London, Dec 17 (IANS): Britain has pledged a 2.5 million pounds fund to help children affected by Ebola. The fund will go to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, according to the Department for International Development.

"Ebola not only takes people's lives, it leaves children without families and survivors facing rejection from their communities. Our work will ensure these people are not left behind once Ebola is defeated," Xinhua quoted department secretary Justine Greening as saying after a trip to Sierra Leone.

The funds will be used to set up six care centres to provide temporary protection, care and support for children who have been quarantined, orphaned or out of touch with their families. The fund will also help them reunite with their families or find new homes.

The department said children who have been stigmatised or rejected by families and communities because of Ebola will be provided with psycho-social and mental health services through the new funds.

Additionally, the funds will also be used to educate people about the disease and support vulnerable groups, including pregnant women and the disabled, women and girls, in their own communities.

More than 7,000 children have been affected by the Ebola outbreak, statistics from the government of Sierra Leone show.