How would you feel if you heard a deadly disease had begun to spread in your country? What if lockdowns were a possibility again, and the market where you sold your goods and your kids’ school could once again be shut down? How would you break the news to your family? For people in Uganda, this worrying train of thought likely went through many people’s minds when they heard that Ebola had been detected in the country.
By now, you may have heard that a new outbreak of Ebola has been identified in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This disease often starts as flu-like symptoms and can progress to severe bleeding, neurological disorders, severe vomiting, and sometimes death. The outbreak was first reported in the DRC, but it is beginning to spread into neighboring Uganda. As of June 1st, there are over 1,000 suspected cases with 247 deaths in the DRC and 9 cases with 1 death in Uganda. Ebola is ravaging rural communities in the DRC, overwhelming local health systems, and now has appeared in Uganda as well. The U.S. State Department has issued Level 4 travel restrictions on both countries, meaning they strongly advise against travel to those countries.
Impact on Bright Hope in Uganda
In Uganda, the cases have currently been limited to the capital city of Kampala, with patients being quarantined and contact tracing efforts ongoing. As a result, Bright Hope’s programs and church partners have been minimally impacted by the outbreak and are continuing to reach the poor in their communities, which are located in rural areas away from the capital.
Even though the impact is minimal right now, the Bright Hope staff in the country are aware that the situation could change quickly. Lockdowns are a possibility if the outbreak spreads. This could mean closed schools and markets, and people needing to stay in their homes. Many would experience fear, anxiety, and restlessness. It also means that the trainings that equip the churches to help the poor could be interrupted. With that in mind, the team is holding as many trainings as they can now so that the people we serve will be as equipped as possible in the case of interruptions due to lockdowns.
While Bright Hope’s programs carry on, a team of US educators that was planning to hold a conference with Bright Hope to train and encourage Ugandan teachers is no longer able to travel to the country. While we are disappointed, Bright Hope is following the travel warnings from the U.S. State Department and we want to do all we can to ensure the health and safety of teams that travel with Bright Hope. We hope the team can hold the conference next year.
What You Can Do
Please pray for the people suffering from Ebola in the DRC and Uganda. Ask God to protect people who have been exposed and for healing those who have contracted the disease. Pray that the disease is contained and doesn’t spread any further.
Also please pray for our church partners in Uganda as they continue to serve people living in extreme poverty and sharing Hope for Today, Tomorrow, and Eternity with people living on less than $3/day.
To see more prayer requests from Uganda and the rest of the countries where we work, visit our Prayer Wall and join our Prayer Team.
