By Zachery Onyango | Project Leader
Dear donor
The continuing Ebola emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a powerful reminder that communities must remain at the center of every disease response. While Uganda has successfully ended its outbreak, the DRC is experiencing an unprecedented escalation, with 4,381 confirmed cases and more than 2,000 confirmed deaths reported as of August 11, 2026.
The situation is particularly challenging because response teams are working in communities affected by insecurity, population movement, limited healthcare capacity, and difficulties accessing some affected areas. Recent reporting also highlights the challenges facing health workers and communities as the outbreak continues to spread.
Development Alert believes that community-led preparedness remains one of the most practical ways to protect vulnerable populations. Local volunteers and leaders understand their communities, know where people gather, and can often identify emerging concerns before formal systems receive an alert.
Our continued activities therefore emphasize health education, community surveillance, early reporting, hygiene promotion, and coordination with local health structures. We are also encouraging communities to reject stigma and misinformation and instead rely on trusted health authorities and trained community volunteers for guidance.
Uganda's experience demonstrates the value of acting quickly. The country's successful containment shows what can happen when surveillance, contact tracing, community engagement, and rapid response work together.
Our commitment is to preserve those lessons and ensure they continue benefiting communities along the Uganda–DRC border. Your generosity makes it possible to maintain grassroots preparedness, reach remote communities, and strengthen the local systems that can protect families when the next health alert emerges.
Together, we celebrate Uganda's success while standing with communities in the DRC during this extraordinarily difficult period.
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