In Magazine Wharf – one of Freetown's largest slums – Ebola hit families hard. With ramshackle huts, waste lining the streets and crowded conditions, the disease spread easily.

Many of the survivors here not only suffered the trauma of losing several of their family – they lost their livelihoods too.

The market workers who caught Ebola often had their trading tools and property destroyed: a necessary but devastating measure to help control the disease.

The impact has been two-fold: losing their business when the need to support family has grown – with many taking on extra parenting duties for those who lost their own mothers and fathers.

Beyond their business, survivors also continue to suffer health complications – like uveitis: a potentially blinding eye problem which is particularly common among survivors. Others need psychological support to cope with the trauma.

The Ebola outbreak is nearing its end in Sierra Leone: the country is set to be declared Ebola free on Saturday 7 November.

UK aid will support a longer term package of help for Ebola survivors, helping them to restore their livelihoods, making sure they have access to healthcare and tackling the stigma they may face when reintegrating into their communities.

Picture: Simon Davis/DFID

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Picture: Simon Davis/DFID

Free-to-use photo