Congo churches continue work to stop Ebola despite attacks by militants
A Methodist church-based messaging platform has sent hundreds of texts to people’s phones about how to prevent Ebola transmission.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, church leaders who have joined health professionals to fight the second-largest Ebola epidemic in history are facing obstacles as the self-described Islamic State has declared the region to be the Central Africa province of its caliphate.
More than 1,300 have died since the epidemic was officially declared in August in the eastern DRC. That death toll is exceeded only by the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa in which 11,000 people died.
From the start, churches and other faith-based organizations have been helping health officials get the word out on prevention methods, producing songs about hygiene and hand washing for local broadcasts, hosting talks, and offering pastoral support for those affected. Most churches have imposed bans on exchanging hand greetings during services.
