IMA’s Yvette Mulongo Honored by Americans for UNFPA

 

Emily Esworthy/IMA

IMA World Health is proud to be celebrating Yvette Mulongo and her 20-year career in health programming in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Yvette is visiting the U.S. from February 27 to March 19, during which time she accepted an honor from Americans for UNFPA, the official U.S. support organization for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), at a dinner on Thursday, March 3 at The Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco.

She also received a grant from Americans for UNFPA and traveled with the organization to Minneapolis on March 1 and Seattle on March 8 to speak about the fundamental importance of educating and empowering women globally.

Yvette is being recognized for her dedication and commitment to women's and girls' rights in a country that has a legacy of violence against women. Activist groups often refer to the DRC as the "ground zero of rape." With over 20 years of experience implementing health programming including family planning, reproductive health, and SGBV in the DRC, Yvette currently manages the implementation of a privately-funded maternal and child health program with IMA and is the former Project Manager and Family Planning Coordinator for the USAID-funded Project AXxes.

"Yvette Mulango is an amazing asset to IMA World Health and to the women of DR Congo," said Rick Santos, President and CEO of IMA World Health. "In the past four years, her work to defend women's rights, prevent sexual and gender based violence and promote family planning through the USAID-funded Project AXxes helped nearly 850,000 Congolese women have more control over their lives and their health. In addition, her work through the Maternal Assistance Program in some of the remotest areas has provided much-needed antenatal care and empowered thousands of women to become literate and to use their voices against violence and inequity in their homes and communities. Yvette gives women and their daughters hope for the future. This work is absolutely critical to supporting women's health in DR Congo, where conditions have been desperate for so long."

During her visit to the U.S., Yvette will also be participating in a number of SGBV panels and events to raise awareness for the cause, including a panel presentation in Washington DC on March 14 with IMA and InterAction called Change is Possible: SGBV in DR Congo.