Teen is helping young to rebuild lives after Ebola
AWELSH teenager is helping to rebuild a country devastated by Ebola. Libby Jones, 19, is working in Sierra Leone to help the country recover from the deadly virus which killed almost 4,000 people.
Although the Ebola outbreak was declared over by the World Health Organisation more than six months ago, youth unemployment remains high in Sierra Leone.
Libby, from Caerleon, near Newport, and other British and Sierra Leonean volunteers, are providing one-on-one training and mentoring to help them find work.
She said: “Arriving in Sierra Leone was surreal; nothing you are told back home can prepare you for the reality.
“Ebola has touched the lives of everyone here. Even if they haven’t directly lost a family member or friend, the outbreak was extremely distressing for everyone.
“Most people had to sacrifice something, whether that was going to school, church, mosque or generally not leaving their homes for days at a time.
“My project is focused on reducing the stigma towards young people most affected by the crisis through peace education in schools.”
The volunteers are also running health and hygiene sessions to raise awareness of how to prevent the spread of disease which killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa.
Libby said: “Living in Sierra Leone, even for a short time, isn’t easy. However, being surrounded by a nation of welcoming people makes the struggle of missing home, eating strange foods, and culture shock a hell of a lot easier.
“It’s fair to say that living with a host family is the only way to fully embrace and begin to understand a culture.
“Not only are they helping me learn about their world, but also teaching me skills I would’ve never had the opportunity to learn at home.
“For example, washing my clothes by hand with Saba soap is definitely something I wouldn’t have ever needed to do, let alone thought to do it at home.”
When Libby gets back home on April 12 she will take on an Action at Home project to use her skills in Wales.
Libby travelled to Sierra Leone with Y-Care International, as part of the UK aid-funded International Citizen Service (ICS) volunteering programme.
Felicity Morgan, from ICS, said: “Our volunteers are doing really important work in Sierra Leone.
“Though Ebola is gone, its impact is still being felt and it’s essential we continue to support young Sierra Leoneans as they rebuild their country and their lives.”
ICS works with people aged 18 to 25 to work on projects to improve health and education in Africa, Asia and Latin America.