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Orlando Bloom has traveled to Hobbiton in Lord of theRings and the deep seas in Pirates of the Caribbean. Now, the UNICEF GoodwillAmbassador has recently returned from a four day trip to Liberia on behalf of theorganization. The 38-year-old was the first high profile personality to visitsince the beginning of the Ebola outbreak that swept the country.
“Everyone I met was determined to beatEbola so that they can resume their normal lives,” Orlando said in a statement aftermeeting with religious and youth leaders in the capital Monrovia. “Communitieshave been at the center of the fight against Ebola and must continue to besupported because of their crucial role in getting to zero cases.”
Photo: © UNICEF/Jallanzo
During his time there, the father of 4-year-old son Flynn met with peereducators. The group, which also included teen girls and boys from the A-Lifeproject in West Point, a poor and densely populated neighborhood inMonrovia, played an important role in the Ebola response. The father alsovisited a primary school in a severely affected community on the border ofSierra Leone. While there, he observed the Ebola school safety protocols thatwere introduced after the schools reopened after a 7-month shutdown.
Orlando followed the protective measuresbefore heading into the school. Children must wash their hands before entering andalso have their temperature taken. “Because of this outbreak, a millionchildren in Liberia have had their school year cut in half,” Orlando explained.“They’re excited to be back in the classroom but the precautions that everysingle one of them must follow every day are a reminder of the need to remainvigilant.”
Photo: © UNICEF/Jallanzo
According to UNICEF, theEbola virus has infected more than 24,000 people across the sub-region — including over 5,000 children — and has killed nearly 10,000. Though it has been on the decline, the fight is farfrom over. Efforts to rebuild health, education and social protection systemsare the priority.
During Orlando’s meeting with students, hehad some encouraging words. “It’s such an honor for me to be here,” he told them. “You as youngpeople are the leaders, the leaders of your community to come, you are thefuture, you are the hope of your community.”
Click below for more photos from Orlando's trip: