Colleague of Nobel Peace Prize winner to give closing plenary at IFC
Howard Lake | 5 October 2018 | News
The director of the foundation set up by one of the winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize will present the closing plenary at the International Fundraising Congress two weeks today.
Esther Dingemans is the Director of the Dr Denis Mukwege Foundation. Denis Mukwege, the Congolese gynaecologist who set up the foundation, was announced today as joint winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, together with Iraqi Yazidi activist Nadia Murad, for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.
Ms Dingemans will present the final session at the annual Congress in Holland, which is attended by around 1,000 fundraisers from over 65 countries around the world. The plenaries are delivered by inspiring changemakers and activists, and this year’s Congress theme is “Together We Can”.
BREAKING NEWS:
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2018 to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict. #NobelPrize #NobelPeacePrize pic.twitter.com/LaICSbQXWM— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 5, 2018
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Kyla Shawyer, CEO of the Resource Alliance which creates the IFC event, told UK Fundraising: ‘Esther’s call to end the horror of sexual violence in conflict will be a timely and incredibly powerful moment. Her ethos and her championing of radical collaboration will have deep resonance for anyone who seeks new ways to create change in their fundraising, their changemaking and beyond.”
Dr Mukwege and his colleagues have treated an estimated 30,000 victims of rape and sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the BBC they have developed “great expertise in the treatment of serious injuries sustained during sex assaults that were carried out as a weapon of war.”
He has campaigned for many years against the use of rape as a weapon of war.
You can listen to a telephone interview with Dr Mukwege:
Nadia Murad
Nadia Murad was tortured and raped by Islamic State militants in 2014 when they overran northern Iraq and began a campaign of genocide against the Yazidi people. She managed to escape after three months and campaigned for the freedom of the Yazidi people and against the use of rape as a weapon of war.
I met Nadia Murad just the day after she managed to escape from #Mosul. I told her we can film the interview anonymously but she refused, “No let the world see what happened to us” she said … She is now a noble peace prize winner. #Yazidi #Izadi #NadiaMurad pic.twitter.com/QMcvrH6UZB
— Nafiseh Kohnavard (@nafisehkBBC) October 5, 2018
Ms Murad said that she shared the award “with all Yazidis, with all the Iraqis, Kurds and all the minorities and all survivors of sexual violence around the world”.
Similarly Dr Mukwege dedicated his award to all women affected by sexual violence. He said: “This Nobel prize is a recognition of the suffering and the failure to adequately compensate women who are victims of rape and sexual violence in all countries around the world.”
You can listen to a telephone interview with Ms Murad:
Since 1901, the Nobel Peace Prize has been won by:
- 89 men
- 27 organisations (such as Amnesty International)
- 17 women
International Fundraising Congress
This year’s International Fundraising Congress takes place from 16-19 October and registration is still open.
Ms Dingeman’s plenary is expected to be followed by a call for, and opportunity for, “radical collaboration”.
On the impact of this year's Nobel Peace Prize: pic.twitter.com/wnu8ilAVHy
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 5, 2018
I'm so proud to be supporting their director Esther Dingemans with #IFCHolland closing plenary @TheResAlliance Just shed a tear that such amazing work is recognised. https://t.co/pLABfNVtAf
— Derek Humphries (@derekhumphries) October 5, 2018
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.