THESE 18 children from Sierra Leone have all survived the deadly Ebola virus – but their problems aren’t over.

Almost all of them have been orphaned because the virus has killed their parents. Some are unable to return home because their community is terrified of catching it. Some are simply too young to say where they live.

A charity run from the dining room of a churchgoer in Hampshire has now joined the fight against Ebola, by offering them a place to live in its residential home near Freetown.

They need to raise £200 to help each child to recover, provide skilled counselling and trace any remaining relatives they may have. You could make it a happier Christmas for one child this year by paying for their stay.

Philip Dean, from St Barnabas Church, Swanmore, created St George’s Foundation 10 years ago to care for children left orphaned or homeless after the civil war in Sierra Leone. The centre takes in children who are living on the streets of Freetown, educates them and returns them to relatives or finds them foster carers.

But within the past few weeks, Ebola has spread to Freetown, splitting up families and creating havoc. Normal medical facilities have shut down, so people can’t get treatment for other illnesses.

“We have residential facilities that few other places do, we have staff experienced in counselling and educating children, and in tracing relatives,” said Philip. “Our staff are passionate and courageous and have years of experience working in this area. We already work directly with the Sierra Leone government and UNICEF.

“We decided we were ideally placed to help, and opted to work with children we considered to be suffering the most. The children come to us weak, needing recuperation, highly traumatised and in shock. They come with no possessions, as everything contaminated has been destroyed.

“In the first month, we recorded over 500 affected children and have taken 42 into our direct care. Unfortunately, we don’t receive any funding for this from any government or national organisation. And 99 per cent of donations are spent in Sierra Leone, as we have no paid staff in the UK. We’d really appreciate it if you were able to support this vital work, as part of your Christmas gift to others.”

Julius, 13, was visiting his auntie in Freetown when she contracted Ebola and died. The house was quarantined for 21 days. Julius became sick too and was taken to a treatment centre. When he went home, the community refused to believe he wasn’t contagious. He was living on the streets of Freetown before being taken in by the centre.

St George’s Foundation can offer three to six weeks of care, tracing families, negotiating their return and offering training to relatives about caring for such children. It also has a role in educating the population about how not to spread Ebola.

Although they have secured some funding from one US charity, their project is considered to be too small for funding by the UK government, and they receive no money from the national appeals.

So they’ve asked local people to help this Christmas, by providing the money they need to help these children. You could donate the £200 it will cost to feed, educate and help an individual child. Or your family could club together and decide to pay the money jointly instead of buying each other Christmas presents.

Send cheques made payable to ‘St George’s Foundation’ with ‘Ebola appeal (W)’ written on the back to Hazelea, Hill Pound, Swanmore, SO32 2UN, with a named, signed addressed note to authorise Gift Aid payments, if you pay tax. Or visit www.stgeorgefoundation.org.uk to donate via PayPal.

You can also visit www.stgeorgefoundation.org.uk/news to see a Sky News video clip about the help the centre is giving to the victims of Ebola.