Although no cases of COVID-19 have appeared at Moma, the hospital is preparing itself. Just as in the United States and elsewhere, masks are not commercially available. The answer—make your own. The women pictured below are part of a sewing group that will be trained to hand sew masks thanks to the support of Friends of Moma Hospital. Funds were provided not only for all materials required for sewing masks but also for a sewing teacher (the lady on the far right) to come to Moma and give lessons. Each of the women received a mask pattern,  instructional materials, fabric, needles and thread, scissors, etc.

Moma’s “Sewing Circle” receives materials for hand sewing face masks.

Dr. Christoph Bakamubia explains to sewing volunteers the importance of the mask sewing project .

The impetus to begin sewing masks came in part from chiefs of surrounding villages who came to the hospital asking for masks for their communities. However, the masks on-hand were designated for hospital staff and patients, not the region. The only way to accommodate the growing demand for masks is to make them locally. As there is not a sewing machine in Moma, hand-sewing the masks was the obvious solution.

As of today, there are almost 5,000 cases of COVID-19 in the Congo. Although there are no numbers to indicate how far the virus has spread outside of the larger cities, no one in the most rural areas like Moma are taking this pandemic lightly. Doctors and health professionals have been trained to detect and treat patients presenting with the virus. A large public information campaign is also underway in order to educate people about the importance of hand washing, wearing masks and “social distancing.”