Information courtesy of The Panzi Foundation

The mission of Panzi Foundation USA is to raise awareness about the challenges in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and partner with Panzi Hospital to heal women and restore lives.

In 2008, Dr. Mukwege, Panzi Hospital Supporters and colleagues created the Panzi Foundation, with the specific aim to support the ongoing work of hospital and new outreach to rural clinics and communities. The Foundation builds on the work of the Panzi Hospital in order to promote basic quality health care for marginalized populations and in particular it aims to improve access to and the quality of maternal and reproductive health, promote and encourage the application of women’s rights and gender equality, prevent violence against women and children and to support survivors of rape and sexual violence to rebuild their lives and those of their communities.

Treatment at Panzi

From 1999 to June 2010, the Panzi Hospital treated 25,441 women for gynecological conditions, many of them severe cases of reproductive trauma or trauma from sexual violence. 5,812 operations have been performed, including 2,551 cases of fistula repair.

In 2004, a specific program was developed to respond to the large number of survivors of sexual violence seeking help at Panzi Hospital. The SSV-project is funded by ECHO and Sida and implemented by PMU (the Swedish Pentecostal Mission’s Relief and Development Agency). It aims to treat and heal survivors and women with severe gynecological disorders through medical and psycho-social assistance. The project works together with Engenderhealth (an American NGO supported by USAID) which funds fistula surgery and trains medical staff in fistula repair. The Stephen Lewis Foundation treats survivors who have been infected with hiv/aids, providing them with anti-retrovirals. The medical care at the Panzi Hospital extends to rural areas through mobile medical teams funded by UNICEF and training of rural health personnel. Every day women take back control of their bodies through surgery, psychological and socio-economic support.

Panzi Hospital also maintains and supports socio-economic reintegration, legal assistance and psycho-social care for survivors of sexual violence in three health zones in South Kivu through the Ushindi project (supported by USAID). The hospital is committed to ensure that the care that survivors receive in their home village and at the Panzi Hospital is of the best quality and is available to all who need it.