DRC humanitarian wins prestigious prize

Julienne Lusenge, who has spent 40 years helping victims of wartime sexual violence in the DRC, has been awarded Armenia’s $1m Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity. The annual award recognises the extraordinary humanitarian work of individuals around the world and the impact of their actions. Noubar Afeyam, one of the three co-founders of the award described it as ‘a gift from the Armenian community to the world’. ‘This prize is very important for all Congolese people, Congolese women and Congolese girls because now we will have enough money to support them,’ Lusenge said. Radio France Internationale reports that the other finalists were: Grégoire Ahongbonon, who helps mentally ill patients in West Africa; Ruby Alba Castaño, a Colombian activist who protects the rights of peasants; Ashwaq Moharram, a Yemeni physician who provides life-saving support to starving people; and Paul Farmer, an American medical anthropologist and physician. The award was launched in 2015 on the centennial of the Armenian genocide to honour the victims.