By Liz Millership

In a country of five million people to only three ventilators, free and rapid access to information on COVID-19 could mean the difference between life and death.

This is why the ETC in the Central African Republic (CAR) has been called on by the Ministry of Health to set up a dedicated COVID-19 call centre in Bangui, where operators will soon be taking calls from the population on symptoms, national health guidelines and referrals through the short code helpline number ‘1212’.

Lalou Yavoucko – the ETC’s implementing officer on the ground – is at the frontline of the centre’s ongoing construction. “I’m really glad to have been in charge of this project, even though it has been technically very challenging and needed to be set up so quickly,” Lalou tells us. “Working on this kind of project that will allow thousands of people to get important information during the crisis – I’m grateful for that.”