DR Congo: Community activists raise awareness about Ebola epidemic

Community activists from Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo are using theatre, music, talks, and discussions to raise awareness of the dangers of Ebola.

Provinces in the region are at the centre of an outbreak of the deadly haemorrhagic virus which has already resulted in over 200 deaths.

Through songs and theatrical performances, the women remind audiences what Ebola is and how one should behave to prevent its further spread.

Esther Vira, who organised the awareness debate, said it is essential to combat misinformation about the disease.

"These are the kinds of discussions and reflections we had during this debate, which helped us identify best practices to adopt in our daily lives," she said.

Diane Neema, a participant, said when women raise awareness and better educate their children about how to prevent the spread of Ebola, they “can stop and combat this deadly disease”.

The organisers said that since the start of this latest outbreak, some families and communities have been wrongly blamed for spreading the virus.

This, they say, risks further undermining response efforts in what is already a difficult context.

Participant Zarko Bintu Byabusha said they were asking the entire community to not “spread hateful messages linked to the outbreak” currently affecting the city of Goma.

“We must all come to terms with this reality, because if we ignore it, we are putting our lives at risk," he said.

Over 900 suspected cases and at least 220 deaths had already been recorded as of Tuesday, including seven confirmed cases in neighbouring Uganda.

Standard Ebola tests struggle to diagnose this rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus which has been spreading undetected for weeks.

In addition, there is no vaccine or specific treatment for it.