Our leadership

The 122 toll-free hotline : a non-discriminatory protection and referral mechanism for GBV survivors.

Program Manager, Ipas DRC

Dr. Mike Mpoyi is an experienced medical doctor and public health professional skilled in health system strengthening, project management, and implementation with a focus on reproductive health and infectious diseases. With over 13 years’s experience in strengthening access to healthcare in Africa, notably the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Uganda, and Burundi, Dr. Mike Mpoyi has focused his work on improving access to equitable sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), with focus on establishing youth-friendly pathways to services in stable and conflict zones for vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Mike Mpoyi is the current Senior Program Manager for Ipas in the DRC. He started his career as the Coordinator of Peer Educators in Reproductive Health for a youth health-centered national programme. In 2013, he became Area Physician Manager at Premium Health Limited before becoming Country Manager in 2014.

During three years, he provided clinical and managerial oversight, ensured accurate management of pharmaceuticals stock, managed the DRC country office and national network of 75 Premium Health clinics across the DRC. From 2016 he chaired the IPPF-DRC Provincial Board of Directors ; for two years, he led the strategic thinking on positioning the organization at the regional level. In that same year, he founded Access Care, a national non-profit health maintenance organization becoming the first Chief Executive Officer. Since 2020 he has been working as the Global Technical Advisor, at Ipas US.

The 122 toll-free hotline : a non-discriminatory protection and referral mechanism for GBV survivors.

Feb 18, 2026

Maputo Protocol

Gender-Based Violence

Abortion VCAT

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s accession to the Maputo Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa raised great hopes for millions of Congolese women and girls. The government has taken steps to transform this historic achievement into tangible services, accessible without stigma or rejection. The standards and guidelines for comprehensive, woman-centered abortion care, developed by the Ministry of Health through the National Health Program of reproduction with the support of Ipas DRC and civil society, mark a crucial stage in the implementation of the Protocol.

Despite these advances, the real effectiveness of the services remained uncertain. Contradictions between the Protocol and national legislation, persistent stigmatization and clients’ fear of arrest were holding back access. Ensuring safe and sustainable pathways to information adapted to the local context remained a major challenge.

It is in this context that Ipas DRC, in collaboration with the Coordination in charge of youth and the fight against gender-based violence gender-based violence within the Office of the President of the Republic, has strengthened the national hotline. This enables survivors to report sexual and gender-based violence, seek emergency assistance and benefit from specialized medical care. The extension of line 122 to the Kintambo and Makala Centers of Excellence now offers the possibility of being directly connected to a midwife or doctor, translating progressive laws into concrete services.

In its mission to protect and promote sexual and reproductive rights, Ipas DRC trained twelve call center agents in Kinshasa. Over a period of four days, they learned how to listen actively to ensure respectful care, how to communicate about the Maputo Protocol and safe abortion, how to refer without discrimination to medical, psychosocial and legal services, and how to clarify values and attitudes towards abortion. At the end of the training, the agents committed themselves to respecting sexual and reproductive rights and referring clients to centers of excellence.

With the support of the Swedish fund, Ipas DRC is supporting the expansion of line 122 in order to strengthen the accessibility of services for survivors, increase its use by communities and respond more effectively to the urgent needs of survivors of gender-based violence.

In response to the upsurge in violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Presidency and the Ministry of Gender, Family and Children have set up this free telephone hotline to report cases of sexual and domestic violence, exploitation and abuse in complete safety. Today, 122 is an essential mechanism for directing victims, witnesses or relatives to rapid and appropriate care. Its aim is to guarantee immediate and confidential access to survivors, facilitate their referral to the appropriate structures, and promote a coordinated and holistic response to victims’ needs.