29 August 2014
With the number of Ebola cases continuing to rise dramatically across West Africa, CAFOD is working with priests, imams and traditional religious leaders to save lives in remote communities.
In Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, CAFOD’s partners in the Caritas family of Catholic aid agencies are training priests, parish volunteers, imams, spiritualists and traditional healers to spread the word about hand-washing, good hygiene and safe burial practices, as well as distributing hygiene kits. The project aims to reach hundreds of thousands of people over the coming weeks.
“A lot of myths have spread about Ebola,” says Sophie Arcedeckne-Butler, CAFOD’s Head of Region for West Africa, “and understandably many people in isolated villages don’t know what to believe. Rumours, stigma and misinformation are costing lives. Too often people aren’t taking the right precautions, or don’t trust the advice given by health workers.
“That’s why religious leaders have a crucial role to play. They’re trusted in their communities, and they are in a unique position to bust myths. By speaking out, these leaders can ensure that people take the right measures to control the spread of the disease.”
CAFOD’s partners are also using other methods to share information. In Guinea, Caritas works with a mobile phone network to send text messages about Ebola prevention. In Liberia, it uses 19 existing radio stations to spread the word.
In Sierra Leone, Caritas has produced a song whose lyrics explain how to avoid catching the disease. “We identified 11 communities just outside Freetown, the capital, and realised they had not received information as they don’t have access to TV,” says Father Peter Konteh, Head of Caritas Freetown. “We produced the music and give it to taxi drivers there.”
But there is still a huge amount of work to do, and far more international support is needed.
“The governments of these countries are doing everything they can to fight the epidemic, but they’re desperately overstretched,” says Sophie Arcedeckne-Butler. “Sierra Leone and Liberia have just 0.2 and 0.1 doctors per 10,000 people respectively, and today many health facilities are closed or empty.
“The epidemic is having a knock-on effect on healthcare more generally: people aren’t seeking treatment for other serious illnesses like malaria, because they’re afraid of being infected with Ebola.”
According to the World Health Organisation, there have been 1,792 cases of Ebola in West Africa since the outbreak began, and 897 people have died. The outbreak has hit during the so-called ‘hungry season’, when crops would normally be planted – and many farmers are unwilling to farm collectively on a rotational basis, as they usually would, because of fear of the disease. With markets closed, and affected villages quarantined, there are acute food shortages and prices are rocketing.
Sophie Arcedeckne-Butler says: “Ebola is affecting every aspect of people’s lives, and it’s forcing communities further into poverty. Families can’t afford food, schools are closed, travel restrictions are in place, and people live in perpetual fear.
“The crisis will get worse before it gets better, and many more medical and disaster relief specialists are needed. But accurate information also saves lives, and that’s where religious leaders have a crucial role to play.”