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By Mirabelle Enaka Kima, IFRC
On a sunny morning in the village of Loondo in the Democratic Republic of Congo in June 2018, a team of eight Red Cross volunteers arrived to perform a safe and dignified burial (SDB) , following an alert. received the day before
The atmosphere was particularly noisy and tense. Donatien Nzoti, head of the Red Cross team at Itipo, said: "So far, so good. We are finalizing the negotiations with the family. We need to explain the different steps of our intervention to ensure a good understanding of the process, as it is essential to have the community on board.
"It took us two days to get the family's consent. But that's part of our job and we've been trained for that. Our first goal is to make sure families understand the disease and the measures needed to protect themselves from infection.
Teams may have trouble engaging bereaved families, especially when faced with resistance from community members. not wanting to adhere to the burial protocol. Rumors spreading within communities remain the main obstacle to prevention and containment efforts.
In addition, deep-rooted sociocultural practices, funerary rites, or the consumption of bushmeat are seen as barriers to adopting safer behaviors. This is a particular concern within Batwa ethnic groups, where the custom is for the dead to be buried in a hut after digging a small hole and wrapping the corpse in the grbad. The ceremony involves cleaning the corpse with herbs.
"We try as much as possible to make people understand the dangers of the dangerous handling of dead bodies, and it is difficult to understand when the disease continues to be considered a myth," Donatien said.
The Red Cross has trained and deployed 20 SDB volunteers and 35 community engagement volunteers to Itipo, who work in an integrated approach to ensure effective interaction.
The safe burial of those who died of the Ebola virus is recognized as an important intervention in the fight against epidemics and has been a major component of the Ebola response in Africa. West 2013-2016.
Florent Del Pinto, Chief of Emergency The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) operations in the DRC said: "Today, while we entering a period of ramping up surveillance efforts, the strategy adopted to prevent the spread of outbreak burials and household disinfection for all deaths in the community.
"In order to stimulate positive results, the impact and acceptance, we maintain a two-way communication with the communities, adapt our messages according to the latest rumors we have followed and identify the most appropriate rituals in order to respect as much as possible the local cultures while protecting the families, "he added.
In partnership with the DRC Red Cross, the IFRC nearly 7.9 million Swiss francs to support 400,000 people over the next six years The operation focuses on community involvement, infection prevention and control, safe and dignified burials and psychosocial support in affected health areas.
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