Paul Gbadia was deployed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo through WHO's Standby Partners mechanism as a WASH health logistics officer supporting WHO's Operational Support and Logistics team, including with the establishment of Ebola Treatment Centres.
Back in June 2026, WHO deployed Paul Benjamin Gbadia (Côte d’Ivoire) to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through its Standby Partners mechanism, to support the country’s response to the outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD), a type of Ebola disease.
WHO’s Standby Partners is a longstanding network of governmental and humanitarian organizations that provide skilled personnel to support WHO’s work in emergencies, playing a key role in strengthening the health response where it is most needed. In the case of Paul, his deployment had been made possible thanks to the support of the Government of Netherlands (Netherlands Enterprise Agency - RVO). Over three months, Paul worked with technical teams and communities on safe and dignified burials, and on the establishment of Ebola treatment facilities, mostly in Bunia, in the Ituri Province of the DRC, at the epicenter of the outbreak.
Building trust through safe and dignified burials
Deployed as a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) health logistics officer supporting WHO's Operational Support and Logistics team, Paul was initially tasked with overseeing safe and dignified burial (SDB) activities for people who had died from suspected or confirmed Ebola infection.
Safe and dignified burials are a critical public health measure during Ebola outbreaks, because burial ceremonies that involve direct contact with the body of a person who has died can contribute to the transmission of Ebola disease, and precautions need to be taken by people who are trained and equipped to prevent further spread. At the same time, burial practices are deeply rooted in cultural and family traditions, making community engagement essential.
Paul Gbadia overseeing a safe and dignified burial for a person who died from Ebola in Jina, Fataki health zone of the Ituri Province.
“The families have just lost a loved one,” Paul explains. “Accepting the burial protocols can be difficult because they want to mourn according to their customs.”
Risk communication and community engagement teams worked closely with families to explain the risks and the protective measures required. Through his work, Paul observed that resistance to outbreak response teams often stemmed not from hostility, but from a lack of information and a desire for greater involvement.
To address this challenge, his team adopted a community-led approach. Local leaders were invited to identify trusted community members to join burial teams, including relatives of village chiefs and youth representatives who understood local languages, traditions and social dynamics.
And the results were striking.
In Jina, in the Fataki health zone, tensions eased significantly after community members became directly involved in response activities. “For the past two months, there have been no incidents of resistance or aggression against the teams,” Paul says. “It showed the importance of working with communities, listening to them and valuing their knowledge.”
Strengthening collaborative response
Paul's deployment came at a time when alerts were increasing, coverage remained insufficient and operations required stronger coordination. Working closely with the Ministry of Health and partners, Paul helped train, activate and support eight SDB teams across Ituri Province. He also led efforts to standardize operational tools, including data collection forms and standard operating procedures, and supported the development of national guidelines.
“Paul was among the first cohort trained through the INITIATE² simulation programme in 2025, a preparation that proved invaluable during his deployment as he implemented the lessons learned with remarkable professionalism. Following this successful experience, WHO has expanded the programme with additional simulation sessions to further strengthen and grow the engagement with WHO’s Standby Partners” (Luca Fontana, technical officer, Health & Technical Logistics within WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme at WHO headquarters, and lead of the INITIATE project at WHO).
Beyond burial activities, Paul supported the construction and upgrading of Ebola treatment and transit centres across affected areas, in Ituri but also Nord-Kivu provinces. In Lita and Musienene, Paul and his team collaborated with the Ministry of Health, WFP, UNICEF, MSF, ALIMA and other partners to establish new treatment facilities for a total of 60 patient beds. In several locations, community members volunteered to help set up the facilities, demonstrating how early engagement and dialogue can foster trust and local ownership of the response.
These efforts reinforced another lesson from the response: effective outbreak control depends on strong partnerships.
“Everyone brought their expertise,” Paul recalls. “When communities, government authorities and humanitarian partners work together, the response becomes much stronger.”
Standing ready when emergencies strike with the Standby Partners
For Paul, the experience was both professionally and personally rewarding.
After months spent supporting communities affected by the outbreak, he now looks forward to returning home to his family, completing the house he is building for his mother, and visiting the banana trees growing in his village field after the rainy season.
But his message for future outbreak responses remains simple and clear: “Communities are part of the solution. Only when they are involved, trusted and empowered, an outbreak response is effective and the disease can be stopped.”
In addition to Paul’s deployment, Netherlands has supported 6 other key positions, including a WASH specialist for Ebola treatment centers in Bunia and 5 experts deployed on supporting inter-agency coordination of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support activities in the Ituri and North Kivu, as well as preparedness and readiness interventions in neighboring countries.
WHO’s Standby Partners have played a critical role in strengthening WHO's response to the BVD outbreak, mobilizing 27 surge positions with an estimated in-kind contribution value of USD 1.7 million. To date, 23 experts have been deployed, including 19 currently in the field, of whom 16 are supporting response operations in the DRC and 3 are supporting readiness and preparedness efforts in the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Angola.
This support has been delivered through a diverse network of Standby Partners, including the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) (7 deployments), CANADEM (6), NORCAP (4), iMMAP Inc. (2), the Swedish Civil Defense and Resilience Agency (MCF Sweden) (2), UK-Med (1), and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) (1). The deployments have been financed through the generous support of key donors, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands (7 positions), the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) (5), Global Affairs Canada (3), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) 3, the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) (2), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) (2), and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) (1).
The deployed experts have filled critical capacity gaps across Health Cluster Coordination, Operations Support and Logistics, Health Operations, and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH), enabling the rapid scale-up of response activities and strengthening coordination, preparedness and operational effectiveness across affected and at-risk countries.
In 2026 so far, WHO’s Standby Partners have supported 81 surge deployments in response to 19 graded emergencies.