The Problem: Dramatic Increase in Orphans in West Africa During The Ebola Epidemic

The number of children without parents skyrocketed during the West African Ebola Crisis (2014 to 2015). Orphans in Africa often face stigma, hunger, trauma, marginalization, abuse, and sometimes early marriage. 

Families were devastated as the virus spread through communities, resulting in the deaths of entire families. In some instances, the children survived and became Ebola orphans.

Ebola orphans are defined as children who, due to the Ebola epidemic, have lost the primary earner or bread-winner in the family.  In many homes, both parents have passed away due to Ebola.  According to a published report over 12,000 children lost their primary caregiver and over 3,000 children lost both parents to Ebola in Sierra Leone.

It has been a horrific journey for these orphans, some of whom were initially sick with Ebola themselves and have recovered. Others have additionally had to deal with being ostracized and rejected by their neighbors - who initially feared they could catch Ebola themselves - due to their misunderstanding of the epidemic. 

Our Response: Targeted Orphan Care

In the greater Freetown community, several kids that were sponsored through Develop Africa lost their parents to Ebola during the Ebola Epidemic in Sierra Leone. The Door of Hope community in Wellington, Freetown, proposed that we jointly set up an orphanage to house and take care of these and other orphans.  

In May 2015, thanks to a generous grant from GlobalGiving,  Develop Africa set up an orphanage to take care of 22 of these orphans. Develop Africa helped renovate the facilities and was primarily responsible for the on-going expenses.  Other organizations and individuals came alongside in partnership with Develop Africa - donating funds are a wide range of items including food, games, school supplies, toiletries, furniture, clothes, etc. 

This continued till August 2018, when Develop Africa ended its partnership with Door of Hope. We felt that it was in the best interest of the children for them to be transitioned into families - rather than stay in an orphanage indefinitely. At this point, some of the kids were well on the way of being transitioned into families. 

Sylvester with 3 former Dream Home students  - June 2019

May 2020 Update:

All (18) of the age-eligible orphans have been adopted into families in the USA. The remaining three are making progress with their education, with two of them in college. 

With that in mind, we can thankfully say that we have accomplished several goals.  We met their immediate need - until they were phased into / adopted into families.

We are very thankful for the opportunity that we all had to support them during the transition. We are deeply grateful to everyone who helped take care of them.

This would not have been possible without the generous support of our individual, organization, and corporate donors worldwide - who donated funds and in-kind items. You made this possible. Thank YOU so much for your support!

Miscellaneous Links:

US Newspaper Article about the adoptions 

BBC Action Media visits Dream Home 

Future plans regarding orphan care and support

We continue to receive requests to support orphans and are connected with orphanages in Sierra Leone. Your donation will help take care of deserving orphans in need   

We warmly welcome your on-going support.

You can help

You can be the guiding hand that helps them avoid negative and destructive life paths, and give them hope for their future. Each orphan is important. And, by donating as little as $30 you can sponsor an orphan’s life, health, and education. 

We are very grateful for the opportunity to invest in the future of orphans. Our goal is to help orphans grow into model people; people that will impact their communities and nation and even the world.