Community Engagement to Prevent Spread of Ebola in DRC

Communication and community engagement are essential to stop and prevent the spread of Ebola. UNICEF is supporting the establishment of community committees, and is engaging with trusted individuals and networks, including religious leaders, youth and women's groups, business leaders, as well as Ebola survivors themselves. Survivor testimonies help to reduce fear and encourage people to seek early treatment.
Huguette Vithya, pictured, contracted Ebola on 12 January 2019 and got treated at an Ebola treatment Center in Butembo. She now works for UNICEF, supervising a group of women from the Somamu association in the Mukuna area. The women meet with families each day to encourage them to seek early treatment, explain the mode of transmission of the disease, and ask if they are in good health or if anyone is sick in their community.