“Ignorance Is Not Bliss”: Young Volunteers Go Online to Bust Coronavirus Myths

The world has been facing a flood of false information surrounding COVID-19. To help stem the spread of the virus, a team of young volunteers in Zimbabwe are using social media to separate fact from fiction.

“There is a common saying that ‘ignorance is bliss’. Well, in this instance, ignorance is not bliss, if anything ignorance is death,” explains Bridget Mutsinze, a volunteer in the nation’s capital, Harare, adding, “It feels like a breakthrough when people respond to our efforts and make lifestyle changes to combat the virus.”

The team of volunteers, working with the Voluntary Service Overseas charity against what the World Health Organization describes as an “infodemic“, are creating memes and humorous videos and turning to Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook and radio to spread the truth and fish out any COVID-19 misinformation they find.