Solange Lwashiga Furaha is a human and women's rights activist from the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

, and the executive secretary of the South Kivu Congolese Women's Caucus for Peace (Caucus des Femmes Congolaises du Sud-Kivu pour la Paix).

Early life

Solange Lwashiga Furaha was educated at L'Institut supérieur pédagogique de Bukavu, a teacher training college in Bukavu, from where she earned a bachelor's degree in pedagogy in the Department of African Culture.

Career

Furaha was a secondary school teacher for over ten years, before she became a member of the South Kivu Congolese Women's Caucus for Peace (''Caucus des Femmes Congolaises du Sud-Kivu pour la Paix)''. The organisation has been one of International Alert's DRC partners since 2003. Furaha is now the executive secretary of the South Kivu Congolese Women's Caucus for Peace. In her role as an active member of the International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence, Furaha attended 2013's

African Union Summit African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

and demanded action from the Congolese government to stop rape in conflict. She remains involved in urging African leaders to focus on dealing with violence against women in the Congo. In February 2014, Furaha took part in ''Beauty in the Middle: Women of Congo Speak Out'', when the International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict travelled to the east of her country with photographer Pete Muller and the filmmakers Jon Bougher and Kohl Threlkeld, to record the women working in the grassroots of activism. Furaha is the national contact point for Rien sans les femmes, a coalition of Congolese women's rights organisations. Furaha believes that only by ensuring that women are included in all peace talks, will DR Congo ever find peace.

Personal life

Furaha lives in the city of Bukavu, in the

South Kivu South Kivu (''Jimbo la Kivu Kusini'' in Swahili), (french: Sud-Kivu) is one of 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its capital is Bukavu. History South Kivu Province was created from Sud-Kivu District in 1989, when the exis ...

province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

References

Living people People from Bukavu Democratic Republic of the Congo feminists Year of birth missing (living people) {{DRCongo-bio-stub