Stories of COVID in Congo
Towards the end of 2020, we asked CMS missionaries David & Prue Boyd some questions about how COVID has affected gospel ministry and life in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Read on to see what they said.
Checkpoint: Could you tell us a little about how COVID-19 has affected life in DRC?
We are frequently asked about the situation in DRC, but don’t really know how to answer. With little reliable COVID testing, we are relying on our friends and colleagues on the ground to keep us informed. (We have not been able to return at the time of writing). However, conflicting reports have left us a little confused. At first, it seemed that parts of Africa had not been hit as hard as other countries. Possible explanations for this include: the population is younger (median age 17, compared with Australia where it is 37); more exposure to other coronaviruses, which may provide some defence against COVID; regular exposure to malaria, tuberculosis or other infectious diseases could help the immune system to fight the virus; and genetic factors may protect the population. However, insufficient and inadequate testing makes reporting of cases and deaths unreliable.
CP: Has the government generally, or the health system in particular, been able to make much progress in assisting the population?
After Ebola, people became less trusting of healthcare workers, often refusing to go to treatment centres, and are vulnerable to all sorts of rumours and misinformation. This affects how they respond to COVID and to government directions and restrictions. As well as this, resources have been diverted to the Ebola crisis and away from treating other illnesses. These, combined with protracted conflict and insecurity, have resulted in an increase of other preventable diseases, e.g. measles.
Ebola and COVID are seen by many as a means of enrichment for those in powerful positions who can take advantage of overseas emergency funds. Some even deny that COVID is in Congo at all, saying that it is a Western disease.
CP: In your prayer letters[1] you’ve referred to Amani, a man trained in audiology by Prue. Has he been able to move ahead in his work?
Amani has returned to Bukavu having submitted his research project, the final task to complete his Diploma in audiology. He had been stranded in Uganda because of COVID and decided to risk crossing the border to get home. It is dangerous to travel outside the main towns in eastern Congo and at one point he feared for his life when he and everyone else on his bus were held hostage overnight by bandits.
Amani will oversee the audiology department at Bukavu General Hospital. He is one of only two audiologists in Congo, a country of 90 million. The number of people with ear health issues is vast and so the plan is that he will train and teach others in addition to clinical work. If security allows, they will take their services out into villages.
CP: News of COVID deaths has been constant and in some cases overwhelming. One such story involves a coworker of yours in the DRC.
Our friend, colleague and a shining light in the church, Bishop Désiré of Goma, died from COVID in July, aged 51. We are so very sad. He was a godly man of integrity, vitality and strength who, with his wife Claudaline, set up programs to help widows, orphans and victims of sexual violence. Now, the young Goma diocese will have to find a new bishop, having been inaugurated in 2016.
PRAY
Every CMS missionary and location faces peculiar challenges that relate to COVID. Will you pray with David and Prue that God will protect pastors and their congregations in the DRC, not only from Coronavirus but also from food shortages and continuing insecurity.
[1] If you would like to receive prayer letters from specific missionaries, click here and sign up to the missionary by searching on their CMS branch page.
