Panzi Hospital stands as the last bastion of hope in Eastern Congo for survivors of sexual violence along with all the other significant medical and psychological effects of the war. Nestled in the hills in the Panzi community in Bukavu this hospital is on the longest standing local humanitarian efforts in the South Kivu Province.
The hospital was founded by Dr. Denis Mukwege Mukengere in 1999 in response to the rising occurrences of brutal rape and the subsequent psychical trauma he was seeing in his medical practice. Today, the hospital provides holistic treatment for survivors of sexual violence, offers invaluable general medical services to the population of South Kivu and is involved in several collaborative international and local projects in the fight against gender based violence in the region.The hospital is a general-referral facility, with several departments other than its gynecological department. The compound is flooded virtually every day with people seeking medical attention, ranging from simple aches and pains, broken limbs, malaria and vision problems to fistula or female genital prolapse. Panzi provides services in obstetrics, radiology, pediatrics, internal medicine, surgery, and also runs a Nutrition Center. This teaching hospital is manned by world-renowned fistula experts, local physicians and a fleet of student-doctors as well. Panzi Hospital does not only treat the physical effects of rape-related trauma, it offers a holistic recovery experience to its patients, particularly its rape survivors, payment for which is subsidized by the hospital’s various supporters.Thanks to the generosity of individuals and organizations around the world that have risen up and said “No More” to the silence and mystery that has shrouded rape in Congo, Panzi Hospital has been able to provide high-quality medical treatment to people who would not be able to access it anywhere else.
Dr. MukwegeAlready nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. Mukwege is the epitome of the servant leader. Kind and down-to-earth but still a strong and capable leader – he manages to continue to perform life-changing fistula-repair surgery daily while still being a worldwide champion of peace for his country.
His dream to help survivors of sexual violence recover and to improve medical treatment in his country has come to fruition in incredible ways. With the help of CEPAC: Communauté des Eglises de Pentecôte en Afrique Centrale, Panzi sprawls over its compound, a symbol of peace and development amidst the chaos that ensues all around it.
Dr. Denis Mukwege grew up in a passionately faithful family, his father was a Protestant minister who raised his children to desire God’s will for their lives above all else, and serve those less fortunate than themselves. It is this faith that drives him to go above and beyond in service of his own people.
We applaud Dr. Mukege for his selfless service.
Panzi Foundation DRC supports the work of Panzi Hospital and its initiatives within and outside the hospital. It aims to improve the rights of women, provide access to basic health care, and fight against gender based violence and its effects in the DRC. Several key initiatives fall under the auspices of Panzi Foundation DRC, apart from the Hospital. These include, City of Joy, Maison Dorcas 1, 2 & 3, the Ushindi Project, the Clinique Juridique and the Wamu Project. These projects are coordinated with partner organization, are locally implemented and together with the Hospital form a strategic alliance against gender based violence in South Kivu.
Ushindi
The Ushindi Project is a collaborative effort funded by USAID between Heal Africa in North Kivu and Panzi Hospital in South Kivu. The project is undertaking a holistic approach to ending sexual violence. Panzi Hospital is responsible for the implementation of the project in Mwenga, Shabunda and Kitutu. Ushindi encompasses medical, legal and psycho-social support to women, and training and empowerment of other strategic partners in the fight against sexual violence. The Ushindi team at Panzi participates in the training of local health-centers, police officers and legal authorities, social workers and activists in these villages, where a significant number of incidences of rape and violence are known to take place. This project will also offer micro-credit, literacy and legal assistance to rape survivors in these villages. Ushindi will tackle the broader picture of sexual violence in Congo, by developing the local infrastructure, training and empowering community leaders, police authorities and medical personnel along with empowering and aiding in the recovery of rape victims and their families.
City of Joy
City of Joy is a collaborative effort between the V-DAY organization and Panzi Foundation DRC. V-DAY is the brainchild of Eve Ensler, the author of the Vagina Monologues – a travelling play that has helped raise thousands for the cause of women’s rights. The actual center is intended to provide leadership and skills-training to a selected number of Congolese women. The premise is to provide development and capacity-building rather than simply offering aid and its founders firmly believe firmly the ability of women to become strong leaders and someday contribute to bringing about change in Congo.
Maison Dorcas
Maison Dorcas 1, 2 &3 are transit houses for survivors of sexual violence. The third house is currently under construction. These houses operate through the collaboration of Panzi Foundation DRC and BEATIL/ALT – an organization run by Herman Mukwege and Zawadi Nabintu, Dr. Mukwege’s siblings. The houses offer accommodation for survivors who have received treatment at Panzi and can no longer return to their villages, women who have contracted the AIDS virus as a result of their rape, women awaiting fistula surgery or recovering from multiple surgeries, and the orphans of women who were raped. Its clientele range in age from 12 to over 60. This project also provides skills programs and literacy classes to residents, women who have been treated at Panzi, as well as women in the community.
Clinique Juridique
The legal program at Panzi, Clinique Juridique offers valuable legal assistance to rape survivors who wish to prosecute their attackers. Even though rape is illegal in Congo, cases very often go unreported and attackers live free, the country is rife with impunity. This program gives legal advice and counseling to women considering taking their case to the courts. There are also lawyers through this program who represent these women in court, an opportunity that most of them would have never been able to afford, or have the courage to take advantage of, if not for Panzi. The clinic also provides a library for legal books for lawyers and interested persons to learn about rights, case-law and legal issues surrounding gender based violence and human rights in Congo.
