BENDU is just 12 years old and lost all 13 members of her family to Ebola.

She now lives with scores of other children at an orphanage in the heart of Liberia, west Africa.

Images of the little girl skipping and smiling are just some of the lasting memories of Sarah Güsten-Marr's recent trip to Liberia.

Sarah, 45, is a Liberian orphan who was adopted by a German couple and grew up in the west. Her visit to her homeland last month was the first time she had visited Liberia since her infancy.

Liberia recorded its last case of Ebola in May. But during Sarah's visit, it was impossible to escape its legacy. Tents from the make-shift medical units are still in place and painted signs abound, with public health messages such as: "People don't kill. Ebola kills. Keep yourself safe".

But it was at an orphanage that the scale of the tragedy really hit home.

"When we first arrived, everybody was in church. Church is a way of life," says Sarah. "Then all these children came out, including little ones and babies. I went for a walk with six of the children - five boys and one girl, Bendu. I told them that I was adopted, and they all smiled - I realised that I had what many of them are wishing for, a family.

"I asked Bendu how long she had been here. She said one year. All 13 members of her family had died of Ebola. Then she looked at me and smiled. I wanted to burst into tears, but I didn't feel I had the right to. She said she felt so lucky to be here, at the orphanage, with all these 'brothers and sisters'."

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FLASHBACK: This photo from September 2014, by New York Times photographer Daniel Berehulak, shows an eight-year-old boy, suspected of being infected with Ebola, being carried by medical staff to an Ebola treatment centre in Monrovia, Liberia

The orphanage is just one of many in a country that was worst hit by the deadly virus that swept through west Africa, claiming 11,314 lives in total. Some 4,808 people died in Liberia with 10,672 infected. At its peak, Liberia faced 300-400 new cases every week.

It was not only the disease that left a nation of orphans. Sarah explains: "Because of Ebola, the markets didn't open and people didn't trade. People were not able to move around. They ran out of food and money. People were not able to feed themselves."

Instead of wallowing in the tragedy, Sarah says she was struck by the resilience of the Liberians she met. Many are running orphanages and schools and working hard to turn the fortunes of their country around.

Sarah was heartened to see restaurants opening again and foreigners visiting the country to investigate investment opportunities. One area of focus is the development of Liberia's unspoilt coast for tourism.

Sarah was captivated by her homeland. The countryside was lush and green, the beach fronts like an "unspoilt Cuba" and Monrovia, the capital, a bustling African centre. "When you drive through the city, people come up to the car with their baskets, they bring the market to you wherever you drive. You can buy anything from your car - even a sofa!"

The food was an adventure too. Breakfast really sets you up for the day, says Sarah, and comprised of warm rice, fish and peppered yams. Other staples included the cassava leaf, similar to spinach, and plantain, which Sarah said was especially delicious when turned into chips.

Sarah's visit was for charitable purposes - to support health education and art in Liberia. She visited with fellow Liberian Eugenia Shaw, founder of HIV and AIDS Action for Liberia (HAAL). Sarah is patron of the organisation, which aims to promote the safe sex message to young people in a bid to prevent the further spread of HIV in the country.

Sarah, a successful painter who runs GM Gallery at her home in the Vale of York, also launched the Liberian Arts and Crafts Society, aiming to promote indigenous talent. During her visit, she set up a monthly arts prize and plans to stage an exhibition of the winners at the Liberian Embassy in London and at her own gallery in 2016 or 2017. Each winner will receive £30. She says that can make a huge difference to people's lives; the average monthly salary in Liberia is £60.

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ABOVE: A map of Liberia, west Africa, and a typical scene of a girl carrying water

Sarah says the visit has been life changing and that she is now dedicated to working as an ambassador for her country of birth - helping its fledgling arts scene and halt the spread of HIV. She is keen also to encourage Liberian tourism. She is also planning to collect and send over pens, paper and erasers for school children and arrange for a twice yearly collection of quality clothes. "Liberians like to look lovely too." If she can get her hands on any books from closing libraries, she will have them shipped over too.

She says the unyielding spirit of the Liberians she met was life-affirming and put many of the problems we face in the west into perspective.

She said: "People are so happy and it makes you feel, not ashamed, but in awe. They don't have electricity or running water. They wash their children using buckets and when it is dark, it is dark. It puts your worries into perspective, like why the dishwasher has stopped working.

"They are living a really simple life and what gives us the right to say their life is less than mine?"

Meeting Bendu in particular had a lasting impact.

"That little girl lost 13 members of her family, all her siblings, her mother, father and grandmother, but she is grateful for living in an orphanage that has too many kids. She was grateful for being alive."

She added: "I am really proud to come from a country that has so much resilience.

"I am a soldier and this is my country. I've been outside for many years but now for the rest of my life I am going to work hard to better these people's lives any way I can."