Sunday, November 23, 2014

Powerful Portraits Of Ebola Survivors Back Home And Still Fighting To Live

They survived Ebola, but their ordeal is far from over.
French photographer Livia Saavedra travelled to the Guinean capital Conakry in October to document Ebola survivors who have returned to their communities. Some have lost family to the disease, others no longer have jobs or face rejection from their community. "The stigma they face is terrible," Saavedra wrote in an email to WorldPost.
Some of the Guineans Saavedra met are fighting hard to overcome that stigma. Nyanbalamou Gabou, a 24-year-old medical student, worked to raise awareness about Ebola in his community before he fell sick himself, and was embraced by the community when he returned, Saavedra says.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed over 5,000 people, mainly concentrated in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. According to figures of the World Health Organization, nearly 10,000 others have contracted the disease and survived.
Take a look at Saavedra's moving portraits of Ebola survivors and their stories below, and visit her website to see more of her work.
Livia Saavedra
Fanta and Sydia Bangoura 
"Only the little girl was infected with the disease. The children haven’t realized that they are now orphans. The problem of caring for children affected by the disease is becoming urgent."

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