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Report
A review of the social and behavioural science research landscape for mpox in African settings
This report maps and synthesises social and behavioural science studies on mpox in sub-Saharan Africa from 2017 until December 2025.
Case study
SSHAP learning note: Building a localised approach
This learning note shares insights, experiences and lessons from SSHAP's approach to the localisation of its operational responses in sub-Saharan Africa.
Briefing
Key considerations: Home-based care for mpox in Central and East Africa fr
This brief outlines key considerations on health system requirements for safe and inclusive home-based care for mpox.
Factsheet
Remote response to Ebola outbreak in DRC fr
The Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform is supporting UNICEF, WHO, IFRC and other partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo to respond to the Ebola outbreak in Equateur Province. The Platform has four key streams of action: 1) Rapid…
Article
Humanitarian protection activities and the safety of strangers in the DRC, Syria and South Sudan
Many contemporary humanitarian organisations derive their legitimacy from their claims to protect civilians. Yet, what these organisations do in its name includes a diverse and contested range of activities that are often far from what global publics and affected populations…
Report
Meeting report: Mpox and discrimination in African settings fr
This report summarises contributions from speakers and participants at a Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform (SSHAP)-organised online meeting to discuss mpox and discrimination issues in African settings, and operational responses to mpox that are contextually sensitive.
Question Bank
Tools
Mpox question bank: Qualitative questions for community-level data collection frpt
A Question Bank for use by field teams and local research teams working in communities with mpox transmission and those at risk of transmission with the aim of supporting the collection and use of consistent and high-quality social and behavioural…
Briefing
Mpox, mining, and vulnerabilities of women and children in eastern DRC fr
This Key Considerations brief presents considerations for contextualising and responding to the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, focusing on women and children living and working in artisanal and small-scale mining areas.
Infographic
Risk communication and community engagement for mpox vaccination in Eastern DRC fr
This infographic summarises insights from the SSHAP briefing 'Key Considerations: Risk Communication and Community Engagement for Mpox in Eastern DRC', presenting social and political considerations for the design and implementation of vaccination-related risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) strategies.
Briefing
Risk communication and community engagement for mpox vaccination in eastern DRC fr
This Key Considerations brief presents social and political considerations for the design and implementation of vaccination-related risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) strategies for mpox in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Report
Roundtable Report: Discussion on mpox in DRC and social science considerations for operational response fr
This report synthesises the discussions at a SSHAP-organised roundtable on the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo held in May 2024 to appraise the situation, with a focus on social science insights for informing context-sensitive risk communication…
Briefing
Information Preparedness and Community Engagement for El Niño in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region frptes
El Niño can be viewed as a multi-hazard event, and considerations for information needs cut across different populations and risks, including direct weather-related hazards, reduced agricultural production, greater food insecurity and malnutrition, increased transmission of infectious diseases and effects on…
Report
Integrated Outbreak Analytics (IOA) of measles recurrence in the DRC, Kilwa health zone, Haut-Katanga Province – May 2023 fr
In March 2023, in support of the Ministry of Health, at the request of the Measles Coordination Unit (Direction Surveillance Epidémiologique-DSE), the Integrated Analytics Cell (CAI) carried out an integrated analysis in the Kilwa health zone (HZ) to understand the…
Report
WHO Multi-country outbreak of cholera, External situation report #1
This report summarises the current status of the cholera outbreak across 24 countries that are reporting cases. WHO has assessed the global risk level as very high.
Research paper
‘Who Can Sing the Song of MSF?’ The Politics of ‘Proximity’ and Performing Humanitarianism in Eastern DRC
This article explores the complexities of the brokerage work conducted by Congolese MSF staff working in a ‘field’ that is not a distant, liminal space, but their country (and region) of origin. They have complicated and heterogeneous political and social…
Policy document
Plan Strategique National de Developpement des Services de Laboratoire de Sante 2021-25 fr
The national strategic plan for developing health laboratory services, from 2021 to 2025, focusing in particular on: improving the delivery of laboratory services, supporting the different pillars of laboratory services, and strengthening governance.
Policy document
Loi cadre sur l’Organisation de la Santé Publique fr
The legal basis for public health action in DRC, grounded in the right to health guaranteed by the DRC constitution.
Policy document
Strategic Response Plan For The Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak In The Provinces Of North Kivu And Ituri Democratic Republic Of The Congo July – December 2019 fr
This document sets out the Ministry of Health’s strategic response to the Ebola Virus outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in 2019. Taking into account the impact of insecurity in these regions, the plan details how the government planned…
Research paper
Clinical trials as disease control? The political economy of sleeping sickness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1996-2016)
Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), commonly known as sleeping sickness, is closer than ever to being eliminated as a public health problem. We analyse archives and in-depth interviews to explore the role the national HAT programme played in the Democratic Republic…
Research paper
‘Where are the dead flies!’: perceptions of local communities towards the deployment of Tiny Targets to control tsetse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The National Programme for the control of human African trypanosomiasis in Democratic Republic of Congo includes a large-scale vector control operation using Tiny Targets. These are small panels of insecticide-impregnated cloth that are deployed in riverine habitat where tsetse flies…
Research paper
Health system resilience during COVID-19 understanding SRH service adaptation in North Kivu
There is often collateral damage to health systems during epidemics, affecting women and girls the most, with reduced access to non-outbreak related services, particularly in humanitarian settings. This rapid case study examines sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in the…
Research paper
Operational challenges and considerations for COVID-19 research in humanitarian settings: A qualitative study of a project in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan
We conducted a qualitative study to explore the barriers and enablers of a COVID-19 cohort study conducted in South Sudan and Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, to inform future research on COVID-19 and infectious diseases in humanitarian settings. We…
Research paper
Perceptions of ebola virus disease among the bambuti hunter group: a mixed-methods study
The second largest Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic occurred in the DRC from 2018–20. The Bambuti, a hunter population in the Ituri Forest of the DRC, may be vulnerable to the zoonotic spread of EVD due to their frequent handling…
Research paper
Private sector engagement in the COVID-19 response: experiences and lessons from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda
Private entities play a major role in health globally. However, their contribution has not been fully optimized to strengthen delivery of public health services. The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed health systems and precipitated coalitions between public and private sectors to…
Research paper
The social dimensions of community delivery of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy in Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy with is a key malaria prevention strategy. We conducted an anthropological study to understand the social context of a community based approach to delivering sulphadoxine pyrimethamine (C-IPTp) through community health workers (CHWs) in four countries…
Research paper
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) in the Republic of Congo: why the Congolese population is reluctant to screening?
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a neglected tropical infection, and surveillance of the disease relies on community participation in screening. This study aimed to identify the main factors associated with low community uptake of HAT screening in endemic districts in…
Research paper
A Qualitative Evaluation of COVID-19 Preventative Response Activities in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
In this evaluation of COVID-19 preventative response programs in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), we aimed to explore community understandings of COVID-19, assess operational successes and challenges of COVID response activities, and identify barriers to practicing COVID-19…
Research paper
Engaging faith communities in public health messaging in response to COVID-19: Lessons learnt from the pandemic in Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo
This qualitative participatory research (using a workshop methodology) sought to understand challenges faced by faith leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (Ituri and Nord-Kivu) in engaging with current public health strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic; to explain why…
Research paper
Using Population Mobility Patterns to Adapt COVID-19 Response Strategies in 3 East Africa Countries
The COVID-19 pandemic spread between neighboring countries through land, water, and air travel. Since May 2020, ministries of health for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda have sought to clarify population movement patterns to improve their disease…
Research paper
Data flows during public health emergencies in LMICs: A people-centered mapping of data flows during the 2018 ebola epidemic in Equateur, DRC
In infectious outbreaks, rapid case detection and reporting, coordination, and context-specific strategies are needed for rapid containment. Data sharing between actors, and the speed and content of data flows, is essential for expediting epidemic response. In this study, researchers mapped…
Research paper
Communities’ Perception, Knowledge, and Practices Related to Human African Trypanosomiasis in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Community members see their role more in terms of vector control than participation in screening, referral, or accepting treatment. We propose recommendations for achieving sustainable community engagement, including development of an information and communication strategy and empowerment of communities to…
Research paper
Conflict, epidemic and faith communities: church-state relations during the fight against Covid-19 in north-eastern DR Congo.
The present article seeks to go beyond such oft-documented instrumentalization of churches for public health purposes. It discusses a more fundamental and general dynamic: the relationship between religious denominations, the State, and health authorities in a fragile context marked by…
Research paper
A trans-scalar approach to peacebuilding and transitional justice: Insights from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Drawing on qualitative data from more than a year of research in the DRC, I argue that while a trans-scalar approach was taken to end violence, it was not applied to transitional justice initiatives. The result was a negative, rather…
Research paper
Why local concepts matter: Using cultural expressions of distress to explore the construct validity of research instruments to measure mental health problems among Congolese women in Nyarugusu refugee camp
This mixed-methods study presents an innovative additional method for assessing the local “cultural fit” of globally used tools for measuring mental health in cross-cultural research.
Research paper
A Perturbed Peace: Applying Complexity Theory to UN Peacekeeping
Drawing on experience working and conducting fieldwork in the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this article argues that UN peacekeeping operations should view themselves as actors within the complex conflict ecosystem, looking to enable transformational…
Research paper
Lakes as Rebellious Landscapes: From ‘Fishing Rebels’ to ‘Fishy State Officials’ in DR Congo
This article discusses the frictions that emerge when the management of Virunga National Park in eastern DR Congo tries to retake control of Lake Edward through infrastructural and military interventions. These interventions not only encounter resistance from multiple rebel groups…
