Sierra Leone is an example of the worst that can happen when Ebola hits a country, and the consequences for the population which go far beyond the devastation caused in West Africa between 2014 and 2015 with thousands of deaths.
The consequences of Ebola are just terrible. The entire country has been set back by decades. International agencies and non-governmental organizations, such as the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid, seek to address not only the disease, but also these serious consequences. But the fight is complicated and takes place on many fronts.
The exhibition opened on Friday 22 April. It aims to show the current situation and the social consequences of the disease, now that the epidemic has been brought under control.
The survivors are still marked by stigma. Witnesses say that trying to get home is an ordeal. Almost no one wants to take care of Ebola orphans and of the health care workers, and the gravediggers are shunned by friends and neighbours. We must understand that everything does not end with the last patient. The virus can strike again at any time in the future, as happened in the recent cases registered in Liberia, a country that had already been declared free from the disease. We must be ready to contain the virus, but also to do whatever needs to be done afterwards. The affected countries are weak, with many deficiencies and are often unable to cope.
The purpose of the photo exhibition is to inform and sensitize the population and, at the same time, to bridge the gap that exists in the information on this issue in the media. The headlines suggest that they have already forgotten the gravity of the situation and the damage that persists among the population.
