Butembo: Older people encouraged to raise awareness on Ebola prevention

Butembo, October 1^st, 2026 (CPA).- Older people were encouraged Thursday in Butembo, North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, to get involved in raising awareness of Ebola prevention measures, on the occasion of the International Day dedicated to them. “We encourage older people to raise awareness because they experienced this disease well before the younger generation. We urge them to first educate young people on how to protect themselves against Ebola, particularly by calling on them not to come into conflict with healthcare workers,” urged Norbert Muhindo, coordinator of the Association of Young People in Solidarity with Older Persons (AJSTA). The community facilitator said that older people are fully aware of the existence of Ebola virus disease. He therefore called on the entire population to accept this reality and take the necessary precautions. Mr. Muhindo added that the contribution of this segment of society consists of raising awareness among young people while also protecting themselves against the epidemic. “Young people sometimes think that the disease does not exist, but older people, at least, are convinced that it does. Our contribution is therefore to raise awareness among young people and protect ourselves. Following this message, older people have started washing their hands regularly. They are careful and, if they were to become infected, it would only be by accident because they are genuinely afraid of this disease,” he explained. In Butembo, older people marked this day at the association’s office, where they attended several presentations on their rights, duties and empowerment. The central theme chosen for this year is: “Let us demand that our voices and rights be heard and upheld in accordance with the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”