Fally Ipupa Foundation
The Fally Ipupa Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 2013 by Congolese singer-songwriter Fally Ipupa. It aims to provide assistance to various marginalized groups in need in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including victims of Sexual violence in the [Democratic Republic of the Congo|sexual violence], diseases, as well as orphans.
History and activities
Early work
Fally Ipupa founded the Fally Ipupa Foundation in June 2013, shortly after rehabilitating his former school, St. Jean-Baptiste in Kinshasa, and providing it with 100 equipped desks. Following its establishment, he then announced to Radio Okapi his strategy to procure funds for the foundation through concerts and other socio-cultural events. On 14 October 2014, the FFI dispatched a medical ambulance to the General Hospital of Goma. The foundation also distributed clothes and shoes to the victims embroiled in the Kivu conflicts in Goma. In October 2016, the Fally Ipupa Foundation launched the "Mayi Na Kisenso" initiative in Kinshasa to supply drinking water to the urban-rural commune of Kisenso. The project began on 6 October, with the planning of the roads and land where the water supply point was erected.Later initiatives
Community support during crisis
In June 2018, during the resurgence of the Ebola epidemic in the eastern region of the DRC, the FFI launched a fundraising campaign and partnered with the humanitarian response led by the Congolese government and its health partners to help those in need.During the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation launched a fundraising campaign to help vulnerable and destitute people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Within a few days of its launch, the campaign collected over $10,000 in cash and tons of in-kind donations. The FFI also received a generous donation of 1,000 bags of rice. After the final collection, the FFI entrusted the Catholic Church with distributing all the donations collected, mainly through orphanages, homes for older adults, and other places. On 18 June 2020, the Fally Ipupa Foundation presented a check for €20,000 and 2,500 anti-COVID masks to the Panzi Foundation of Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege through its clinic in Kinshasa.