Lessons from the Faith-Driven Response to the West africa Ebola Epidemic^†

^†The authorship group has elected to be listed in alphabetical order. This essay represents a synthesis of different pieces of (programmatic) research to which the authors (RV, CG, AS, DR, SP, SS) have contributed significant parts. JM conducted the synthesis and write-up for this article.

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Notes

^† The authorship group has elected to be listed in alphabetical order. This essay represents a synthesis of different pieces of (programmatic) research to which the authors (RV, CG, AS, DR, SP, SS) have contributed significant parts. JM conducted the synthesis and write-up for this article.

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Notes on contributors

Christo Greyling

Christo Greyling is a Dutch Reformed reverend with a Masters in Public Health serving as the Senior director for Church and Faith Partnerships for Development in World Vision International. He was co-responsible for the development of the Channels of Hope methodology with CABSA.

Jolly Ann Maulit

Jolly Ann Maulit is a Masters in Public Health student at the University of Cape Town with international development experience in East Africa and Asia. Her interests are in health systems resilience and facilitating change in complex adaptive systems.

Susan Parry

Sue Parry is a physician with many years’ work experience in urban, rural, mine and conflict settings, principally in sub Saharan Africa. Currently she is the Consultant-in-Charge of the global Health & Healing program of the World Council of Churches in Geneva. She has authored three books focusing on HIV & AIDS competence, mainstreaming and faith communities’ response.

David Robinson

David Robinson is Senior Advisor for Christian–Muslim relations in World Vision’s global operations. He was WV’s West Africa Ebola response coordinator October 2014–March 2015 and is currently advising on transition to Ebola recovery.

Sally Smith

Sally Smith is a senior community mobilization advisor for faith-based organizations in UNAIDS. Having worked for 16 years in Nepal with a faith-based organization and 10 years in UNAIDS in community mobilization and civil society partnerships, she now has overall responsibility for UNAIDS liaison with faith-based organizations and religions.

Anne Street

Anne Street is CAFOD’s Head of Humanitarian Policy where she works on system-wide policy issues. She has a particular focus on the role of local actors, and led the research in 2015 for the “Keeping the Faith: The role of Faith Leaders in the Ebola Crisis” policy paper which CAFOD published together with other faith-based organizations.

Robert Vitillo

Robert Vitillo is a professional social worker and a Catholic priest, serving as the Special Advisor on Health and HIV/AIDS and as Head of the Caritas Internationalis Delegation to the United Nations in Geneva.