Faith Leaders Driving Change for Women and Girls
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Rumours and fear threaten the ebola response as religious leaders become key allies
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to spread, with new areas in North Kivu affected in recent weeks.
At the same time, the response faces major challenges in remote and conflict-affected parts of eastern DRC. Weak health infrastructure, limited access to medicines, and insecurity continue to hamper treatment and disease surveillance. In these environments, fear, rumours, and mistrust can spread quickly, discouraging people from seeking care, reporting suspected cases, or following prevention measures.
To address these challenges, Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is mobilising religious leaders and local community networks to build trust, counter misinformation, and share life-saving health information. In communities where government authorities and international organisations are often viewed with scepticism, trusted faith leaders can play a decisive role in encouraging people to act.
Alongside community engagement efforts, NCA is supporting the Ebola response through water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions designed to prevent further transmission of the virus.
NCA is also using the Jamiihub digital platform to strengthen risk communication and community engagement. The platform provides communities with reliable and interactive health information while enabling response teams to gather feedback, address concerns, and identify rumours circulating at the local level.
Norwegian Church Aid has recently received an additional NOK 2 million from Norad for the response and secured an extension of its work in the affected areas through 2026. The additional funding will help strengthen one of the most important, yet often overlooked, aspects of outbreak response: building trust within communities.
This is an area where NCA brings unique added value. The Ebola response is about far more than vaccines, treatment, and medical supplies. By combining faith-based community mobilisation, digital engagement through Jamiihub, and practical WASH interventions, NCA is helping communities become active partners in stopping the spread of the disease.
“Experience shows that you cannot stop a virus without trust. When fear and misinformation spread faster than facts, local leaders and faith communities become essential partners in delivering life-saving information and supporting prevention efforts,” says Arne Næss-Holm, Director of International Programmes at Norwegian Church Aid.
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