Support Mapenzi’s WASH & Women’s Empowerment Work in the DRC

Mapenzi Kinege is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hello, my name is Mapenzi,

I’m currently doing my Master’s in Global Health at the University of Washington. I was born in Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and spent much of my early life in the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Tanzania. Growing up, I saw how lack of access to clean water, safe toilets, and menstrual hygiene wasn’t just a health issue—it was a barrier to education, dignity, and hope, especially for women and girls.

That experience is what drives me today.

This summer, I will return to the DRC to lead a community-based water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) project in collaboration with the University of Lubumbashi. I’ll be working alongside local leaders to better understand the WASH challenges facing women in underserved communities—and to co-create solutions that are practical, sustainable, and rooted in local knowledge.

But I’m not doing this alone. I’m doing it through Uwezo Soap

Uwezo, which means "ability" or "power" in Swahili, is a social enterprise I co-founded to advance health equity through soap-making. We believe that access to hygiene is a basic human right—and that women should be at the center of that change.

This fundraiser will directly support the integration of Uwezo Soap into the field project. We’ll be:

Providing WASH education tailored to women’s needs
Hosting soap-making workshops using local, sustainable materials
Equipping women with the tools to produce and distribute soap in their own communities
Building community-led solutions that address both health and economic needs

Why this work matters

In the DRC, over 35 million people don’t have clean drinking water, and more than 50 million lack basic sanitation. Many young girls miss school because there’s no private place to manage menstruation. Waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid remain widespread, especially in low-income areas.

When women are empowered with the tools to improve hygiene—not just in their homes but in their communities—they become powerful agents of change. Uwezo Soap is not only about soap. It’s about possibility.

Where your Donation Goes

Your generous support will go directly toward:

Purchasing raw materials and supplies for soap-making (locally sourced)
Producing community hygiene kits
Hosting women-led WASH education sessions
Supporting translation, transportation, and printing needs for local engagement
Strengthening partnerships between Uwezo Soap and local women’s networks

This is more than a practicum project. It’s part of my lifelong mission to create health equity by and for women. I know what it feels like to be left behind. That’s why I’m going back—not just to give back, but to build with others who’ve experienced the same struggle.

Whether you give $5 or $500, your donation makes a real difference. And if you can’t contribute financially, please consider sharing this with your community. Every act of support helps create a ripple of change.

Thank you so much for standing with me—and with the women of Lubumbashi.

with love and gratitude,

Mapenzi

www.uwezosoap.com