Raising half a million Euros for the ‘World’s Strongest Women’ in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Wax fabric maker Vlisco created a collection of cloth honouring women of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who’ve been raped as an act of war.

Rather than focussing on their past, we wanted to show how they’ve turned their pain to power by being part of a community called the City of Joy.

5 of Africa’s leading female fashion designers created clothes for the campaign, which the women wore at runway shows in Bukavu and Kinshasa. The collection raised €500,000 which went towards the women’s further education.

Photography by Atong Atem, Esther Nsapu.

Fashion design by Tolu Coker, Bubu Ogisi, Abiola Olusola, Aisha Ayensu and Rebecca Zoro.

Featured in National Geographic, Sky News, Metro, Forbes Africa and The Sunday Times Magazine.