Building on the success of “Clouds Over Sidra”, we once again partnered with the United Nations to create “Waves of Grace” which follows the struggles and triumphs of a young Liberian woman after the catastrophic Ebola epidemic wreaked havoc upon her country. As of July 2015, roughly 27,500 cases of Ebola have been reported in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone with it’s largest impact felt by women and children.

“Waves of Grace” places viewers in West Point and follows Ebola survivor Decontee Davis who having now overcome the disease, uses her immunity to help others. Whether it’s the cramped, poorly lit confines of Davis’ West Point bedroom or her devastating voiceover, creators Gabo Arora and Chris Milk deeply immerse the viewer within the inescapable reality of those affected by the epidemic that it’s grasp continues to endure long after the VR headset has been taken off.

The film’s premiere was held in conjunction with the United Nations International Ebola Recovery Conference, hosted to ensure affected countries receive the support they need to end the epidemic and continue countries on the path to recovery, and proceeded to travel the globe in the UN’s effort to fight donor fatigue on the world’s most pressing issues. It has since been made public on our App and website, YouTube and Facebook where the public is inclined to make donations at the UN's Ebola Response website.

The UN has raised roughly $3.8 Billion in support of the Millennium Campaign’s humanitarian endeavours since launching their VR initiative and become a beacon of hope, spearheading an empathy movement which has led to an increase in international support to the affected countries, with financial commitments to assist strategies for recovery.

To help raise awareness and show the impact of Ebola in Western Africa, "Waves of Grace" tells the story of one Ebola survivor overcoming the odds and inspiring a community using 360 degree immersive photography. The results are remarkably powerful and show how the United Nations is utilizing Virtual Reality to make substantial strides in global change.

"Waves of Grace" attempts to draw attention to the world’s most pressing challenges and to bring the voices of vulnerable groups directly to decision makers. The UN targeted specific mass conferences to place world leaders in headsets to experience Decontee's struggle first-hand. The piece was then made public through our website and App and was part of the Sundance Film Festival's official selection in 2016.

Since the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic in Western Africa in March 2014, there have been 28,635 confirmed, probable and suspected cases of Ebola reported almost exclusively in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. These have very weak health systems, lack human and infrastructural resources, and have only recently emerged from long periods of conflict and instability. The fatality rate at the height of the epidemic was just under 50%, disproportionately affecting women and girls.

Last year, collaboration with the UN we unveiled “Clouds Over Sidra” at the Davos World Economic Forum. By utilizing Virtual Reality, a revolutionary new medium that our co-founder has called “An Empathy Machine” and the UN wanted to continue using this new medium to draw attention to the Ebola epidemic.