The number of Covid-19 infections and deaths in DR Congo remains lower than initially feared. Nevertheless, our partners have a lot of work to do to convince people to protect themselves properly. The spread of the virus must be stopped at all costs to avoid a health disaster. In a series of interviews, our partners explain how they are doing this, despite the many obstacles.
The Etoile du Sud health committees have not been idle during these months, despite the restrictive measures imposed by the authorities to counter the spread of the coronavirus. In order to reach their members and people in working-class neighbourhoods, they had to be creative and combine different methods.
How were you able to reach everyone in the working-class neighbourhoods?
Roger Kakula, Funa II Health Committee, Barambu: «We go door to door to raise awareness and distribute our posters. We use a megaphone to spread our message in the streets of working-class neighbourhoods. This allows us to reach people we wouldn't otherwise be able to reach, and we also inform passers-by.
We also work with local authorities. All our actions begin with neighbourhood leaders. We started with the neighbourhood office in Funa. The neighbourhood leader and his agents collaborated actively and went with us to knock on doors. Thanks to the neighbourhood leader's support, things are easier and there is less resistance among the population. The population trusts him because he is the representative of the local authorities, the level of administration closest to the population.
What is the role of social media?
With our health committees, we use social media to reach target groups active on Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter or Instagram. Every day, we send the latest information about coronavirus via these channels. This allows people to follow developments in the situation, how many people are infected, how many tests have been carried out, and how many deaths there have been. We receive these figures by municipality and also at national level.
