Chair of the Supervisory Board: Marieke van Schaik
Treasurer of the Supervisory Board: Ellen Bien
Additional members: Julie Verhaar, Adriana van Dooijeweert, Unni Karunakara
According to the Foundation’s policies, members of the Supervisory Board are not remunerated, but may claim compensation for reasonable expenses.
The Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation is an international human rights organisation working together with survivors of conflict-related sexual violence from around the world.
We support survivors’ demands for a world where sexual violence as a weapon of war is no longer tolerated, and bears consequences for individual perpetrators and states. We work for a future where survivors receive the holistic care and compensation they need to rebuild their lives. We create opportunities for survivors to speak out and be heard, and where they can organise to create change, influence policies, and demand justice and accountability.
We strive for a future where sexual violence in conflict is no longer seen as inevitable but is recognised for what it is: a crime that should have consequences. Therefore, we want the international community to draw a red line against wartime sexual violence and to hold states and individuals accountable.
Our source of inspiration is the vision of holistic, survivor-centred care developed by Dr Denis Mukwege and his team at Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Dr Denis Mukwege is a world-renowned gynaecologist and human rights activist from east DRC. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for his global efforts to end the use of rape as a weapon of war. Dr Mukwege founded Panzi Hospital and Foundation, and has become one of the world’s leading specialists on treating survivors of wartime sexual violence.
The impact of their work in DRC motivates us to scale-up their best practices elsewhere. In partnership with pool of experts from Panzi Hospital and Foundation, the Mukwege Foundation rolls out a holistic care model for victims and survivors of conflict-related sexual violence worldwide.
Dr Denis Mukwege founded Panzi Hospital in 1999 as a maternity hospital for the surrounding community. However, as the conflict progressed and more victims of sexual violence sought care at Panzi Hospital the focus of the hospital shifted to providing medical care to survivors of sexual violence. Dr Mukwege founded Panzi Hospital and Foundation, and has become one of the world’s leading specialists on treating survivors of wartime sexual violence.
In 2008, Panzi Foundation DRC was created to support the hospital and ensure the provision of other services, such as legal assistance, psycho-social support and socio-economic programmes. Together, Panzi Hospital and Foundation offer a holistic model of care for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
The Mukwege Foundation closely collaborates with Panzi Hospital and Foundation. Together with the team in DRC, we promote the holistic model of care worldwide. Our goal is to use the outstanding expertise of Panzi DRC in working with survivors of conflict-related sexual violence to extend best-practices to other conflict-affected countries.
While Panzi Foundation DRC works to support victims of sexual violence specifically in DRC, the Mukwege Foundation has a global focus. The Mukwege Foundation connects survivors worldwide, supports national survivor networks in several countries, promotes holistic care in conflict settings around the world, and advocates for survivor-centred reparations and accountability.
The Mukwege Foundation implements projects to improve access to quality holistic care in Guinea, Iraq and the Central African Republic. Whereas the Panzi Foundation is a lead actor in ending sexual violence in DRC, the Mukwege Foundation engages with international stakeholders to press for an end to wartime sexual violence globally.
Panzi Foundation
USA raises funds in the United States and makes strategic investments at
Panzi Hospital and Panzi Foundation DRC.
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