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While the Ebola epidemic has slowed, many families like Ladylue's
are still feeling the economic strains of the crisis. Mercy Corps is
distributing cash to help families cope. Photo: Sean Sheridan for Mercy
Corps
Ladylue Walker, 30, grows cassava to help support and feed her
family — her husband, three children, mother and grandmother, plus her
sister’s five children — in Liberia, the small country bordered by
Guinea, Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire on Africa’s western edge.
But making ends meet since the Ebola virus ravaged her community — and nation — hasn’t been easy.
Since December 2013, the worst outbreak of the disease in history has
sickened more than 28,000 people, killed thousands more, and wreaked
havoc on economies across West Africa.
To help struggling families cope, Mercy Corps is distributing cash so they can support themselves as they work to recover from the devastating impact the epidemic has had on the region.
The initiative comes on the heels of the national public health
campaign Mercy Corps instituted last year that reached 2.4 million
people in Liberia with lifesaving anti-Ebola messages. The campaign
helped the country make great strides in the fight to end the epidemic
and even be declared Ebola-free in May 2015. Learn more about our Ebola response ▸
