Live-Podcast: Ebola: Vertrauen baut man nicht auf wie ein Zelt - moderiert von Anna Dushime

How is an Ebola treatment center built from scratch?

Yellow protective suits, strict safety protocols, a virus with an extremely high fatality rate—and on top of that, war, scarce resources, and widespread fear among the population: How is it possible to provide medical aid under such conditions?

Project coordinator Theresa Berthold was on the ground and reports on her Ebola missions. She explains how teams set up a treatment center, how they take the fears of patients, their families, and communities seriously—and why medical work can only succeed if the local population gains confidence in it.

She also provides insights into the day-to-day reality of an Ebola mission: constant hand sanitizing, taking temperatures, protective measures, and the challenge of fostering a sense of closeness when physical distancing is essential for survival.

During the live podcast, you can ask any questions that are on your mind. We look forward to exchanging ideas with you.

Speakers and Moderator:

Host: Anna Dushime was born in Kigali, attended school in England, earned her high school diploma in the Lower Rhine region, and studied in the Netherlands. As a columnist, she wrote regularly for the taz from 2019 to 2022 on dating, racism, and everything in between. She has worked as an author, host, and editor-in-chief for, among others, the award-winning satirical show *Browser Ballett*. Her show *The Last Drink with Anna Dushime* won the Grimme Prize in the “Entertainment” category in 2024. Her book *1,000 Last Dates—How I Searched for Love and Found Something Better* was published by KiWi in October 2025 and became a *SPIEGEL* bestseller. 

Co-host: Christian Katzer has worked for Doctors Without Borders since 1999 and has served as the organization’s managing director in Germany since 2020. Shortly after completing his engineering degree in Berlin, he went on his first mission to Liberia. This was followed by missions in Afghanistan, Somalia, and East Timor, among other places. He has also held various positions at the organization’s Berlin office, including head of human resources and head of the project department, which focuses on Yemen, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Chad, and Eswatini.

Guest: TheresaBerthold is a project manager specializing in digitalization projects and emergency planning in hospitals. Her first assignment with Doctors Without Borders was in 2014 during an Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, where she served as a human resources manager. Since then, she has worked on numerous projects with Doctors Without Borders, including in Afghanistan, Nigeria, Syria, Chad, and Yemen. Most recently, she coordinated an emergency response program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to contain the Ebola outbreak. She has also been a member of the board of Doctors Without Borders e.V. since 2021.