbreaks,” said Anthony Banbury, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of UNMEER, who arrived in Accra yesterday.