LOUISE KANZA

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, SOUTH AFRICA, 29

Project: Fugee Assist - Walé Project
Pronouns: She/Her

Motivated by her lived experiences, Louise advocates for feminist and refugee rights through civic engagement from a Pan-African perspective. Post-partum depression in Black women often goes undiagnosed and untreated due to systematic racism, negligence and racial disproportionality and disparity in maternal health care. Walé seeks to advocate and provide support for mainly refugee and internally displaced mothers who have little to no mental health support. 

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What new perspectives does Fujee Assist and the Walé Project offer? 

Our work seeks to interrogate the root causes. It is not a mere coincidence that Black women and people are dying during birth, it is not just another unfortunate event that Black women and people’s maternal mental health is not taken seriously. It is rooted in injustice and racism and needs to be seen as such. As youth, we have to tackle these issues. Maternal health has always been seen as an issue to be tackled by older women but we need to speak for young mothers, too. 

“Black people cannot continue to do all the heavy labor in the quest to be seen, heard, recognized and humanized. It needs to be a global effort.”

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