Alexis Mwanza Kabongo, MD

Sponsoring Rotary District: 7710

Future plans: “After my graduation, I would like to use the skills I will acquire to work with people in need to improve their health system; hopefully this improvement will have a positive impact on peace and development.”

Alexis graduated in 2009 from medical school and started working without a salary in a general hospital treating displaced people. When he was in medical school, he volunteered at a prison treating prisoners, and worked with police officers.

When he was 17, his family was chased from their home because they were not native from the south. He travelled with his mom and 9 siblings on top of a merchandise train. His inspiration to help people in need comes from that hard experience. He saw Doctors Without Borders and Red Cross taking care of them while living in refugee camps. There are a lot of people all over the world seeking for health and peace, and he was once one of those people.

After, Alexis worked as a provincial coordinator for a malaria project. In the DRC, malaria is the first cause of morbidity and mortality, mostly among children under 5 and pregnant women. Then, he moved to the national level and worked with UCLA as a field research director in an Ebola project, and then as a Technical Adviser for drug control. Throughout his career, he developed good negotiation skills and that became his strength.