Churches, Harper Hill Global, respond to Ebola outbreak

United Methodist leaders are urging people to take preventive measures, while Harper Hill Global works to build awareness and develop resources.

By Philippe Lolonga

June 1, 2026 | BENI, Congo

United Methodist women wash their hands at Ibanda Church in Bukavu, in the eastern Democratic of Congo. People in the region are being urged to wash their hands and practice safe hygiene amid a deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus. Photo by Philippe Lolonga, Harper Hill Global.

United Methodist leaders and Harper Hill Global are taking swift action to respond to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda.

The World Health Organization has identified more than 1,000 suspected cases, with nearly 850 cases and more than 240 deaths recorded in the Congo province of Ituri alone. A few cases have also been confirmed in neighboring Uganda.

Bishop Antoine Kalema Tambwe, who leads The United Methodist Church’s Eastern Congo Episcopal Area, is calling on the faithful to remain vigilant. With everyone’s help, this epidemic can be overcome, he said.

The outbreak of the Ebola virus’ Bundibugyo strain is primarily affecting Ituri Province as well as North Kivu and South Kivu, according to the WHO.

“You are not alone in this ordeal,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus upon arriving May 30 in Bunia. He emphasized that the WHO was there to listen and help. “We are not here to dictate or tell people what they must do. We are here to listen to all members of the community, because the community knows the problems as well as the solutions.”

United Methodist clergy and lay leaders in Kivu are mobilizing within congregations to ensure compliance with preventive measures.

The Rev. Germain Masinda Mukosasenge of Beni, who also oversees Bunia, is calling on United Methodist congregants to follow preventive measures as they have in the past with the help of awareness campaigns.

“Despite the insecurity facing the region, we will work effectively to stop the spread of this deadly virus, which has already begun to bring grief to families in Bunia and Butembo,” he said. 

“I call on people and organizations of good will to come to our aid in securing handwashing kits and disinfectant, which we will place in front of every church so that protective measures are effective in Bunia, Beni, Goma, Bukavu and Butembo within our local churches,” he said.

Dr. Damas Lushima, who is the health coordinator for the Eastern Congo Episcopal Area, said he is in discussions with United Methodist Global Ministries and other organizations to support this awareness campaign, which he said is everyone’s responsibility at their own level.

“I call on the faithful living in these Ebola-affected areas to be vigilant and to report any suspected cases to nearby health care workers in their communities,” Lushima said.

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Dr. Damas Lushima washes his hands while a nurse takes his temperature outside a United Methodist health facility in Goma, Congo. The eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo is dealing with an outbreak of the Ebola virus. Photo by Philippe Lolonga, Harper Hill Global.

Harper Hill Global, a U.S.-based nonprofit agency, is also responding.

“We are collaborating with radio stations in eastern Congo and the North Katanga region to broadcast messages about Ebola prevention,” said the Rev. Neelley Hicks, director of Harper Hill Global. “We are also currently working on a new animation with Firdaus Kharas of Chocolate Moose Media which is focused on funeral practices, approached from a pastoral perspective that takes into account the grief of those who have lost a loved one.”

A scene from *"Do Not Let My Death From Ebola Take You Too,"* an animated production currently in development by Chocolate Moose Media and Harper Hill Global. The project will be versioned in Uganda English, French, Congolese Swahili, Lingala, and Luganda.

Bishop Kalema called on all partners to come to the aid of eastern Congo. He noted that the epidemic is unfolding amid a climate of insecurity, citing recent violence by one of the armed groups in the region – the Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces.

“I am saddened because, aside from the insecurity and the Ebola outbreak, during the night of Saturday, May 30, to Sunday, May 31, there was an ADF incursion into the Ngandi neighborhood in the city of Beni that has just claimed the lives of seven people,” the bishop said. “We pray to God to come to our aid.”

Urgent Funding Request: Together, we can prevent Ebola by working with religious networks who are trusted by their local communities. Harper Hill Global's faith-based network spans multiple countries, and our teams are ready to respond. Your gift of $500 or even $100 will aid in our responsiveness. Please give now.

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Lolonga is a Harper Hill Global correspondent based in Congo. Media contact: Rev. Neelley Hicks at: nhicks@harperhill.global.