" According to UNICEF, at least 3,700 children in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have lost one or both parents to Ebola since the outbreak's start.The figures are climbing, says Andrew Brooks, UNICEF's head of child protection for West and Central Africa. In Liberia alone, where he's currently based, Ebola has robbed about 2,000 children of their parents"
"The Liberian government is strengthening the systems that allow social workers to track down extended family members, he says.
"As a last resort, we're starting to work with the government to put in place some centers — called interim care centers — where children can go for the 21-day period," Brooks says. The centers are meant to provide "the reassurance and the confidence that the communities and families would need to be able to take the children home," he explains. "But it's an uphill struggle, and the needs are far surpassing the available resources at the moment."
And, while more social workers would be helpful, Brooks says, the top priority is to get enough beds and trained medical staff to keep parents alive."