Global Leadership Awards
Raised in Congo’s Maniema province, Marceline Kongolo-Bice grew up surrounded by war. At age 13, she was ordered by the militia to marry a local commandant. Her brave refusal landed Marceline and her family in prison. They eventually fled Maniema for Kisangani, losing Marceline’s father and older brother to militia gunfire along the way.
As danger chased her from one town to the next, Marceline witnessed the rampant rape and massacre of women in wherever she went. Survival required luck, and an inner strength so extraordinary for a teenage girl.
After settling in Fizi, in southern Congo, Marceline founded SOS Femmes en Dangers, a grassroots NGO that aids rape victims. The organization educates female survivors of violence on their rights, building back the confidence they need to reconnect with their families and communities.
Learn more about SOS Femmes en Dangers — since its founding it has transformed the lives of close to 1,000 women and girls through financial support, human rights education and formal schooling.