Gilbert Mundela, left, shown with President Felix Tshisekedi. Photo: Gilbert Mundela Foundation.
Today, March 28, 2020, would have been the 66th birthday of Gilbert Mundela Tshimanga. We take this occasion, as members of the Mundela family, to announce the establishment of The Mundela Foundation in his honor. While the Foundation will be formally launched later in the year, today marks its official “birth.”
As its first act, the Foundation will launch, in collaboration with various stakeholders, a global campaign to provide school uniforms, shoes, and books to support the free universal primary school education in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a cause that Gilbert Mundela so passionately supported.
Mission: The mission of The Mundela Foundation is to continue the legacy of Gilbert Mundela by promoting several core principles and causes that were very dear to him: youth education, democratic leadership, entrepreneurship, Pan-Africanism, and a geo-strategic alliance with the United States.
As part of its strategy, the Foundation will develop the following programs, in addition to the global campaign announced above:
• A Pan-African Youth Leadership Academy to promote democratic leadership in the 21st century.
• DRC Entrepreneurship Center to promote Congolese businesses and high-tech start-ups.
• US-Congo investment club and cultural exchange to promote a closer economic and strategic.
alliance between the US and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A life of Service and Conviction: Gilbert Mundela was a man of great conviction, action, persistence, principle, and unwavering faith. He was, for over two decades, the preeminent representative of the UDPS (Union for Democracy and Social Progress) in the United States under the leadership of Etienne Tshisekedi wa Mulumba.
Working under severe challenges and deprivations, he remained loyal to his political ideal—the birth of a democratic Congo. His relentless, heroic, and decades-long fight for democracy in the Congo paved the way for the DRC’s historic first-ever peaceful transfer of power in January 2019.
Gilbert was passionate about the future of Congo. He had an ambitious vision of a DRC that was united, strong, and sovereign, where every Congolese citizen was an active and respected actor, and where Congo assumed her natural place as a leader in Africa, contributing to the economic growth, modernization, and integration of the continent. As a committed Pan-Africanist, Gilbert believed that Africa, with her immense wealth of natural resources and human capital, should claim the 21st century.
On December 27th, 2019, Gilbert Mundela tragically suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away in Nairobi, Kenya, while on official mission representing President Felix Tshisekedi.
Stay Connected: Gilbert had an ambitious vision for a DRC that is united, strong, and sovereign, where each Congolese citizen is an active and respected actor both locally and on a national scale. His dream for a prosperous and democratic Congo and Africa will live on through the Foundation.
We invite you to join us in our cause and help us pay tribute to our dear Gilbert Mundela.
If you would like more information about the Foundation, please contact:
Chris Mundela (primary contact): [email protected] ; +1 301 250-0414
Caroline Mundela: [email protected] ; +1 301 529-2273
Laurent Mundela: [email protected] ; +1 301 529-2262
Feel free to check out our website periodically for more information: www.mundelafoundation.org
