Light shining in the Darkness: an interfaith response to Ebola

Faith leaders in Sierra Leone – both Christian and Muslim – are helping to fight the spread of Ebola with support from World Vision, by raising awareness of the disease and supporting affected communities with compassionate care.

Since the start of the outbreak, at least 3,700 children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have been orphaned. Fear, stigma and misconceptions about Ebola have led communities to shun these children, making them even more vulnerable to the disease. 

The rampant myths about Ebola fuel the fear and stigma, and prevent proper prevention and treatment. Some people even falsely believe that Ebola can spread through the air and be cured with raw onions, coffee, condensed milk and holy water. 

“Faith leaders not only have the influence to change the mind-set and behaviours of their congregations, but can play a significant role in bringing hope and healing to a highly stressed populace,” said Mattia Koi Dimoh, operations director – World Vision Sierra Leone. 

Through Channels of Hope, WV Sierra Leone brought together a group of Muslim imams and Christian pastors to develop awareness-raising messages to bring to their communities. They shared information about the cause of the disease, early signs and symptoms, handling of Ebola patients, washing hands with soap and clean water and burying the dead. 

The pastors and imams supported each other as they shared these messages with their congregations. On Sunday, the imams joined the pastors in their churches, and on Friday, the pastors joined the imams in their mosques. 

“I was at a service at our church today when I see a thing which has never happened in the history of our country: an imam came to our church with us and enlightened us about the deadly Ebola viral disease,” said one church member.

Through the first interfaith training alone, 3,500 people in 15 mosques and 3,000 people in 15 churches were reached. 

The faith leaders are also assisting their peers, offering support to quarantined families and coordinating with government health authorities and the health system. 

WV Sierra Leone plans to continue this training with faith leaders in all 12 districts of Sierra Leone.

Additionally, WV Sierra Leone is cooperating with government and other agencies to fight the Ebola virus, which has already claimed more than 1,900 lives in Sierra Leone and neighbouring countries. This includes donating medical supplies to hospitals and health facilities and conducting community sensitisation to spread key messages about the virus. WV Sierra Leone is also working with chiefs and key community leaders in all operational districts to develop action plans.

Here's a video that showcase the work that the faith leaders are doing to help tackle Ebola.

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