In my own words: fighting cholera in the DRC as a community health worker

Testimony of Chantal Ilunga Kabungama, Community Health Worker – AP Simba, Likasi

Story collected by Tatiana Ballay, Communications Officer, World Vision DRC

My name is Chantal Ilunga Kabungama, I am 50 years old. I am married to John Ilunga and a mother of seven children. I live in Simba, a program area in the Likasi health zone in Haut-Katanga province, Democratic Republic of Congo. Since 2021, I have served as a Community Health Worker (RECO). I also raise broiler chickens and am an active member of the Maendeleo savings group, which we created in our community thanks to World Vision.

I joined the RECO network out of conviction. Over the years, my community has faced multiple outbreaks: cholera, malaria, typhoid fever, measles, and malnutrition. My sister was affected, mainly due to the lack of awareness around hygiene practices. That moment changed everything for me. I understood that to inform is to protect. From then on, I chose not to remain silent.

When cholera strikes, I rise

January 2025. Cholera reappeared in Simba. When the first cases were reported, I felt fear and anxiety because I knew this disease could kill within hours. Rumours spread faster than care. People believed it was witchcraft. Some thought the deceased had been poisoned. Families distanced themselves from victims while basic hygiene practices were still being ignored.

As a RECO, I received training from World Vision on cholera case management, nutrition, disinfection and hygiene promotion. I was quickly deployed to schools, markets, churches and streets with a megaphone and clear instructions: talk about the five critical moments of handwashing, explain simple water treatment methods, and identify suspected cases.

Every morning, after the health zone briefing, I received supplies and my daily assignments and went to the field. I was tasked with reaching 50 households per day. We were only 22 RECOs for over 22,000 people. It was exhausting. We lacked sprayers, visibility materials, transport, and sometimes even chlorine. But we moved forward because giving up was never an option.

Two lives saved, and one message received

I will never forget Mama Petronie and her daughter. In March 2025, I conducted a household awareness session in their neighbourhood. They were weak, vomiting, and suffering from diarrhea. Like many others, they believed it was a spiritual attack. However, with my RECO training, I recognized the clinical signs of cholera. I immediately organized their transfer to the DACO Cholera Treatment Centre.

A few days later, they were fully recovered. Today, they follow all hygiene measures to the letter and help raise awareness in their community. That moment proved to me that my work mattered. You don’t need a white coat to save a life; you just need timely and accurate information.

What the disease reveals: a water and sanitation crisis

Cholera came back to Simba, not by accident. It returned because the conditions for its spread never really went away. In my area, people collect water from exposed, unprotected sources sometimes shared with animals. There is only one functioning borehole, built by World Vision in 2017, which is far from meeting the community’s needs.

Families fight for a few jerrycans of clean water. When that runs out, they turn to open wells or stagnant streams. That water is murky and often contaminated. In many households, there are no latrines, no drainage, and no handwashing stations. Even some schools and churches lack safe toilets for children. How can we talk about hygiene in such conditions?

And yet, the population continues to grow. Neighbourhoods are expanding. Needs are skyrocketing. But access to safe water and sanitation remains virtually stagnant. So cholera returns not because we forgot it but because we never truly shut the door on it.

Changing behaviour, one gesture at a time

Thanks to World Vision’s support in the response, our health zone recorded 106 cases of cholera, including 6 deaths. But we disinfected 2,120 households, raised awareness among 18,758 people, trained 36 teachers, and included 62 sponsored children in our outreach. Behaviour is changing slowly but surely. Today, families listen to me. They call me. They report cases.

Even the children recognize me. “Mama Chantal with the soap,” they say.

What I’ve learned

Being a RECO is more than a role. It’s a daily fight without recognition, without allowance, often in the rain, and sometimes misunderstood. But it’s a fight that saves lives. I’ve learned that quiet, committed work can transform an entire community.

I continue to raise awareness because as long as even one person still doesn’t know that handwashing can save lives, my mission is not over.

My message

To my fellow RECOs: don’t give up. Even when tired, under-equipped, and overlooked, we are the first line of defence between disease and our families. To donors and partners: thank you. Your support allowed women like me to take action. To the world: hygiene is not a habit. It is survival.

I may not be the hero you see on television. But here in my community, I stand firm with my voice, gestures, and commitment. A simple act can save a life, and I will never forget it.