Our history

Pillar for Active Vulnerable Women in Democratic Republic of Congo

PIFEVA is a non-profit organization (of Indigenous women) with legal personality by Ministerial Order No. 382/CAB/ME/MIN/J&GS/2026 of 6 October 2026, issued by the Minister of State, Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its mission is to support Indigenous women, vulnerable and marginalized women, and local communities in the fight against poverty and injustice in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. PIFEVA was founded on 4 June 2004 in Bukavu, South Kivu Province, in response to a particularly difficult context: recurring wars and mass population displacement; widespread poverty, malnutrition and hunger; the effects of climate change; violence against women and discrimination against Indigenous women and girls within communities; the spread of STIs and HIV/AIDS; and the exploitation of women and children in mining sites and their use by armed forces and groups. With more than twenty years of field experience, PIFEVA now works in five provinces of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo: South Kivu, North Kivu, Maniema, Ituri and Tanganyika.