Faith leaders on the frontline of the Ebola crisis

Faith leaders across West Africa are using their unique position of influence within  communities to speak out and help stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.

World Vision and other faith-based Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) members are working through established religious networks across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to educate communities about the symptoms of Ebola, offer support to people affected by the outbreak and ensure survivors are not stigmatised when they return home. 

With most public gatherings banned across the affected countries, places of worship are one of the few locations where people can receive vital information about the Ebola outbreak. The authority of faith leaders allows them to play a vital role in challenging the myths and misinformation surrounding the virus and offer life-saving advice to their church or mosque congregations on Ebola protection and prevention methods. Churches and ecumenical groups have also been donating essential food and hygiene supplies to at-risk families. 

Traditional funeral practices have been highlighted as one of the greatest causes of the continued spread of the disease. As a result, agencies are working with Christian and Muslim leaders to support safe and dignified burials.

In Sierra Leone, World Vision has reached out to 30 key faith leaders in churches and mosques that serve large local populations to help tackle stigma. Through a consortium with other aid agencies it plans to reach over 8,000 faith leaders and key community figures, with a potential to influence over 1.5 million people. 

As well as providing burial teams that are fully equipped to safely deal with victims, World Vision staff have been advising Christian and Muslim leaders on how to best tailor burial practices to prevent the risk of infection. 

David Thomson, Director of Policy and Programming for World Vision UK, said: “We have strong ties to faith communities, having worked with both Christian and Muslim leaders to support our development work in the past. This allows us to disseminate health promotion messages through faith communities more rapidly and more effectively, drawing on the additional influence and trust they have amongst local populations.” 

With the World Health Organisation warning of a potential 10,000 new cases a week by the beginning of December, the faith-based agencies within the DEC are now appealing for church congregations across Britain to support the Ebola Crisis Appeal to help stop this medical crisis becoming a humanitarian catastrophe.

To make a donation to the DEC Ebola Crisis Appeal visit www.dec.org.uk, call the 24 hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900. You can also donate £5 by texting the word SUPPORT to 70000. 

What your money could buy:

• £35 could help deliver protective equipment to health workers - masks, gloves and overalls
• £70 could deliver a food relief package to a family - containing rice, oil, spices and salt
• £250 could help deliver protective equipment for health workers - enough for an entire clinic