TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF
CITY OF JOY
OPENING CEREMONY
Ten years ago on February 5 , hundreds of people - local Congolese , dignitaries , activists and supporters from across the globe - gathered in Bukavu to celebrate the opening of the City Of Joy , a revolutionary leadership center for women survivors of gender violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo , co-founded by Christine Schuler Deschryver ( City of Joy Director and Director of V-Day Congo ), Dr . Denis Mukwege ( Nobel Laureate and Founder of the Panzi Hospital ), and V ( formerly Eve Ensler , Founder of V-Day and One Billion Rising , playwright and activist ).
It was joyous . Filled with laughter . Brimming with hope .
Ten years later , the City of Joy is thriving , with a network of over 1500 women graduates who are transforming the very fabric of Congolese society and inspiring women everywhere . Designed by Congolese survivors , it is a place where women turn their pain into power . A place that restores women ’ s sense of agency over their lives as they learn real , practical life skills to feed their futures , and connects them to the global V-Day movement , one billion strong . From the return of warmth and joy into women ’ s lives , to a reconnection to their bodies , to the feeling of empowerment each woman feels when she masters a new skill or acquires life-changing knowledge , the City of Joy gives women a platform to transform their pasts into fuel for a revolution of the mind , body , and community .
A woman who comes through the City of Joy is forever changed by it . She laughs more , she leads more , she gives more . 10 years of joy and counting ... With gratitude for everyone who made the vision of City of Joy a reality , who have been the wind at our backs . It means the world to us .