Kamloops pilot makes Ebola humanitarian flights 

Dominic Villeneuve is a Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) pilot from Kamloops, B.C. He has spent the last five years in Bunia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Villeneuve was one of the first people to learn about the Ebola epidemic in Congo. On May 15, he was preparing to fly out of Bunia with Serge missionary, Doctor Patrick LaRochelle as a passenger. LaRochelle had interacted earlier with one of the first patients confirmed as a positive Ebola case – news that reached him in the airport waiting room. 

“It was definitely an interesting moment, because officially at that point, nothing had been declared,” Villeneuve told Christian Courier. “It was that new. It was a surreal moment.”

LaRochelle’s colleague, doctor Peter Stafford, tested positive for Ebola and was evacuated to Berlin. Villeneuve flew Stafford’s family and LaRochelle out of Bunia for their medical quarantine in Prague: “Peter is my friend. He’s everybody’s friend here. To find out that he was sick was scary. And so we’re very glad that he’s doing much better.” On June 6, Stafford was discharged. 

First on the ground

When Bunia’s airport was shut down on May 23, MAF was one of the first organizations to regain permission to fly on humanitarian status. The four MAF pilots in Bunia, including Villeneuve, have been ferrying medical supplies from Entebbe to Bunia on behalf of NGOs, including Samaritan’s Purse. Villeneuve spoke to me three weeks after the outbreak was declared. “It’s been intense,” he said. “It feels like it’s been three years.”

“When covid hit in Canada, a lot of people just immediately were in their homes for weeks on end,” he said. “People here don’t have the resources to be able to not leave their homes. They have to continue to do business, have to continue buying food and selling food to make a living.” He described the dissonance: “This horrible thing is happening all around us, but we also just have to continue with our lives because the reality with this part of Congo is, horrible things happen all the time. We’re in the middle of a war. Life has to continue.”

Responding in a war zone

There are over 100 armed groups operating in eastern DRC and 980,000 forcibly displaced people in Ituri province, of which Bunia is the capital. 

“Throughout my career here in the Congo, I’ve seen some incredible moments of God’s presence and protection. And so I know that even in these stressful times when we’re dealing with unrest and disease, we know that God will protect us. We look forward to seeing how God is going to work through this time and through this crisis. And we look forward to continuing to serve the Congolese people,” said Villeneuve. 

The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola does not yet have a vaccine or treatment. Refugees International states that widespread displacement complicates tracking people who have been exposed to Ebola, specifically when it comes to displaced people (IDP). “Many IDPs live amidst poor sanitation conditions, inadequate shelter, and overwhelmed healthcare infrastructure, all of which are factors that elevate the risk for disease transmission. According to the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster, nearly 468,00 IDPs are living in IDP settlements in eastern Congo that are often overcrowded and under-resourced.”

Preparations in IDP camps

On June 2, the UNHCR reported two deaths by Ebola in the Kpangba IDP site, around 25 kilometres out of Bunia. 

Bagamba Araali, sociolinguist and founder of Beacon of Hope, has been setting up meetings between community leaders in Bunia’s IDP camps and missionary doctors to see what can be done. “They don’t even have tents – just these makeshift things they build, which are sometimes just a half a meter from one another, half a meter,” said Bagamba. “There are two camps that I go into. It’s more than 10,000 people in one place. And maybe two football pitches in space. They’ve been there for six years now.” 

According to AP news, ISP camp in Bunia has over 10,000 residents and only one infrared thermometer and a single handwashing station: residents are advised to clean their hands with sand. 

Araali said that he visits camps of people displaced by conflict between the Hema and Lendu. The Congolese government is so preoccupied with the threat of the M23 rebel group, they consider ethnic conflict to be less “dangerous” and do nothing about it. “They say, you fix your problem among yourself. It’s very irresponsible, but that’s what it is. How do you sort things out between the weakest community and the one that has guns? It’s impossible.” 

Reverend Bisoke, an Anglican priest, runs programs on behalf of MAF in three IDP camps. “We are helping people, the leaders among the displaced camp, to help show them how they can be peacemakers, how they can build unity together, and how to live together,” Bisoke said. Along with peacebuilding, his programs support trauma healing, practical skills and literacy workshops, discipleship and support for children and families.