WHERE VICTIMS

TRANSFORM


INTO SURVIVORS

For fifteen years, the Mulamba Hospital has been supporting rural communities in South Kivu, driven by a simple conviction: rural populations deserve access to quality care and dignified treatment, without distance or hardship standing as a sentence. As we commemorate almost two decades of community service, we look back on a story that continues to transform lives.

A response to a health and humanitarian emergency

Founded in 2011, Mulamba Hospital responded to a particularly troubling health and humanitarian reality. At the time, no health facility was close enough to ease the burden of a long journey to care for survivors of sexual violence. Indeed, the town was located roughly 25 kilometers from the Walungu General Referral Hospital, 20 kilometers from the one in Mubumbano, and more than 20 kilometers from the Kaniola General Referral Hospital. As for Panzi Hospital, the center of excellence for maternal health and for the care of survivors of sexual violence, it stood nearly 70 kilometers away. For a woman who had suffered sexual violence, pain, stigma, and often mobility challenges, traveling such a distance to access specialized care could amount to an almost insurmountable barrier.

It thus became imperative to bring a quality medical and holistic response closer to these communities. The Mulamba One Stop Center emerged as a nearby alternative to Panzi, close enough to be accessible to survivors from rural areas, with a clear goal: to progressively replicate the holistic care model developed at Panzi, combining medical care, psychosocial support, legal assistance, and socio-economic reintegration. In this way, the Mulamba Hospital Center turned a geographic constraint into an opportunity.

One enduring commitment

Fifteen years after its inauguration, the Mulamba Hospital Center still embodies the conviction upheld by Panzi Foundation and its founder: dignity is not negotiable, and distance should never determine who has a right to care and who does not. Even as eastern DRC continues to face pressing health and security challenges, this institution stands as proof that solutions are within reach, if we’re committed to building them close to the communities that need them most. In 2025 alone, our teams cared for 292 survivors of sexual violence, provided psychosocial support to 570 beneficiaries, and assisted 744 childbirths under the best possible conditions.

While this anniversary is a moment of celebration, it is also a reminder of the reality on the ground: Mulamba Hospital continues its mission in a difficult context, and it relies on the continued support of its partners to keep providing quality care to rural populations in South Kivu. Behind every consultation, every assisted childbirth, every survivor supported, there is a life resuming its course and a community regaining trust.

“In the face of adversity, we must never lose hope. Hope is the light that guides our actions in the darkest moments, and our actions will contribute to the return of peace and dignity for all.” — Dr. Denis Mukwege

In Bukavu, the ringing of the school bell has always marked more than the start of a new year. It is a signal that life, in all its ordinary rhythms, continues. This year, that sound carries a different weight. More than a year into occupation, “normal” has been redefined for families across our community, and yet, children are still lacing up their shoes, packing their notebooks, and walking through the school gates.

At Panzi, education has never simply been about the classroom. Panzi Foundation empowers our community to dream bigger, gain new knowledge, and build a foundation for a more hopeful and independent future. This back-to-school season, that mission feels more urgent, and more necessary, than ever.

Ahead of the 2026-2027 school year, Panzi distributed school kits and supplies to 220 beneficiaries from two of our programs: 63 beneficiaries and their dependents, of our transit and community center, Maison Dorcas, and 157 current and former beneficiaries of the Save A Girl, our program supporting girls ages 10 to 14 we rescued from brothels in Bukavu.

This support arrives at a moment when everyday life itself has become harder to sustain. For parents like Ms Furaha, this support has brought real relief: “We are so grateful to the Panzi Foundation and its partners for continuing to support us and our children.”

The war has disrupted many facets of life: closed banks, border crossings, and major roads, displacements, leaving many households without a steady income. Amid these disruptions, Panzi’s assistance eases the financial pressure on families, helping children stay focused on school, and giving parents one part of daily life that still feels within reach. Yet our efforts are only as effective as the partnership we’ve built with our community and with parents.

Yves Shangalume, Panzi Foundation’s Director of Administration and Finance, spoke to the importance of this partnership during such a difficult period: “Parents and the Foundation must come together and each play their part,” he said. “Dr. Mukwege’s concern, and the Foundation’s, is to see this generation study, because depriving a child of an education is depriving them of a future.”

That concern has taken on new urgency, as the Ministry of Education in Kinshasa recently suspended academic activities in areas occupied by rebels, while the rebels stepped in to choose who runs these schools in the East. These decisions have left many students’ futures uncertain, caught between competing authorities.

Panzi continues to offer more than material support — we are walking hand in hand with families and students, providing financial support throughout a student’s entire academic journey, in some cases through university, with a vision of investing in the future of an entire generation. As Dr. Denis Mukwege has said, depriving a child of an education is depriving them of a future. As this school year begins, we wish every student the courage and success to pursue their dreams, and we hold onto hope that a return to normalcy is not far off.

With more than 3,4 millions internally displaced people recorded in June 2026 by the Population Mouvement Commission (CMP) in the provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri, families who fled the war and are returning home face extreme hardship: unsanitary shelters, food insecurity, the absence of some schools, crumbling health facilities, as well as increased vulnerability for women and children.

It is within this context that Panzi Foundation officially launched on Monday, August 31, 2026, a vast operation to distribute emergency humanitarian assistance to families who have returned to Kaziba, located 37 miles south-east of Bukavu. This standalone distribution aims to provide food and health assistance kits, alongside the distribution of school supplies, to meet the diverse needs of 3,000 families, comprising displaced persons, returnees, and the most vulnerable.

This distribution, carried out in partnership with local authorities and community leaders, reaffirms Panzi’s commitment to assisting the people of South Kivu. In recent years, our commitment to these vulnerable communities has included support for agro-pastoral activities that foster women’s empowerment through solidarity savings groups (MUSOs).

Additionally, we have also funded the construction of a primary and secondary school, as well as a legal clinic to facilitate women’s access to justice. The Foundation has also strengthened medical and psychosocial care at the Kaziba General Referral Hospital, notably through support in medicines and equipment, and the construction of two hospital buildings. Currently, we are funding the rehabilitation of the hydroelectric dam that supplies electricity to the hospital and the community.

Speaking to the press, Mr. Bertin Rutega, Director of Programs at the Foundation, emphasized the importance of this emergency assistance: “We brought together local dignitaries and leaders at the Kaziba General Referral Hospital and defined together with the local community, the process to be followed in accordance with our methods at Panzi Foundation. It is a pleasure to be here today for the launch of these distribution activities, which will continue throughout the week,” he stated.

Mr. Jean-Bosco Chihire Byumanine, Administrative Secretary of the Kaziba Chiefdom, expressed his satisfaction with the actions taken by Dr. Denis Mukwege in the region. “The project was announced on July 31, 2026. Within a month, it has become a reality. We can only express our deepest gratitude to our benefactor, as he constantly advocates for Kaziba’s needs to be met,” he said.

Mr. Vital Barholere, Director of Operations at the Foundation, placed this action in a broader context: “I wanted to be present in Kaziba for this exceptional humanitarian aid intended for a population that has suffered from war. Dr. Mukwege continues to advocate around the world to help Congo emerge from this difficult situation.”

This latest humanitarian gesture reaffirms Panzi’s commitment to the people of South Kivu during these particularly trying times. While we await a durable resolution to the crisis affecting eastern DRC, this assistance provides immediate relief to the Congolese people and underscores the urgent need to keep the plight of those returning from the war in the spotlight.