Solange Gasanganirwa
Solange was studying at the university in Bukavu, South Kivu, when international conflict forced her to become a refugee. She took her first job with the International Committee of the Red Cross, where she truly understood that she had to work for peace.
She finished her studies and worked for CARE until joining Pole Institute in 2010. Pole is a Congolese-based research group founded in 1997 that publishes about the economy, society, and conflicts in Eastern Congo.
Facts about Solange:
She initiated the Gender Department at Pole Institute. Her interest was in researching how training in small business management improved women’s ability to operate a business.
She is a consummate researcher, with a particular interest in how women in small businesses affect the Human Development Index.
Solange’s work at Pole Institute connected her with Modestine Etoy and Succeeding Together. They became friends and began working together.
She has been a refugee and knows from personal experience what it takes to transition out of a camp and start again. She was forced to flee three times and started over from nothing in a foreign place.