The 2014-2015 outbreak of Ebola virusdisease (EVD) in Liberia resulted in over 10,000 cases and5,000 deaths. Recognizing the importance of addressingchildren’s trauma, the Ebola recovery and restoration trustfund (EERTF) funded the implementation of a Comfort for kids(C4K) program which encourages psychological healing, andpromotes resilience in children who have experienced acrisis or disaster. The C4K program in Liberia wasimplemented between January 2015 and December 2016 infifteen townships in Montserrado County through acollaboration between Mercy Corps Liberia, the World Bank’sLiberian health task team, and the government of Liberia.C4K primarily centers on the My Story workbook andassociated classroom activities, which provide children withthe opportunity to express their emotions about theirexperiences through drawing, writing, and facilitateddiscussion. C4K also provides capacity building for parents,teachers, and other caretakers on how to identify and moreeffectively respond to children’s trauma responses and tosupport their recovery. C4K is a low-risk intervention whichis implemented in conjunction with referral pathways to moreintensive mental health support in the event of severemental or emotional distress. The successful implementationof this program has been a contributing factor in increasingthe resilience, psychosocial health and well-being ofEVD-affected children aged six to thirteen, in projecttarget areas.
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