Fonds pour les Femmes Congolaises

FFC was founded by our Executive Director, Julienne Lusenge, who has been a lifelong supporter, advocate and champion for womens' rights and peace restoration in the DRC. Originally from eastern DRC, Julienne began her career as a journalist at a community radio station in Bunia between 1979 to 1986, where she hosted cultural programs on issues reflecting the changing social aspects of people's lives, the role of women in public affairs, and peacebuilding. When conflict broke out, Julienne began hearing horrific stories and incidences of sexual violence against women. This motivated her, along with other women, to establish the Solidarity of Women for Peace and Integral Developmen... read more FFC was founded by our Executive Director, Julienne Lusenge, who has been a lifelong supporter, advocate and champion for womens' rights and peace restoration in the DRC. Originally from eastern DRC, Julienne began her career as a journalist at a community radio station in Bunia between 1979 to 1986, where she hosted cultural programs on issues reflecting the changing social aspects of people's lives, the role of women in public affairs, and peacebuilding. When conflict broke out, Julienne began hearing horrific stories and incidences of sexual violence against women. This motivated her, along with other women, to establish the Solidarity of Women for Peace and Integral Development (SOFEPADI) in 2001, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting all forms of sexual and gender-based violence by providing holistic care and support to survivors, as well as ensuring access to justice for both survivors and those vulnerable to any form of gender-based violence and abuse. Mrs. Lusenge coordinated the national campaign of Congolese women against acts of sexual violence, which was launched in November 2007 in Montreal, Canada. This campaign led to the creation of the Fund for Congolese Women (FFC) later that year, driven by the need for broader advocacy and support for women's rights. FFC's mission is to provide both technical and financial support to women-led grassroot organizations in the DRC, acting as a crucial bridge and proximate fund facility between Congolese women at the frontlines of socio-developmental change and national/international partners and donors. FFC is the first feminist national fund in the DRC and the second on the continent solely dedicated to supporting locally-led women's initiatives. We work across six overlapping pillars: women's economic empowerment, women's political leadership, conflict transformation, sexual and reproductive health, climate justice and environmental protection, and sexual and gender-based violence. So far, FFC has disbursed over $3M to support over 876 projects for women's rights organizations, 65% of which focus on women's leadership and participation in decision-making bodies.