Ebola is a deadly disease. However, with swift and effective treatment, around half of those infected can survive. Yet the vast majority of Ebola virus disease survivors experience long-term health effects – often referred to as post-Ebola syndrome – that can persist for years after recovery. Survivors often also face stigma and fear in their communities, risking them becoming outcasts.
Tearfund is standing alongside communities affected by Ebola and the brave and compassionate healthcare workers helping those affected. We’re providing Personal Protective Equipment and supporting survivors with essential care and resources.
‘My name is Aimée. I am a public health promotion officer with Tearfund.
‘I remember we used to travel through an insecure area, 75 kilometres there and back by motorbike. Believe me, it hasn’t been easy. But we are still here, and we are holding on.
‘At the start, I began humanitarian work in an area plagued by militias, where we went through so many difficulties. And I was so far from my loved ones, from my family.
‘I also remember times when our vehicles got stuck in the mud in the middle of the night, but we didn’t give up.
‘I feel at ease serving a community in distress, because we really give all our energy and every last breath to serving them. It has shaped me and given me even more determination and the courage to serve the community.’
Overcoming suspicion and restoring health
‘Before going there, I had heard people saying that health workers at the Ebola Treatment Centre killed people,’ says Biwaga, an Ebola survivor. ‘People said that they were injecting people with substances that killed them.
‘When I arrived, they tested my blood, and the result came back positive for Ebola. They began treating me very well. The health workers in Logo took care of me. They welcomed me warmly and offered me guidance. If they had not come for me, I would have died too.’
With support from Fonds Humanitaire en République Démocratique du Congo/Humanitarian Fund in the Democratic Republic of Congo (FH RDC), Tearfund is actively responding to the Ebola outbreak in the Logo Health Zone – an area about the size of a British county, that’s designated to manage healthcare – by supplying personal protective equipment, chlorine and handwashing facilities to the Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC). We’re also providing cash assistance and essential household and hygiene items to help survivors like Biwaga rebuild their lives, safely return to daily routines, and reduce the risk of further infection.
‘Through this experience, I learned that someone who contracts the disease can recover if they seek medical care early, before the disease progresses in their body. That is how I recovered.
‘I am very happy with what Tearfund has given me. The handwashing station helps me wash my hands regularly, especially to protect myself from Ebola. They gave me a bucket, which I use to collect water. They also gave me a cup, which I use for drinking tea.
‘That is why I want to be an example to other people who are still afraid of going to hospital. I encourage everyone who becomes ill to go to hospital, because the health workers care for people very well and want to save lives.’
Health workers facing huge personal risk
‘More than anything, we expected that we might die,’ Henri says. ‘I am a nurse. We had been working at the ETC for more than two months when I eventually became infected.
‘At the beginning of the outbreak, when suspected cases first began arriving at the hospital, we were genuinely afraid. Every member of staff was afraid to care for those patients. We imagined all sorts of things. We wondered whether we would become infected there. Health workers are also on the front line.
‘We had treated this disease, we had suffered from it, and we had been treated ourselves. We could not abandon other patients. That is why we found the courage to continue caring for them.
‘The assistance Tearfund is providing will make a real difference in meeting my needs. I have not yet been able to buy all my children’s school supplies. And because I was ill for several weeks, this assistance will also help me resume my farming work. I thank the DRC Humanitarian Fund and Tearfund for this assistance, which is a great help to us.’
Tearfund is committed to standing with communities affected by Ebola in the DRC. Through medical supplies, hygiene support and cash assistance, Tearfund continues to support survivors like Biwaga and Tearfund staff promoting hygiene like Aimée, and healthcare workers like Henri to begin to restore health and dignity.
To stop the virus in its tracks, we need to do more – and quickly. People in the DRC and neighbouring countries are still at risk, including Tearfund staff and local partners bravely continuing their work in the area. You can help us reach and help more people by donating to Tearfund’s Ebola Crisis Appeal. Thank you.
