MAISON DORCAS

Maison Dorcas, established in 2003, is a unique facility that currently provides extended post-acute shelter, literacy and skills training, and trauma treatment for women survivors and their children who otherwise have no place to go. It is comprised of two small buildings (#1 and #2) and a third larger building (#3) that is under construction.

Such services are crucial as 40% to 60% of women treated at Panzi Hospital are unable to return to their homes after treatment. Most women are abandoned by their husbands and rejected by their families and villages due to the stigma associated with rape. Many are displaced due to the destruction of their homes or villages and some have no surviving family members. Others may be unable to live independently due to injuries or illness such as HIV/AIDS. With no place to go, the majority of these women attempt to live somewhere in the vicinity of the hospital.

Panzi Foundation USA's program goal is to ensure that Maison Dorcas remains a sustainable and long-term solution for women survivors who have become displaced as a consequence of the sexual violence. educating women with the goal of empowerment and self-sufficiency, caring for their mental and physical well-being, and a means of ensuring the long term development and health of their children.

At Maison Dorcas, women receive training in literacy and numeracy, small business skills, and other skills training. In addition, women benefit from continuous psychosocial and medical care, including group and individual therapy. The ultimate goal is community and/or family reintegration.