On Wednesday, June 3, 2015, Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium accompanied by Their Imperial and Royal Highnesses Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduchess and Archduke of Austria-Este presided over the 2015 Prix International Roi Baudouin pour le Développement en Afrique held at the Palais de Bruxelles.
The award honors outstanding contributions of individuals or organizations in the development field in Africa. The award also highlights the innovative initiatives which improve quality-of-life and empower local communities to take development into their own hands.
The winner of the 2015 Prix International Roi Baudouin pour le Développement en Afrique went to Mr. Deogratias Niyonkuru, founder of the organization ADISCO Burundi. The organization received the award for their:
“…work in encouraging entrepreneurship and creating cooperatives and health insurance societies federated at national level, so as to strengthen the financial autonomy of individuals and sustainably change the conditions of living together for the people of Burundi…”
Photo courtesy of Getty Images/E.Lalmand