When Kris died suddenly at the end of April 2023, it came as a great shock to everyone who knew him: his family, his friends, and the countless journalists, researchers and activists in Belgium but also in the Great Lakes region. His death was somehow reminiscent of that of Luc Nkulula, the founder of Lucha in Goma, one of Kris’ idols. Nkulula was murdered in his home. But his friends continued his work, otherwise they felt his death would have been pointless. This also got Katrien thinking. Kris’ work and his hopeful and courageous vision of the region also had to be passed on.
That is why she brought together a few people who knew Kris well: Koen, his brother, Ivan Godfroid, Hilde Baele and illustrator Jeroen Janssen. Ivan also introduced Loochi Muzaliwa, Kris’ companion in eastern Congo. Eventually, Katrien, Ivan, Koen and Loochi formed the founding committee. Their goal was simple: to support the young daredevils that Kris inspired. But setting up a fund is no easy task if you can't manage it full-time. That's why we went to the King Baudouin Foundation with our plans, and they were enthusiastically received.