There is growing evidence and recognition that conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is not random or opportunistic. It is a strategy used by armed groups fighting in conflicts worldwide. Civilians — and particularly women and girls — are being targeted with sexual violence, used as a weapon of war, for a range of reasons: to persecute and destroy an ethnic group, as a ‘reward’ for combatants, or for financial gain. Sexual violence is being used to terrorise civilians, inflict trauma, and humiliate communities. CRSV may lead to displacements of community members, abandonment of the victims, and disintegration of society.
The consequences of CRSV go far beyond individual suffering. Sexual violence committed across entire communities spreads diseases, destroys family ties and inflicts harm over generations. Moreover, sexual violence as a tactic of war reinforces gender inequalities and normalises sexual violence, even after a conflict has ended. We need to stop normalising CRSV as a consequence of wars. We need to acknowledge CRSV as a crime that shall not go unpunished.
Dr. Denis Mukwege established Panzi Hospital in 1999 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). However, due to the urgent and growing needs of the communities, Panzi Foundation DRC was created in 2008 to support the hospital and ensure the provision of other services for survivors, such as legal assistance, psycho-social support and socio-economic programmes. Together, Panzi Hospital and Foundation offer a holistic care model for survivors of CRSV and the One-Stop-Centre facilities are located in Bukavu, South Kivu. Our sister organisation Panzi USA – based in Washington – financially supports Panzi in DRC. The Mukwege Foundation was established in 2015 to replicate the Panzi Holistic Care model outside DRC. The Mukwege Foundation supports victims and survivors of conflict-related sexual violence to unite and stand up for their rights. Our office is based in The Hague, the Netherlands.
SEMA stands for The Global Network of Victims and Survivors to End Wartime Sexual Violence. The network currently represents survivors of conflict-related sexual violence from over 20 countries ranging from Africa and South America to the Middle East and Europe. Working together, these survivors draw global attention to the continued use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, and call for the changes needed to end the violence and achieve justice. SEMA members join key international and national discussions on women, peace and security. You can visit www.semanetwork.org for more information.
The Mukwege Foundation is currently implementing programmes in the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Uganda, South Sudan, Mali, Iraq, and Ukraine. In 2022 we hope to expand our support to survivors in Burundi, Colombia, Nepal and Ethiopia. The SEMA international network of survivors includes survivor members from 21 countries currently: Bosnia, Bangladesh, Burundi, CAR, Colombia, DRC, Guinea, Iraq, Kosovo, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, South Korea, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Uganda and Ukraine.”
There are many ways to extend your support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict. You can:
We are happy to hear that you are researching this important topic. While we see the immense value in academic research regarding sexual violence in conflict, unfortunately, we are a small organisation and do not have the capacity to respond to your request. We kindly invite you to review the information included on our website to learn more about the work we are doing. We wish you all the best with your research.
Thank you for your interest in contributing to our work. Kindly note that unfortunately, we are currently unable to accept open applications, as we are a small organisation and we can only bring new colleagues/interns onto our team when there is a clear project for them to work on. We advise you to check our LinkedIn page or website for any vacancies which may be of interest to you. We will be happy to consider your application for a current vacancy.
As an organisation that aims to connect survivors all over the world, we truly appreciate the support of volunteers. However, volunteering opportunities are only available on a case-by-case basis for specific timeline. Kindly visit our LinkedIn to find out if there are any upcoming calls for volunteers.
For information about working at Panzi, we invite you to view their website and contact them directly: https://fondationpanzirdc.org
As a registered non-profit in the Netherlands, the Mukwege Foundation receives funding mainly from foundations and institutional donors. For example, the Dutch and the Swedish Postcode Lottery, the European Union, the French Agency for Development, the Government of Germany, and the Trust Fund for Victims – International Criminal Court. We are also thankful for the support of individual donors whose contributions are very important as they in the previous years have helped us bring survivors together so that they can exchange stories and strengthen each other in the journey of pursuing justice.
Members of the public can send their donations via the Donation Page on our website. There are two types of donations: one-time giving and monthly (recurring) donation. Please be aware of your choices when donating. Further information about ways to support the work of Dr. Mukwege can be found in this document.
When you donate to us, there is the option to select either the Mukwege Foundation’s international work, or to support Panzi Hospital in DRC. We transfer 100% of donations made to Panzi DRC directly to them without taking an administration charge. If you choose to support the Mukwege Foundation, then your donation is directly supporting survivors worldwide i.e.: providing holistic care or to support survivor-led movements at the national and international level (the SEMA network). Members of the public can send their donations via the Donation Page on our website. There are two types of donations: one-time giving and monthly (recurring) donation. Please be aware of your choices when donating. Further information about ways to support the work of Dr. Mukwege can be found in this document.
Thank you for your wish to support the work of the Mukwege Foundation through 3rd party fundraising. We do have several toolkits to help you organise fundraising events that are in line with our fundraising guidelines. At the end of your fundraising campaigns, all donations can be submitted via bank transfer or the Donation Page on our website. Feel free to reach out to us at info@mukwegefoundation.org in case you have any specific questions or needs. We wish you the best of luck with developing your creative fundraising ideas and we are grateful for your support.
Dr. Denis Mukwege is the special adviser of our Foundation, he is joined by Marieke van Schaik (Chair of the Supervisory Board), Ellen Bien (Treasurer of the Supervisory Board), Julie Verhaar, Adriana van Dooijeweert, and Unni Karunakara. As a survivor-centred organisation, we also plan to establish a Survivor Advisory Council to make sure the needs and inputs from survivors are accommodated. As part of our accountability, The Mukwege Foundation reports progress on a regular basis to the Supervisory Board.
Interview requests intended for Dr. Denis Mukwege are forwarded to members of his cabinet. The cabinet will consider your invitations – based on consultation with Dr. Denis Mukwege. Any interview requests for the Director or other spokespersons of the Mukwege Foundation can be sent to info@mukwegefoundation.org.
Because we are a small organisation, unfortunately we have limited capacity to enter into new fundraising and project partnerships. Thus, we are only able to consider partnership requests from organisations working specifically on CRSV and/or SGBV. We believe that partnering with other human rights and humanitarian organisations is a great way to expand the work we do, and we hope that in the future, as our capacity grows, we will be available to contribute meaningfully to wider partnership opportunities.
We appreciate your interests in supporting the work of Dr. Denis Mukwege. At the moment, we are not promoting co-branding with any products or services. All donations by 3rd party fundraisers need to comply to the fundraising guidelines and will be treated as individual donations. Thank you for your support.
