When the Ebola outbreak devastated Sierra Leone in 2014 I saw the full force of the chaos that ensued. I saw friends and family members, including my own mother – a nurse who had cared for the sick – die from the disease. Those who were left behind were incredibly vulnerable: often forced to marry, raped, or ostracized from school and community life out of fear of spreading Ebola. Following a 21-day quarantine, I was abandoned by my community, and, as a means to escape poverty and sexual exploitation, I moved from Freetown to Makeni with my brother. Here, I began a beading business to make ends meet. My beading work, which includes sandals and slippers, not only helped me and my brother financially, but gave me a new lease of life and a positive focus amidst the destabilization felt throughout Sierra Leone.