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The Faces of Ebola: Meet 21 Women and Girls Affected by the Virus

To remind us that "cases" means "humans."

By Chelsea Peng

Sep 23, 2014

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When we talk about Ebola, we often concentrate on the numbers: 5,800 confirmed cases, a projected 550,000 by January, and more than 2,800 deaths. But, as these images from Liberia-based organization More than Me show, there are real women and children behind the facts and figures. These 21 photos remind us that they're suffering tremendous pain, coping with loss, and carrying on buoyed by moments of hope—that in spite of and with Ebola, there are people living. Meet more of the girls here, and support More Than Me here.

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Esther and her daughter Katie are healthy, but Esther knows many of her neighbors are sick.

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The Women of Ebola - Page 27

This is 6-year-old Miatta. Her dad and baby sister have died, and her mother and other siblings are sick. Because she's healthy, she has to stay home with no one to care for her. More Than Me took her in to watch her for 21 days in isolation. The next day, she started showing symptoms and had to be taken to an Ebola treatment unit for testing.

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The Women of Ebola - Page 28

Mamawa forgot about the no touching rule. She was reminded after she tried to hug someone.

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The Women of Ebola - Page 3

Seatta is a tracer: After a sick person has been identified, she identifies the people whom the patient has come into contact with and isolates them for 21 days. She's 20 and knows her job is risky.

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The Women of Ebola - Page 5

More Than Me staff pose at the school in front of their new ambulance. It is running thanks to philanthropist Jim Greenbaum, and picks up patients in West Point to take them to Ebola treatment units.

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The Women of Ebola - Page 29

Celebrating the quarantine of West Point being lifted! Dancing in the street at 6 a.m.

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M. Holden Warren

The Women of Ebola - Page 7

Katie Meyler, founder and CEO of More Than Me, shows people in the Capital Hill neighborhood of Monrovia how to mix bleach and water to create an effective disinfectant for washing hands.

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The Women of Ebola - Page 30

Her brother is at an Ebola treatment unit. She wants to go and see him, even if she has to die to do it.

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M. Holden Warren

The Women of Ebola - Page 31

As the awareness workers leave their seminar, a doctor stands outside of the Star of the Sea clinic in West Point with a newborn baby. In the face of the virus, life carries on.

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The Women of Ebola - Page 9

At the Star of the Sea clinic, a doctor teaches children who gather around about the Ebola virus and how they can be a part of containing its spread.

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M. Holden Warren

The Women of Ebola - Page 10

Krubo, More Than Me's social worker, carries water to a sick woman in West Point.

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M. Holden Warren

The Women of Ebola - Page 11

A woman peeks out to thank the awareness team for bringing supplies to her sick neighbor.

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The Women of Ebola - Page 12

Meet Pearlina, a 3-year-old girl whose mom died of suspected Ebola in the ambulance on the way to the treatment center. She had nowhere to go, so More Than Me took her into their guest house to be quarantined for 21 days. MTM provided her with new clothes, food, water, toys, and daily health check-ups.

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The Women of Ebola - Page 13

Fatu, a More Than Me staff member, prepares meals for the awareness teams and talks to girls about Ebola on her daily mission into West Point.

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The Women of Ebola - Page 15

Mamawa, a MTM student, holds up an "Ebola is here" sign. She wants to be a police officer some day and was trying on the uniform for size.

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The Women of Ebola - Page 16

Mary misses writing her name at school, which was closed down to prevent the spread of the virus.

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The Women of Ebola - Page 18

Ebola is real, but so is Albertnita's dream of flying.

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M. Holden Warren

The Women of Ebola - Page 19

Volunteers wear I Love West Point shirts. More Than Me made the shirts after speaking with members of the awareness team who told them if the word "Ebola" was on their shirts, no one would want to talk to them.

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The Women of Ebola - Page 20

Katie Meyler uses singing and dancing as an icebreaker at Ebola response team meetings. It creates a sense of intimacy with the people around her.

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The Women of Ebola - Page 21

A few months ago, Katie’s phone was stolen. This woman's friend took it. When she saw it was a More Than Me phone, she demanded her friend return it to its owner. She said if there had been a school like the More Than Me Academy when she was younger, she wouldn't be involved with the things she is today.