Responding to the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa: What Role Does Religion Play? Case Study
WFDD CASE STUDY RESPONDING TO THE EBOLA EPIDEMIC IN WEST AFRICA: WHAT ROLE DOES RELIGION PLAY? By Katherine Marshall THE 2014 EBOLA EPIDEMIC was a human and a medical drama that killed more than 11,000 people and, still more, devastated the communities concerned and set back the development of health systems. Its impact was concentrated on three poor, fragile West African countries, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, but the tremors reverberated throughout the world, gen- erating reactions of compassion and fear, spurring mobilization of vast hu- man and financial resources, and inspiring many reflections on the lessons that should be learned by the many actors concerned. Among the actors were many with religious affiliations, who played distinctive roles at various points and across different sectors. This case study is one of a series produced by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University and the World Faiths De- velopment Dialogue (WFDD), an NGO established in the World Bank and based today at Georgetown University. The goal is to generate relevant and demanding teaching materials that highlight ethical, cultural, and religious dimensions of contemporary international development topics. This case study highlights the complex institutional roles of religious actors and posi- tive and less positive aspects of their involvement, and, notably, how poorly prepared international organizations proved in engaging them in a systematic fashion. An earlier case study on Female Genital Cutting (FGC or FGM) focuses on the complex questions of how culture and religious beliefs influ- ence behaviors. This case was prepared under the leadership of Katherine Marshall and Crys- tal Corman.
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