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Panzi Foundation We are dedicated to providing compassionate, holistic care to survivors of sexual violence and support Dr. Denis Mukwege in his advocacy.

Panzi Hospital and Foundation is a center of excellence for survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Panzi provides survivors with compassionate, holistic care that includes medical treatment, psychosocial support, access to legal services, and socio-economic reintegration activities.

For more than three decades, our teams have been treating the consequences of an endless conflict in eastern Democratic ...
09/21/2026

For more than three decades, our teams have been treating the consequences of an endless conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Every stitching, every session of psychological support, every woman who bravely reclaimed her place within her community tells the same story: as long as sexual violence remains a weapon of war, peace will remain nothing but an empty promise.

In 2018, our Founder, Dr. Denis Mukwege, received the Nobel Peace Prize for his fight against sexual violence used as a weapon of war. This honor carried survivors' voices to the highest international bodies. It gave their suffering a visibility that so many others have never had. But recognition, however prestigious, heals no body and brings no justice unless followed by concrete action.

On this International Day of Peace, Panzi Foundation recalls a truth its history has made clear: peace is not merely the absence of the noise of weapons or clashes. It begins when the status quo of violence is challenged, especially that which reduces women's bodies to a battlefield.

It is time for this recognition to be matched by concrete action.

It is time for the commitments made to translate into real protection for civilians, justice for survivors, and lasting resources for those who support them every day.

As Dr. Mukwege stated, "it is time to recognize that genuine and lasting peace is impossible without justice and without the active participation of victims in the peace processes that concern them."

09/18/2026

Chef José Andrés and Dr. Denis Mukwege discuss humanitarian leadership and how sustained global attention to overlooked crises can contribute to shape resilience policies.

Congo's war has raged for 30 years and stayed largely invisible. Behind these figures are over 90, 000 survivors of sexu...
09/16/2026

Congo's war has raged for 30 years and stayed largely invisible.

Behind these figures are over 90, 000 survivors of sexual violence who arrived, every day, at Panzi Hospital, a center of excellence for women’s health in Bukavu, South Kivu.

On September 23, Panzi’s Founder Dr. Denis Mukwege Mukwege and NYT columnist Nicholas Kristof will reflect on what they have witnessed in the past three decades, addressing the roots of the crisis, its human toll, and why the world continues to look away.

Join us for this critical conversation at The Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College at 6:30pm, online or in person.

Register now: https://shorturl.at/3Qt43.

On this International Day of Democracy, Panzi Foundation reaffirms a decades-long conviction: no society can rebuild wit...
09/15/2026

On this International Day of Democracy, Panzi Foundation reaffirms a decades-long conviction: no society can rebuild without space for free speech, protection for those who speak, and respect for fundamental freedoms.

Beyond the ballot, democracy is also measured by how well a society protects human rights defenders who risk their freedom to speak out against injustice and safeguards every citizen's right to speak without fear.

For more than two decades, Dr. Denis Mukwege has lent his voice to survivors of sexual violence used as a weapon of war in eastern DRC. This commitment has earned him exceptional international recognition: more than 30 prizes and distinctions, including the Nobel Peace Prize (2018), the United Nations Human Rights Prize (2008), and the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize (2014). But these distinctions are only a reflection of a broader struggle: it is the survivors themselves, through their courage to speak out, who stand as the true testament to this fight for dignity, justice, and peace.

Over the years, we have supported more than 91,000 survivors and witnessed firsthand the damage that imposed silence produces.

Silence has never protected anyone. It has only allowed impunity to thrive.

For fifteen years, the Mulamba Hospital has served rural communities in Walungu, South Kivu, driven by one steady convic...
09/12/2026

For fifteen years, the Mulamba Hospital has served rural communities in Walungu, South Kivu, driven by one steady conviction: bringing quality care closer to those who need it most.

The One Stop Center has since then established itself as a nearby alternative to Panzi Hospital, accessible to survivors from rural territories, notably Kigulube-Shabunda, Mwendo-Mwenga, and the Ninja chiefdom collectivity, in Kabare territory. Rather than asking vulnerable women to travel long distances to access quality care, the hospital chose to bring care closer to those who needed it most.

Fifteen years after its inauguration, Mulamba Hospital remains true to its founding purpose and continues its mission as health and security challenges persist in eastern DRC.

In 2025, our teams cared for 292 survivors of sexual violence, provided psychosocial support to 570 beneficiaries, and assisted 744 childbirths under the best possible conditions.

Because dignity is not negotiable, and distance should never decide who has a right to care.

Discover its story: https://shorturl.at/pQ81z

A team from the Panzi Foundation's Socio-Economic Reintegration pillar traveled to Kinshasa from August 17 to 25, 2026 t...
09/05/2026

A team from the Panzi Foundation's Socio-Economic Reintegration pillar traveled to Kinshasa from August 17 to 25, 2026 to assess the progress of our programs supporting the empowerment of survivors, at our One Stop Center, the Panzi Kinshasa Clinic.

Among the delegation, were two former beneficiaries of our program, who now serve as a project assistant at the Foundation, and as treasurer of Bukavu's artisanal jewelry-making cooperative. Together, the two of them are a concrete embodiment of the impact of our support for women's empowerment.

Alongside this mission, our team held a working session with beneficiaries could of our Tujitegemeye Project, supported by Google, were able to share their experiences on metal transformation and setting, and on strengthening skills in precious stone cutting. These exchanges highlighted approaches to adding value to local resources, particularly through the production of jewelry and beads made from Congolese raw materials.

In parallel, our team also visited several neighborhoods of Kinshasa to meet with beneficiaries of another ongoing project supported by Avocats Sans Frontières, checking on the progress of their income-generating activities, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, and proposing sustainable solutions.

This enriching week helped strengthen ties between staff and beneficiaries, while also clarifying the path ahead for the coming months.

A medical and psychosocial team from Panzi Hospital traveled to the Mulira health center in Kamanyola, located 34 miles ...
09/05/2026

A medical and psychosocial team from Panzi Hospital traveled to the Mulira health center in Kamanyola, located 34 miles south of Bukavu, to deploy a free mobile clinic across three health areas, Mulira, Kalunga and Kaboya, spending ten days in each area.

Every morning, outreach sessions brought together dozens of women, men and children seeking care. Among them was Mireille (name changed), 34, a mother of three, suffering from chronic pain following a sexual assault:

"I had never dared to talk about it. But when I heard that Panzi was coming here to offer free care, I decided to come and try my chance," she says.

In the first five days, more than 250 consultations were carried out, 12 cases of sexual violence were identified, and several cases of prolapse were referred to Panzi Hospital in Bukavu.

"Every time we listen, every consultation, every referral is a victory. We don't just treat bodies, we mend lives," said Dr. NABINTU MUGANGU Aimée, a physician in Panzi Hospital's SVS unit.

This mission was part of a broader strategy to bring care closer to communities, supported by DG ECHO through PMU.

Panzi Foundation officially launched on August 31, 2026, a major emergency aid distribution operation for 3000 vulnerabl...
09/01/2026

Panzi Foundation officially launched on August 31, 2026, a major emergency aid distribution operation for 3000 vulnerable households and war returnees, in Kaziba, located approximately 37 miles south-east of Bukavu.

This initiative addresses the immense needs of families returning home after fleeing violence as they face precarious housing, food insecurity, a lack of schools, many having being damages during armed clashes, and precarious healthcare facilities. Carried out in partnership with local authorities and community leaders, the distribution includes food, dignity, and school kits designed to meet the families' essential needs.

This operation builds upon a wide range of projects undertaken by the Foundation and Dr. Denis Mukwege in Kaziba including support for agro-pastoral and women's empowerment activities, the construction of a legal aid clinic, a school, and hospital buildings, as well as the renovation of a hydroelectric dam serving both the hospital and the community.

Our teams continue to work with the beneficiaries and assist relief with their most immediate needs.

This back to school, Panzi Foundation handed out school kits to hundreds of our beneficiaries from two of our flagship p...
08/31/2026

This back to school, Panzi Foundation handed out school kits to hundreds of our beneficiaries from two of our flagship programs: Maison Dorcas, our transit and community center, and Save A Girl, our support program for child survivors of sexual violence in Bukavu.

In a difficult economic context for many families in Bukavu, this support goes far beyond supplies — Panzi funds the complete schooling of these young people, sometimes up to university.

« We are thankful to Panzi Foundation and its partners for continuing to support us and our children," shared Ms Furaha, mother of one of the beneficiaries.

We continue to stand alongside families, convinced that investing in education is investing in the future of an entire generation.

Panzi Foundation held monitoring and coaching sessions for community health workers in the Ibanda health zone. The worki...
08/28/2026

Panzi Foundation held monitoring and coaching sessions for community health workers in the Ibanda health zone.

The working sessions were designed to strengthen community actors and our partners skills in their respective efforts to guide and support vulnerable populations, specifically around promoting positive masculinity behaviors, gender equality, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Our community outreach work also focused on strengthening women's agency, so that they can become key agents of change in their communities and activities were marked by fruitful exchanges among participants representing various actors engaged in the prevention of and response to gender-based violence - from community mobilizers and facilitators, to paralegals and youth clubs representatives, among others.

The Tumaini project is implemented by Panzi Foundation in partnership with Unité de santé internationale • International Health Unit, the Université de Montréal, Avocats sans frontières Canada, Observatoire Hygeia, Global Strategies and support from Le développement international du Canada - Affaires mondiales Canada.

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