HRH Grand Duchess at Stand Speak Rise Up! forum in Luxembourg in March 2019; Credit: SSRU

Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, through her non-profit organisation Stand Speak Rise Up!, has made a donation to the Mukwege Foundation for the benefit of SEMA, the Global Network of Victims and Survivors to End Wartime Sexual Violence.

This financial contribution comes in light of the impact of COVID-19 on survivors of war rape and will allow members of the survivor community to fund projects to help them cope with the pandemic in countries where access to care and public health infrastructure are very fragile.

Many of these women, who were already victims of precariousness before the health crisis, are now suffering significant losses of income while food prices are soaring and the risk of famine is increasing, particularly in isolated regions.

The financial support made on behalf of Stand Speak Rise Up! will be shared equally between the nineteen networks that make up the SEMA (meaning "speak out" in Swahili) Network.

Anyone wishing to support these survivors can make a donation or offer a message of support at https://bit.ly/2JODSWS.