Catholic aid agency CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development) has launched a fundraising appeal in response to the threat of Ebola. The spread of the disease has been described as ‘deeply alarming’ by health officials.
Catholic aid agency CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development) has launched a fundraising appeal in response to the threat of Ebola. The spread of the disease has been described as ‘deeply alarming’ by health officials.
Managing a deadly and highly contagious disease is always challenging. But in a country gripped by a long-running conflict, with a barely functional healthcare system, amid international aid cuts - this is a crisis pushed to extremes.
With the earliest hope of a vaccine still months away, it’s feared this outbreak could rival the largest Ebola crisis ever. The West Africa outbreak, which began in 2014, took more than two years to bring under control and claimed more than 11,000 lives.
CAFOD's Head of Africa Region, Kayode Akintola, who was working in Sierra Leone when Ebola hit in 2014, said:
“The situation today is very worrying. Recent aid cuts will make managing this outbreak so much harder than before. With the right resources, it is possible to limit the spread of Ebola and get treatment to those who become infected. But speed is critical and people in the Democratic Republic of Congo need help, now.”
Thirty years of war and growing inequality mean trust – or the lack of it – is a major issue in DRC, complicating efforts to limit the spread of the disease.
Faith-based organisations are often able to help, through trusted relationship networks that can bridge barriers. Church leaders played a key role during the country’s previous Ebola outbreak, including:
dispelling misinformation, increasing safety and reducing stigma
promoting handwashing and providing hygiene kits
PPE for healthcare workers
conducting burials that are safe and dignified.
CAFOD partners on the ground are delivering aid and personal protective equipment. Our staff are working with them through local communities and their networks, via positive relationships established over decades.
CAFOD Director and CEO Christine Allen was in DRC during the previous outbreak, and said:
"I've seen first hand that halting the spread of this appalling disease requires a massive effort, on the part of the international community as well as the Congolese people and health authorities. What is critical is building trust within communities, meaning that the work of our local Church partners is essential."
Colleagues over the border in South Sudan are monitoring the situation there, after the country was placed on high alert. Uganda’s border with DRC has been closed, and is likely to remain so for several weeks, although exceptions will be made for authorised Ebola response teams and humanitarian operations. The country’s Catholic bishops have cancelled a large pilgrimage event due to take place at the national cathedral in Kampala on Wednesday 3 June.
CAFOD is closely monitoring the Ebola situation with our staff and partners in the region. Extra funding has been released and further updates will follow as we are able.
For more information or interview requests, please contact:
Rosalind Mayfield, CAFOD Media Lead
Melissa Nethersole, CAFOD Media Officer
CAFOD’s out-of-hours media line
CAFOD is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and part of Caritas Internationalis, working with communities across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America to fight poverty and injustice, including those worst hit by climate change. The agency works with people in need, regardless of race, gender, religion or nationality.
CAFOD is funded mainly by voluntary donations from people in the Catholic community of England and Wales. We also receive funding from fellow Catholic charities and development agencies, the DEC, trusts and foundations, and the UK and other governments.
