Russell Howard in plea to help Ebola orphans after west Africa visit

Plea: Russell Howard has an impromptu game football with a few of the young children
Carol Allen Storey
Ben Morgan12 April 2017

Russell Howard has urged Londoners to dig deep to back the International Day for Street Children after visiting Ebola orphans in west Africa.

The comedian, 37, travelled to Liberia to witness the plight of thousands of children forced to live on the streets.

Almost 12,000 people there and in neighbouring Sierra Leone died during the 2014-15 outbreak, leaving behind more than 20,000 orphans.

He said: “We walked through a village and met a woman who lost 17 of her family within six months.

“There was such sadness in her eyes but she invited me into her hut, shook my hand and smiled. She was stoic. You could forgive her for being broken. The resilience was incredible.”

Howard visited with Comic Relief and the London-based Street Child charity, which is helping to send more children to school and reunite orphans with their families. It costs £45 to educate a child for a year, including helping to pay for uniforms and transport from villages.

Russell Howard and Moses, the Ebola orphan being featured in the Comic Relief film
Carol Allen Storey

The comedian, who is about to embark on a US tour, said: “It’s cheaper than a comedy ticket — although mine aren’t expensive, I should point out. If anyone can spare £45 then they should donate it because it’s like what you’d spend taking your family out for a Nando’s.

“Anyone who has walked in my shoes would feel the same way and do whatever they can to help.”

Howard made a short film for Comic Relief about his visit, which was aired last month. He said: “I would go around filming and little kids would come up to me to pull funny faces, I would tickle them and they’d run around laughing.”

Street Child today said urgent action is needed to help the estimated 100 million homeless children worldwide. The charity has supported 10,000 children in Liberia since 2013. There are 14,000 in the capital, Monrovia, alone. Singer Ed Sheeran has also visited.

Street Child’s founder and chief executive, Tom Dannatt, said the charity aimed to help another 1,400 seriously at risk children in Liberia this year.

He said: “There are approximately 14,000 children who desperately need our support and could benefit from the work that Street Child does to keep them safe, to provide an education and build a better future.

“This year, thanks to the support of Russell Howard and Ed Sheeran, Comic Relief and our recent UK Government match-funded appeal Girls Speak Out, we aim to support a further 5,000 children with education in Liberia.”

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