Julienne Lusenge: Top 10 Finalist for the Women Building Peace Award
More than 150 applications were received by the Institute for Peace in Washington DC, and after a careful selection process only 10 women were selected as finalists.
These 10 women are not only inspiring figures and extraordinary role models for collaboration, leadership, courage, and commitment, but they have also persevered in some of the most difficult of circumstances.
The Women Building Peace Award “encourages women who are building peace around the world and inspiring future generations,” the organizers said. They said the recognition builds on 10 years of work by the U.S. Institute for Peace to empower women and support their roles in peace processes at the national and local levels.
As the only woman in the Democratic Republic of Congo to become a finalist, Ms. Julienne Lusenge, Executive Director of Fund for Congolese Women (FFC), believes that this award is the result of the efforts of the entire staff from FFC and SOFEPADI (the two organizations she co-founded), as well as of the multitudes of Congolese women, survivors of sexual violence, and those who are fighting day and night for the restoration of peace in the DRC.
Her supporters believe, however, that Julienne embodies women’s leadership and deserves this recognition for her 40-year involvement in the fight for peace and the promotion of gender equality-a journey of personal activism. Her supporters are continually proud of her for all the initiatives undertaken to promote women’s rights and peace in the DRC.
