Fighting Ebola Together: Putting Protection in the Hands of Local Health Workers
Combining global support with local action to strengthen the response to Ebola.
When a public health threat emerges, the people closest to their communities are often the first to respond. Asili is working to ensure local health facilities have the protective equipment they need to do that work safely.
As part of its Ebola virus response, Asili has delivered personal protective equipment (PPE) and other essential supplies to local health facilities in Bukavu, including the University Clinics of Bukavu and the Lwiro Hospital, who are acting as the Ebola transit center and Ebola treatment center respectively. By getting these supplies directly into the hands of local healthcare workers, Asili is helping strengthen the capacity of clinics to prevent infection and safely care for their patients.
These supplies reflect a combined effort between international partners and Asili’s local response. Earlier this year, the Afya Foundation generously donated a large quantity of gloves, masks, thermometers, and face shields, a portion of which Asili delivered directly to the aforementioned centers. Asili also purchased additional supplies to meet needs identified by local clinics, including household gloves, rubber boots, and handwashing stations with buckets.
“Asili’s support means a great deal to us at a difficult time, as other partners have withdrawn from this health zone to focus on areas they consider more urgent, even as we continue to see sick patients and suspected cases arriving at our facility. We are deeply grateful to Asili for this support as it has helped us tremendously, and we promise to use it responsibly.”
– Dr. Elie Mbiye, Ebola Treatment Center supervisor at Lwiro Hospital
The delivery is more than the transfer of equipment. It represents a shared commitment to ensuring that local health facilities are equipped to protect their staff and communities as they respond to the threat of Ebola.
For Asili, this is what locally led response looks like: bringing resources to the people already doing the work, listening to what they need, and strengthening the health systems that communities depend on.
The response is made possible through partnership. Afya’s generous donation, combined with Asili’s investment in additional supplies, has helped put critical protective equipment where it matters most: in the hands of local healthcare workers.
Ebola requires a collective response. Together with our partners and local health facilities, Asili is helping communities prepare, respond, and stay safer.
Our work is part of a broader commitment to strengthening and stabilizing public health infrastructure through long-term partnerships and support, helping communities stay resilient and minimizing disruption when crises like Ebola strike.
