Congo Initiative Founder and President of the Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo (UCBC / Christian Bilingual University of Congo) Dr. David M. Kasali has been awarded Scholar Leader of the Year for 2014 by ScholarLeaders International. This distinguished award was given “in recognition and celebration of [Dr. Kasali’s] outstanding achievements and contributions, and to provide him a new platform to share from his experience.”
The award was presented at the annual Great Lakes Initiative (GLI) gathering in Uganda, which is hosted by the Center for Reconciliation at Duke Divinity School. Over 100 African leaders of universities, church denominations, and non-governmental organizations gather every year as part of the GLI to participate in a week of reflection, prayer, and mutual encouragement. In his remarks, ScholarLeaders Vice President Evan Hunter noted that, “David is a man of great vision. Where others saw limitation, challenge, and hopelessness, David and [his wife] Kaswera returned to Congo, called by God with a vision of hope.”
Two-time Academy Award winner and Congo advocate Ben Affleck, introduced Dr. Kasali at the 2013 Clinton Global Initiative annual gathering with the following:
There are very few of us here today who would wake up one morning and say, ‘I am going to start a university in a war torn area.’ [Yet], this is what Dr. Kasali did. It is the audacity and fearlessness of Congolese men and women like Dr. Kasali that inspired the genesis of ECI (Eastern Congo Initiative). UCBC is one of our strongest partners and we are absolutely delighted that Dr. Kasali can be here today to join us.
After completing his Ph.D at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Dr. Kasali served for 8 years as Vice Chancellor of Africa International University. In response to a devastating war that claimed the lives of an estimated 5 million people in his native Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Dr. Kasali founded Congo Initiative (CI) in 2005, whose mission is to “train and develop strong, indigenous Christian leaders to transform their communities and their nation of the Democratic Republic of Congo.” To learn more about how you can respond to Dr. Kasali’s vision, click here.
