‘A double tragedy’: ActionAid hears from displaced families battling Ebola and conflict in the DRC.
Amid the evolving nature of the Ebola virus outbreak in Ituri Province, ActionAid has heard from internally displaced people living in camps about how the virus and the armed conflict are impacting livelihoods and survival. People who fled armed conflict are having to navigate overcrowded camps, deal with a decline in economic opportunities and avert the risk of contracting the deadly virus.
Borive Goy, a mother of 11 children living in the Bukuja IDP camp after fleeing intercommunal conflict in 2018, reveals how the outbreak has impacted their lives. She said:
"Since movement is restricted, we have trouble accessing food. We no longer go to the fields every day like we used to. And the people for whom we work in the fields are avoiding giving us work for fear of being infected."
The lack of basic hygiene resources and scarcity of water sources in the camps is also negating protocols such as strict handwashing.
Borive added: “the biggest concern here is the lack of water. We have only one water tank, and to draw water we have to wake up very early in the morning; even though it’s right in the camp, it’s not enough for all the families here."
"When I leave the house and come back, they no longer rush to hug me like they used to. These small gestures of affection are becoming increasingly rare because of the fear of infection."
The situation in the camps is worsened by limited access to critical information about Ebola and medical care. Imani Francine, a 26-year-old who lives with her husband in a camp in Irumu, said:
“In the camp, there’s no one to provide medical care or explain more about Ebola to us. And there’s no one we can turn to for more information about Ebola.”
Gabriella Kawa, a 61-year-old woman living with her husband and three children in the Bendeyi camp in Bunia, said that although she trusts the health workers, there is insufficient information about whom to contact in case of an emergency:
“I trust the health workers at the health center near here the most. When we have a problem or don’t know what to do, we don’t know who to contact first. We don’t have a health facility in the camp.”
The proximity of the housing units in the camps is not only elevating the risk of contracting the virus but is presenting protection risks for women.
Borive Goy, who lives in a camp in Bukuja, said: “I’m often afraid when I have to go to the fields alone because of the cases of GBV that women experience. And our houses here are very close to one another; there’s really no privacy.”
Gabriella Kawa from Bendeyi camp said, “We also need more hygiene kits and safe spaces where we can maintain our privacy. These challenges have a direct impact on our health, safety, and well-being.”
ActionAid is working in four displacement camps with over 200 000 people and has observed the need for resources to ensure that families in the displacement camps have access to food, clean water and hygiene kits.
Dr Saani Yakubu Mohammed, the Country Director of ActionAid DRC, said:
"Sadly, many displaced families in camps are being squeezed by the double tragedy of dealing with the trauma of ongoing armed conflict and the fear of the Ebola outbreak. The situation in most camps makes it difficult to contain the outbreak with overcrowding and inadequate hygiene facilities. It is critical to proritise women and young people-led solutions at the camps to address the displacement crisis.”
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Spokespeople are available. Contact uk.media@actionaid.org or 07753 973486 to arrange.