As Ebola death toll hits 1,000: Tearfund scales up its response to help fight back against deadly misinformation

As the Ebola death toll in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) tragically surpasses the milestone of 1,000, Tearfund’s urgent response has become more critical than ever, and local faith leaders remain crucial in helping to combat misinformation about the disease and keep communities safe.

Poppy Anguandia, Tearfund’s Country Director in the country said,  

“This is a grim milestone to have reached in what is emerging as the fastest Ebola outbreak on record. 

Tearfund’s focus on engaging faith leaders and community outreach is vital to building trust, helping to correct misinformation, and delivering life-saving water and sanitation services.”

Tearfund have been supporting leaders through training on key health care messages and how to communicate them to their congregations. This critical initiative successfully established these faith leaders as official, trusted channels for reliable health information, promoting safe practices, dispelling myths, and guiding their congregations through the outbreak.

Since Tearfund’s appeal launched, our emergency response has reached the most hard hit regions, such as Mahagi, Bunia and Mongbwalu. We have trained local leaders in healthcare messages, distributed 285kg of chlorine, and launched extensive awareness campaigns including community health outreach. We have installed handwashing stations, disinfected local churches, and reached over 2,200 individuals through targeted door-to-door education sessions to strengthen local hygiene and combat misinformation. We are also using local media outlets like radio stations to tackle the spread of misinformation  and are planning campaigns on key social media platforms—including TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp—in order to target around a million people. 

Poppy Anguandia continued,

“We are incredibly grateful to the UK public for their generosity so far, which has already enabled these life-saving interventions. Tearfund remains dedicated to standing with the most vulnerable, but further support is urgently required to sustain this first line of protection against Ebola.”

To donate to Tearfund visit tearfund.org/ebolacrisis.

ENDS

For further information or interview requests call Tearfund’s Media Team on 07929 339813 or email [email protected]. 
  

Notes to editors:

During the 2018-2020 Ebola crisis, Tearfund worked with health centres to provide basic clean water facilities and to set up triage units, isolation units and installed latrines and incinerators in support of the Ebola response.

Working with faith leaders, Tearfund also ran a mass community awareness campaign, sharing information with local people about how to prevent Ebola from spreading. This involved producing Ebola prevention songs in local languages for broadcast on the radio and for use by choirs; talks and announcements in church services; and door-to-door awareness raising. 

Faith leaders, equipped by Tearfund with knowledge about prevention, were able to give vital advice on washing hands, seeking medical help at the first sign of symptoms, and guidance on safe burials, to curb the spread of disease. This education helped reduce the discrimination and stigma towards Ebola survivors.

Tearfund has been working in DRC since 1986. Tearfund’s work includes:

• Water and Sanitation Hygiene -  contributes to major water projects, providing clean water and rehabilitation of water sources, promoting good hygiene practices and building toilets
• Supplies communities with seeds, tools and agricultural training to help them rebuild their livelihoods
• Helps women who are survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence - providing psychosocial support and working with faith leaders and communities to tackle negative gender stereotypes to reduce sexual and gender based violence
• Promotes maternal and infant health leading to a reduction in infant mortality and the spread of HIV/AIDS

Tearfund is a Christian charity that partners with churches in more than 50 of the world’s poorest countries. We tackle poverty through sustainable development, responding to disasters and challenging injustice. We believe an end to extreme poverty is possible. Tearfund is also a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee. For more information about the work of Tearfund, please visit www.tearfund.org.