# Fally Ipupa Foundation

The Fally Ipupa Foundation (French: Fondation Fally Ipupa; FFI) is a non-profit organization established in 2013 by Congolese singer-songwriter Fally Ipupa. It aims to provide assistance to various marginalized groups in need in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including victims of sexual violence, diseases, as well as orphans.

## History and activities

Fally Ipupa founded the Fally Ipupa Foundation in June 2013, shortly after rehabilitating his former school, St. Jean-Baptiste in Kinshasa, and providing it with 100 equipped desks. Following its establishment, he then announced to Radio Okapi his strategy to procure funds for the foundation through concerts and other socio-cultural events.

### Early and later initiatives

On 14 October 2014, the FFI dispatched a medical ambulance to the General Hospital of Goma. The foundation also distributed clothes and shoes to the victims embroiled in the Kivu conflicts in Goma. In October 2016, the Fally Ipupa Foundation launched the "Mayi Na Kisenso" initiative (denoting water for all) in Kinshasa to supply drinking water to the urban-rural commune of Kisenso. The project began on 6 October, with the planning of the roads and land where the water supply point was erected. In June 2018, during the resurgence of the Ebola epidemic in the eastern region of the DRC, the FFI launched a fundraising campaign and partnered with the humanitarian response led by the Congolese government and its health partners to help those in need.

#### Community support during crisis

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fally Ipupa Foundation launched a fundraising campaign to help vulnerable and destitute people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Within a few days of its launch, the campaign collected over $10,000 in cash and tons of in-kind donations. The FFI also received a generous donation of 1,000 bags of rice. After the final collection, the FFI entrusted the Catholic Church with distributing all the donations collected, mainly through orphanages, homes for older adults, and other places. On 18 June 2020, the Fally Ipupa Foundation presented a check for €20,000 and 2,500 anti-COVID masks to the Panzi Foundation of Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege through its clinic in Kinshasa.

#### Maternal healthcare support

On 17 May 2021, the FFI visited women giving birth at the Maternité de Kintambo hospital building located in Kinshasa's Kintambo commune and the CBCO (Communauté Baptiste Du Congo) hospital in the Bandalungwa commune. Due to the financial crisis that had prevented some births for several months, the Fally Ipupa Foundation paid the bills for around thirty mothers.

#### Military assistance

On 13 June 2022, the Fally Ipupa Foundation provided assistance to the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), who are currently engaged in combat against the Rwandan-backed rebel military group M23. The FFI brought food and non-food items, including rice, canned goods, and bottled water, to support the FARDC's efforts.

#### Humanitarian aid and school development

In August 2024, Fally Ipupa visited a refugee camp situated 30 km from Goma, sheltering people who had escaped the ongoing Rwandan-backed M23 assault in North Kivu. The foundation donated essentials including food, clothing, school supplies, and other necessary products, and oversaw the development of a school for the region's victims, with plans to name it after Y'a Nenet Anangi in honor of his friendship.