WHAT WAS THE CRISIS?
Since August 2018, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been facing its tenth Ebola outbreak.
Ebola is an extreme fever that can cause death. Ebola is highly contagious: humans can catch it from wild animals and then pass it onto other people they have contact with (such as through touching or exchanging saliva).
A new vaccine and a few new experimental treatments have become available. Thanks to these developments, an outbreak in northwest Congo was stopped in just a few months. This convinced health workers that the virus would be easier to fight this time.
Sadly, the virus spread to new areas where there is violent conflict and where many people are displaced. This has created an environment of mistrust.
You can read more about the Ebola virus here: https://rightforeducation.org/2016/04/ebola-virus-what-it-means/
You learn about vaccines here: https://rightforeducation.org/2019/05/vaccines-and-the-fight-against-ebola/
THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING TRUST
Research has shown that a lack of trust is one of the main obstacles faced by aid workers trying to vaccinate people vulnerable to the virus.
Large international organisations responding to crises often do not spend much time in one place. This makes it difficult for aid workers to build a relationship with the community, which can cause problems.
Many people in the affected areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo reported that they did not have enough information about the vaccination. This is made worse by widespread mistrust in institutions. Many believe that the virus has been invented by the government, whereas others fear that the vaccination causes the virus.
Culture also plays a huge role in building trust. One of the key safety issues health workers faced was that traditional burial methods did not prevent the virus from spreading. It is difficult to explain to families that their loved one cannot be buried according to tradition. Some members of the community might feel that their culture and their customs are not being respected.
WHAT CAN AID ORGANISATIONS LEARN FROM THIS?
Even though they are trying to help, the short amount of time that international organisations spend in the community makes it difficult to build a relationship between the response teams and the community.
Community feedback is an important tool. This is where aid workers from international organisations ask the people they are trying to help for their opinion on the work they are doing. It helps response teams to understand people’s concerns, meaning they can change their behaviour to help the community understand their work. For example, there have been reports of rumours spreading that bodies placed in black body bags were not really being buried. Aid workers responded to this by using transparent body bags for burials.
Trust is not just important in the Ebola crisis but in all emergency responses. Looking to the future of crisis response, aid organisations might try to increase the role of local action groups, who know and have the trust of the community.