Our leadership

Policy & Advocacy

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.

Policy and
Advocacy

Ipas has been strengthening the sustainable abortion ecosystem in the DRC, by engaging key political leaders on the path to improving access to safe abortion care. Ipas strengthened their capacities through the Values Clarification and Action for Transformation (VCAT) trainings, highlighting the impact of unsafe abortion on the lives of women and girls and their role in promoting women’s rights. This work has been done through several ministries, and despite political instability, Ipas has been able to support policy makers and work with champions within the government and parliament supporting advocacy initiatives and policies favoring women’s rights.

Ministers, Director of Cabinet of the President, Partners and Donors

Political Engagement

Ministry of Health

Development of progressive Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC) Standards and Guidelines
CAC training and management tools development including data collection tools
CAC and VCAT pool of trainers and the CAC working group set up

Ministry of Gender

Launch of the national campaign to promote the Maputo Protocol by the Minister of Gender
Leading advocacy actions within the government, at regional (African Union) and international (United Nations) level on the importance of domesticating the Maputo Protocol in the DRC and its contribution to reparations for survivors of sexual violence

Ministry of Human Rights

Advocating within the government to recognize abortion as a human right
Call to action for the decriminalization of abortion

Ministry of Youth

Advocating for youth friendly SRHR services, including abortion

The Parliament

Advocating for policies that advance abortion rights
Recruiting members of Parliament to champion progressive SRHR policies

Albert Fabrice Mpuela, DRC Minister of Human Rights

The Maputo Protocol is the first document ratified by the DRC that recognizes abortion under certain conditions as a human right for women, who can use this right without restriction or fear of any legal proceedings.

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H.E. Benoît-Pierre Laramée, Ambassador of Canada to the DRC

The full implementation of this [Maputo] protocol will strengthen the bodily autonomy of women, improve their well-being and socio-economic empowerment.

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Christelle VuangaMember of Parliament and President of the Permanent Commission on Gender

We can continue to hide behind harmful beliefs and restrictive laws; the truth is that denying women and girls access to SRH information and services do not prevent them from performing abortion. It forces them to use unsafe and dangerous methods.

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