Ebola is spreading.

What began as an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has crossed into Uganda, and cases are now appearing in communities served by the three Catholic mission hospitals in the Diocese of Kabale, hospitals that have long been partners in Mission Doctors’ work.

Ebola is not only highly contagious and deadly. It is also a disease that puts those who respond and provide care at the greatest risk. The healthcare workers, the doctors, nurses, and staff who show up every day to serve the sick, are among those most at risk of contracting the virus from an infected patient.

Without the right protections in place, a single encounter could put not only a healthcare worker at risk but also their family. Their community.

This is the gap our partners in Uganda have asked us to help close.

In Their Own Words: Our Partners on the Ground

Those living this and serving are the best ones to describe the urgency. Each of the three hospital partners in the Diocese of Kabale has shared with us directly:

Pontius Mayunga, Hospital Administrator at St. Francis Hospital, wrote: “As a district very close to the Congo border, with high possibilities of getting Congolese coming through porous borders for health care, we know any time we shall get Ebola cases. We are therefore reaching out to our partners for support. Any amount given will help us save a life. Thank you for your support.”

Dr. Martin Bikorwomuhangi, Medical Superintendent, Our Lady of Good Health, Rushoroza wrote: “While Rushoroza General Hospital has not registered any Ebola cases to date, the ongoing Ebola situation in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo underscores the importance of maintaining a high level of preparedness across health facilities throughout the country.

As a general hospital serving a large catchment population in Southwestern Uganda, including patients from neighboring districts and cross-border communities, we remain committed to ensuring that our staff and facility are adequately prepared to respond effectively should the need arise.

“…we have identified several priority preparedness interventions, including infection prevention and control supplies, emergency room preparedness equipment, staff training, and supportive supervision activities.

Any support towards these preparedness activities would significantly strengthen our capacity to protect patients, staff, and the wider community while ensuring the continued delivery of essential healthcare services.

We remain deeply grateful for your prayers and steadfast support.”

Dr.Lema Felix Adriko, CEO/Medical  Superintendent, Karoli Lwanga Hospital, shared:  “Rukungiri being a border town, Nyakibale Hospital is amongst the hospitals with the highest risk of receiving  Ebola patients, therefore exposing the staff. Eight out of the now 19 reported cases in Uganda are health workers. 

We are vigilant and working with the district task force to respond in case we get a positive client. Nyakibale Hospital already has 3 suspected cases that turned out to be negative. The only challenge is still the PPEs, which are now in high demand due to the increased consumption, making them expensive because of scarcity. Therefore, we definitely need support for PPEs, training, drills, and surveillance purposes.

Your support is greatly appreciated.  May God continue to bless you all.”

What Preparation Looks Like on the Ground

The needs our partners have identified are not abstract. They are specific and achievable: personal protective equipment, infection prevention and control supplies, emergency room preparedness, staff training, and supervisory support. These are the building blocks of a healthcare facility that can respond to Ebola without losing the very people who show up to respond.

The Diocese of Kabale’s Catholic hospitals are doing extraordinary work with what they have. But what they have is not enough for what may be coming.

Why This Moment Calls for Both Presence and Partnership

For more than 65 years, we have recruited, prepared, and supported physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who answer that call — leaving behind familiar comforts to serve alongside mission hospital partners in Africa and Latin America.

Our Mission Doctors do not drop in and leave. They train. They build relationships with local staff and learn from the communities they serve. And when they depart, they leave behind something lasting — elevated capacity, deeper trust, and healthcare professionals who have been taught and equipped to do more.

That is the model of partnership we bring to Uganda now. Not charity in the transactional sense, but solidarity in the Catholic sense, a recognition that the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Kabale is not remote from us. It is ours to respond to.

One Gift. Two Urgent Needs.

Right now, through August 31, every gift to Mission Doctors Association is being matched dollar for dollar — up to $85,000, the largest Trailblazer Match in our history.

This means your gift does two things at once.

It supports the ongoing work of Mission Doctors, the physicians and healthcare professionals currently serving in mission hospitals across Africa and Latin America, caring for patients who would otherwise go without.

And it helps our partners in Uganda prepare. It helps ensure that when an undiagnosed patient walks through the door of a mission hospital in the Diocese of Kabale, the healthcare workers who respond are protected. That the protocols are in place. That the staff who show up every day out of their faith, love, out of a vocation. We are working to help them prepare so they do not pay for this faithfulness with their lives.

Please give before August 31 at www.MissionDoctors.org/donate.

Every dollar is matched.  Every gift matters.