USHINDI leader wins $1M faith-based humanitarian award

Lyn Lusi discusses the problem of Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in eastern DR Congo during a March 14 panel discussion in Washington, D.C.

IMA World Health/Laura Burkey

Each year, the Opus Prize awards an unsung hero in the faith-based humanitarian world. Those recognized are the tireless souls who work for the betterment of our brothers and sisters who live extremely different and difficult lives in a world distant from ours.

Lyn Lusi – the Chief of Party for the USHINDI program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo– was awarded the $1 million prize for her service in an area plagued with sexual violence and war. To read more about Lusi’s quiet but valiant works, visit http://www.opusprize.org/winners/11_Lusi.cfm.

In 2003, Lusi and her husband created the HEAL Africa Hospital in Goma to address the physical, social and spiritual needs of the Congolese people. The health center has performed more than 1,500 fistula repair surgeries, counseled more than 30,000 rape survivors, developed 31 Safe Houses, educated 90,000 community activists in HIV/AIDS prevention and much more.

Another area of Lusi’s work is with the USHINDI program, which means victory in Swahili. IMA World Health became a key partner in the USAID-funded program, which provides care to survivors of sexual- and gender-based violence in North and South Kivu where rape and abuse is more prevalent. Through USHINDI, more than 50,000 rape survivors have been cared for through psychosocial and legal counseling, as well as medical support.

The Opus Prize is comprised of a $1 million award and two $100,000 awards that are collectively one of the world’s largest faith-based, humanitarian awards for social innovation.