OSLO, Norway – The University of Oslo Human Rights Award 2020 goes to the Congolese agronomist Marcelline Budza. Mrs. Budza is awarded the prize for her work in securing women’s financial rights and increasing their participation in society through the coffee cooperative Rebuild Women’s Hope. The award marks the start of this year’s Oslo Peace Days. “Marcelline Budza works actively to secure women’s rights in a society marked by conflict and oppression. Since the inception of the cooperative in 2013, more than 5,000 women have had a better life due to her courage and hard work. It is a great pleasure to congratulate Mrs. Budza on receiving UiO’s Human Rights Award,” said the Rector of UiO, Svein Stølen.
Rebuild Women’s Hope (RWH) is an initiative that ensures financial independence and security for women in eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The women receive training and the opportunity to become financially self-reliant coffee producers.
“In addition to enabling women to take control of their own lives, Mrs. Budza works to provide clean water and health services. We know this is crucial for both women’s and children’s health, and her commitment creates enormous positive ripple effects,” said Stølen.
Marcelline is a trained agronomist, and she herself experienced how her mother as a single parent had to struggle to ensure necessary livelihood for the family.
“Mrs. Budza is a young and brave woman who is well known for her work to defend human rights and to ensure women’s security in a country that for a long time has been marked by civil war, corruption and violations of women’s rights. She is a very worthy prize winner, and we wish her good luck with her important work,” said Vice-Rector and chair of the prize committee, Gro Bjørnerud Mo.
About the University of Oslo Human Rights Award
The prize is awarded annually in recognition of great personal efforts and active involvement towards furthering human rights in a broader sense of the concept. The awardee receives 10,000 euros and a lithograph by Frans Widerberg.
UiO’s Human Rights Award has been established through the Lisl and Leo Eitinger’s Fund. Leo Eitinger was a Norwegian-Jewish humanist, doctor and professor of psychiatry at the University of Oslo. Together with his wife, he established the Lisl and Leo Eitinger Fund in 1984. The Human Rights Award was first awarded in 1986 to Elie Wiesel.
About Oslo Peace Days
The City of Oslo, the Nobel Peace Center, the Norwegian Nobel Institute, the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and the University of Oslo work with peace and human rights issues in various ways. Together we have established Oslo Peace Days to show Oslo’s credentials as an international city of peace, and to create an arena where the population of Oslo can learn about and discuss issues related to peace, democracy, and human rights.
