Marcel Cirhuza

Founder and Executive Director, Fountain of Hope

Democratic Republic of Congo

Marcel Cirhuza is the founder and executive director of Fountain of Hope, which works to alleviate poverty in Malawi’s refugee community through agriculture, health and sanitation, sustainability, education, literacy, gender equality, and financial initiatives. Under his direction, the Foundation of Hope educates preschool-aged children, provides startup funding to women in business and entrepreneurship, and supplies water to hundreds of refugee households. The organization’s food security initiative also assists farmers by providing them with agribusiness, nutrition, and economic training. Before fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo due to ongoing conflict, Marcel led community-based initiatives in the country that focused on livelihood support for women and children. Marcel credits the resilience he built during his time in Malawi’s Dzaleka refugee camp as the driving force behind his leadership today.