To date, the government has spent $30 million for the coronavirus response and has budgeted $500,000 per month to supply food for patients and staff members at 11 hospitals in the nation’s capital, Kinshasa, Mangala said — although it is not clear what the remainder of this money is allocated to. The government is also giving everyone free coronavirus tests and care for the virus and associated diseases, such as diabetes. But Mangala admits that this is not playing out on the ground.

“It is not done systematically. It is really fragmented,” he said. “There are cases of patients who complain that they still pay with their own money.”

Since 2016, Cordaid has been working with DRC’s government to help move the country toward providing UHC. As part of an advocacy program called Dialogue & Dissent, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cordaid supported the government to create a framework to improve health coverage and contributed to the design of a national UHC strategy that was adopted in February in Kinshasa, said Albert van Hal, advocacy adviser for Cordaid. The five-year program will end in December.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Cordaid was also making inroads in raising awareness about sexual and reproductive health — not only through the Jeune S3 program but through training approximately 840 community health care workers who encourage people to attend prenatal and postnatal consultations, get their children vaccinated and assessed for malnutrition, and use trained health personnel when giving birth.

In April, Cordaid contributed €300,000 to train these staff members in coronavirus prevention measures and to shift their focus to relaying community messages about combating misinformation, washing hands, and wearing masks. The money was also used to set up hygiene stations in remote areas.

While these initiatives are helpful, Amisi said that for genuine change to occur, the government has to invest more in health and should make prenatal consultations for women free or allow them to pay relative to their income.

In the meantime, young people fill in the gaps left by the government, going from door to door for hours each day to help communities stave off the virus and access care. Mukaba persists despite the challenges.

“[We] still need to build capacities and keep on advocating and doing intergenerational dialogue … so that the community will understand that young people need to make their own informed choice in order not to spoil their lives,” he said.