I live in Uvira in South Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I work for an organisation called Solidarity Movement of Women’s Rights Activists (Solidarité des Femmes Activistes pour la Défense des Droits Humaines- SOFAD). We work through a grassroots network of over 600 women to end sexual violence and provide counseling to rape survivors. We train and mobilise women activists and scale up their participation in the protection and promotion of human rights, support the rehabilitation of victims of all forms of violence, and fight against proliferation of light weapons in all countries of the Great Lakes and in East Africa broadly. During war and armed conflict women and girls are subjected to all manner of violence committed against them. For this reason my organisation we ensure that women are the direct beneficiaries of our interventions. We have organised women into peace clubs in our various residential areas with the hope that this network of groups will develop into a strong grassroots feminist movement. We also focus on empowering women to participate in peace and other political processes of their countries, and to use communication technologies to engage with the media and do advocacy. I call myself a feminist because I vigorously fight in defence of rights for all women, irrespective of their race, political or religious affiliation. In over a quarter of a century of activism I have faced all manners of threats to my life and person from armed groups and others. However, I believe that this fight must continue, and I am willing to keep struggling. I was humbled that my work was recognised in 2007 when I was awarded a Frontline Human Rights Defender award. Feminists often work in very stressful contexts, which affects their own well-being as activists. We are often put under scrutiny by our governments or by people in our communities. This can have physical and psychological consequences for us as activists. When we talk about sustainability of women’s organisations who have been affected by war, it is necessary to highlight the psychological problems caused by the threat of death, the disruption of your organisation’s plans, and the loss of self esteem that can result from witnessing violence and despair. We urgently need to address the well-being of feminists in Africa. We also need to build and consolidate our economic power as the feminist movement. Reflecting on my many years as an activist, I remain inspired by women’s commitment all over the world, and by the initiatives of the members of the peace clubs to strengthen the feminist movement in my country