At a time when the world can seem overwhelmed by conflict, disease and indifference, the efforts of humanitarian media producer Firdaus Kharas restore a little faith in humanity.
From his small home office in Ottawa, Canada, Kharas is working tirelessly to help stop the spread of Ebola in Africa. He is not selling a product, seeking a commercial return or protecting his work behind copyright restrictions.
Instead, he is making his Ebola prevention videos available completely free of charge, so that health authorities, community organizations, religious leaders, broadcasters and ordinary citizens can download, translate, broadcast and share them wherever they are needed.
It is an extraordinary example of one person using creativity and communication in the service of others. Through Chocolate Moose Media, the humanitarian organization he founded more than 30 years ago, Kharas has created four animated videos addressing some of the most important aspects of Ebola: containment and prevention, the rejection of stigma, and safe and dignified funerals.
His newest video focuses on safe funerals, one of the most difficult and sensitive issues in an Ebola outbreak. Burial traditions are deeply rooted in faith, family, and culture. Yet direct contact with the body of someone who has died from Ebola can place mourners and entire communities at grave risk.
Rather than condemning local customs or speaking down to communities, Kharas’s animation seeks to explain the danger respectfully. It recognizes the importance of grief, dignity, religion and tradition while showing how families can protect themselves and still honour those who have died.
This approach is central to Kharas’ work. He does not simply translate words from one language into another. He tries to communicate in ways that people can understand, remember and act upon.
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His Ebola videos are available in French, English and numerous African languages, including Alur, Hema, Iteso, Lendu, Lingala, Luganda, Lugbara, Nande and Swahili. This linguistic reach is essential. Life-saving information is far more effective when people receive it in the languages they use in their homes, churches, mosques, markets and communities.
The videos are also short, animated and easy to distribute. They can be shown on television, shared through mobile phones and social media, projected during community gatherings or used by health workers and religious leaders. Even the audio tracks can be broadcast over radio in places where internet access is limited.
Kharas understands that medical treatment alone cannot stop Ebola. Communities must know how the virus spreads, how to protect themselves, why suspected cases must be reported quickly and why safe burial practices are necessary. Fear, misinformation and distrust can spread as rapidly as the virus itself.
Public education is therefore not an optional addition to an Ebola response. It is one of its most important tools. Kharas brings considerable experience to this challenge. During the West African Ebola outbreak, his earlier animations were used and distributed by organizations including UNICEF and Catholic Relief Services.
The videos were broadcast on national television in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Togo, reaching millions of people. A version posted by the foundation of former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo reportedly received more than 400,000 views within hours.
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Catholic Relief Services also developed a facilitator’s guide to help community educators use the animations as part of structured discussions about Ebola prevention. Today, Kharas is once again encouraging governments, humanitarian organizations, broadcasters, faith leaders and community networks to put these resources into active use.
International Red Cross representatives have indicated that the material can be used in community mobile-cinema activities. Radio stations are broadcasting the audio tracks, and individuals and organizations across Africa and beyond are helping circulate the videos.
The strength of this effort lies partly in its openness. There are no licensing negotiations, payment requirements, or lengthy permission processes. The materials are available to everyone.
This generosity is not new.
For decades, Kharas has created animated campaigns dealing with HIV/AIDS, malaria, domestic violence, children’s rights, refugee protection, sexual violence, racism and many other urgent social issues. His productions have been used in almost every country and territory in the world.
One of the strongest supporters of his work was the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Tutu supported Kharas’ pioneering HIV/AIDS prevention program, The Three Amigos, and described it as an “outstanding contribution.” The animated campaign used humour and memorable characters to communicate directly about HIV prevention, helping to break through embarrassment, stigma and silence.
If Archbishop Tutu were alive today, he might well say the same about Kharas’ Ebola videos.
Like The Three Amigos, the Ebola animations combine compassion, cultural sensitivity and practical information. They are designed not merely to be watched, but to change behaviour and save lives.
Kharas does not claim that a video can replace doctors, nurses, vaccines, laboratories or treatment centres. His point is that even the best medical response will struggle if people do not understand what is happening or do not trust the information they receive.
A vaccine can protect the person who receives it. Accurate communication can influence the behaviour of an entire community.
That is why these videos matter.
They explain frightening and complicated subjects simply. They reach people who may not be reached by official reports or technical health documents. They can help parents protect their children, religious leaders guide their congregations, and families make safer decisions during moments of grief and uncertainty.
Kharas’ current Ebola initiative is therefore more than a collection of animations. It is a reminder that creativity can be an instrument of public health, that information can be a form of prevention, and that one committed individual can still make a meaningful difference.
In a world where so much valuable knowledge is restricted, commercialized, or inaccessible, Firdaus Kharas has chosen another path: create the best material possible, translate it into the languages people speak, and give it away freely.
That choice may help prevent infections. It may help communities understand the danger. It may help families protect one another, and, at a difficult moment, it restores a little faith in humanity.
Here is one of the videos in English: https://vimeo.com/showcase/12289587?video=108622398
All his videos on Ebola are available here in multiple languages: https://vimeo.com/showcase/12289587.
Official website of Firdaus Kharas: https://chocmoose.com/
Short Biography of Firdaus Kharas
Firdaus Kharas is an award‑winning Canadian filmmaker, humanitarian communicator, and global advocate for public health education.
“Firdaus Kharas is widely known for his public‑health animations used by global institutions. Whether one fully agrees with his methods or not, his work has influenced communication strategies during crises such as Ebola.”
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His work gained international recognition during major health crises, including Ebola, Zika, and COVID‑19, where his culturally adaptable animations helped communities with low literacy understand life‑saving information.
Through his studio, Chocolate Moose Media, Kharas continues to create powerful educational tools that promote empathy, safety, and global cooperation. His mission is simple yet profound: to use creativity as a force for humanity.
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