Promoting a culture of reading in the Democratic Republic of Congo
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ELFI MARTIAL
President
Elfi Kashori Martial is a 2019 Mandela Washington Fellow in civic leadership. He has over five years of experience in the community development sector, specifically focusing on peacebuilding, leadership, and youth empowerment. Elfi initiated a network called Empower People Network, which aims to create a supportive environment where women and men use their potential to make the world a better place. Elfi holds a degree in Business Management and has been trained on the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 by Folke Bernadotte Academy, a Swedish agency for peace, security, and development. Elfi is driven by his commitment to add value to others. He desires to create sustainable peace in his country and the Great Lakes region.
KISUMBA KAMUNGELE
Vice President
Kisumba is the Executive Director of Café Africa R.D.C. He had previously worked with his family coffee export business in eastern Congo, as well as directing an import business based in Kinshasa. Kisumba was educated in eastern Congo, in USA, Canada and Italy. An avid booklover, Kisumba believes in the capacity of reading to enlighten the human mind and bring positive transformation to the society.
Kamungele has over 10 years of experience in coffee procurement, processing, and exporting from the D.R. Congo. He has been involved in a variety of initiatives aiming to promote and revitalize the DR Congo Coffee Sector.
Kamungele joined the Books for Congo Board of Directors to bring his experience to the organization in order to encourage reading among the Congolese youth.
PASSY MUBALAMA
Treasurer
Ms. Passy Mubalama is a pro-democracy and women’s rights activist with experience in promoting women rights, democracy, human rights in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Her personal experiences reporting human rights violations from Goma’s camps for internally displaced people inspired her to found the Action and Development Initiative for the Protection of Women and Children affected by conflict (AIDPROFEN) in 2011. AIDPROFEN is a nonprofit organization that promotes women’s rights and political participation in the eastern region of DRC, and Passy currently serves as its Executive Director.
Passy has a degree in Management for Development, and a certificate in Human Rights and Gender issued by Equitas in Canada. She has received the Mandela Washington Fellowship from the Young African Leaders Initiative in 2018, the Reagan Fascell Democracy fellowship award in Washington DC in 2018, and she was selected as one of five changemakers by 11.11.11 in 2019;.
LAURA PARKER
Secretary
Laura has over twelve years experience working in the emergency aid and development sectors in Africa. She worked for the United Nations World Food Program in eastern Chad and DRC before joining the Howard G. Buffett Foundation where she worked to develop economic recovery programs in coordination with the Congolese government and wildlife authorities. She currently works as Head of Special Projects for Virunga National Park, Africa’s oldest national park and home to the world’s last remaining mountain gorillas.
