Oxfam's Response to Ebola Outbreak in Eastern DRC

Tibakanya Mireille's infant son had a fever, and a neighbour's family in Shari, Ituri province, was already sick with Ebola. She took him to the local clinic, where she and her son washed their hands at an Oxfam station outside and had their temperatures taken before he was seen. He had malaria, which is serious in a small child, but it wasn't Ebola. "That disease really scares us," Tibakanya said.

Her fear is shared across eastern DRC, where this is now the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record. Since it was declared in May, it has spread from Mongbwalu to seven provinces and 63 health zones. As of 26 September, 8,067 cases and 3,901 deaths have been confirmed, with more than three in four of the cases in Ituri.

This is what your support to Oxfam GB through GlobalGiving makes possible. Oxfam has worked in DRC since 1961, and our teams are providing clean water, handwashing facilities and hygiene support alongside the Ministry of Health and response partners. In Rwampara, we have supplied handwashing equipment to five health areas, and in Mongbwalu we are setting up a water treatment site. Oxfam has reached more than 83,000 people in Ituri and North Kivu with public health messages, and 4,000 household hygiene kits have been distributed.

The need is still far larger than the response. Oxfam field data from June found that only one in five health facilities in Ituri have enough clean water, and Oxfam estimates it needs €10 million for a six-month response. Your gift helps close that gap: $58.90, for example, supplies chlorine granules to disinfect drinking water for families.

Thank you for helping make places like the clinic in Shari safe for the families who rely on them.