Quick Facts:
- On-location filming: Monrovia, Liberia, March 2015
- Release: July 2015, United Nations Secretary-General’s International Ebola Recovery Conference
- Partners: UN SDG Action Campaign, Vrse, Vice Media
- SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being
Since the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic in Western Africa in March 2014, there have been 28,635 confirmed, probable and suspected cases of Ebola reported almost exclusively in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (figures from November 2015). These have very weak health systems, lack human and infrastructural resources, and have only recently emerged from long periods of conflict and instability. The fatality rate at the height of the epidemic was just under 50%, disproportionately affecting women and girls. The health epidemic has had the strongest impact on women and children, with 50.8% of deaths female, and an estimated 30,000 orphaned by the disease. West Point is a slum located just outside Monrovia. It is home to an estimated 75,000 people. During the height of the Ebola epidemic, it was quarantined for 13 days.
Waves of Grace captures a young woman’s tale of love, loss, and rebirth amid the Ebola epidemic. In the film we accompany Decontee Davis, a native of West Point, Liberia, as she guides us through the streets of her township, into schools, hospitals, abandoned buildings and burial grounds. She finds solace by using her immunity to help patients, care for those orphaned, fight stigma, and in the faith of forgiveness.
The film draws attention to the lingering effects of the Ebola virus and supports the Secretary-General’s push for continued attention and support to the Ebola response. It was originally prescreened at the United Nations Secretary-General’s International Ebola Recovery Conference, hosted to ensure affected countries receive the support they need to end the epidemic and continue countries on the path to recovery.
To learn more about the UN’s Ebola response, please visit: http://ebolaresponse.un.org/
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- .@sdgaction use #VirtualReality to showcase community engagement as key to successfully controlling #EbolaOutbreak @WHO @UNDP #UNVR
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#WavesofGrace, a#UNVR about#Ebolaresponse & survival. Visit https://unitednationsvirtualreality.wordpress.com/virtual-reality/wavesofgrace/ @sdgaction@VICE@vrse
