SARAH GRILE

In 2013, Mercy Kennady's mother passed away from Ebola and she had nowhere to go. She was taken to a UNICEF supported interim care center where she spent 21 days in quarantine.  

Mercy, right, was later welcomed into the house of Martu Weefor, left, a family friend and neighbor. 

Mercy, right, plays with her friends in her neighborhood. 

At the age of 9, Mercy, third from right, was given a grant to attend school for the first time in her life. Her mother had never been able to afford to send her to school.

Mercy attends class at a school in Monrovia. “She loves being around her friends. Everyone opens their arms to her. She never acts like anything bad happened to her in the past. She’s always smiling," sayd a teacher of Mercy.

Mercy watches as a teacher corrects her homework while at school. 

Mercy is given a ride home with other girls who don't live within walking distance from the school. It takes about an hour for her to reach her house after the end of school. 

Fatu Johnson, pictured above on the left, speaks with Martu Weefor, Mercy's foster mother, at her house to let her know that Mercy was having a hard time with writing and completing her assignments. Martu asked the teachers to be patient with Mercy since it is her first time attending school.  

Martu Weefor, Mercy's foster mother, helps her change out of her school uniform after arriving home from school.