WHERE VICTIMS

TRANSFORM


INTO SURVIVORS

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.

Despite the immense challenges facing the Democratic Republic of Congo, Panzi Foundation and Dr. Denis Mukwege continue to invest in what matters most – the Congolese people. For over a decade, we have supported community members, staff, and survivors in accessing continued education in the medical field.

Christine ZAWADI, formerly a beneficiary of Maison Dorcas, was able to complete school thanks to full educational support from Panzi Foundation. A survivor of sexual violence, she shares that after receiving care at Panzi, she chose to study medicine, because her dream was to “become like Dr. Denis Mukwege: to help women too.” Today, she is a nurse, a graduate of Panzi’s Medical Technical Institute (ITM). Ambika FURAHA, a scholarship recipient from 2014–2015, now feels capable of “accomplishing anything,” thanks to the confidence and momentum this support helped build.

Panzi Hospital’s remarkable impact has also grown thanks to the dedication of its multidisciplinary team – doctors, nurses, midwives, and psychologists. Among them, Dr. Angel BUTOTO, in her final year of residency in internal medicine at Panzi Hospital, recalls the obstacles that nearly derailed her path: “This scholarship helped me enormously, because I was struggling to continue my specialization. That’s when I went to see Dr. Denis Mukwege. Thanks to his support, I was able to continue, and I am now about to finish.”

Through our commitment to excellence, Panzi has supported and equipped many experts, teachers, and researchers over the years, who in turn, are now passing on their knowledge. Among them, Professor Reine BAHAYA, a dental surgeon, shares: “I wanted to specialize, but I was worried I wouldn’t be able to afford my studies, since I would have had to stop working.” Thanks to Panzi’s support, that worry faded, and her ambition to specialize in pediatric dentistry, as well as to pursue a doctorate, became a reality. Today, she can proudly say she is “the only woman with a PhD in Dental Surgery” in the DRC.

Through this support, Panzi is building bridges of knowledge transfer, so that beneficiaries themselves become living conduits, inspiring new generations and strengthening national expertise well beyond their own individual journeys. It was in this spirit that recipients of these scholarships recently gathered at Panzi Foundation to share their respective experiences and discuss the various challenges they each overcame through this scholarship program.

Because at Panzi, we work with Congolese people, for Congolese people, to find lasting solutions to urgent problems.

This activity was made possible thanks to the support of the King Baudouin Foundation, through the Fonds Dr Denis Mukwege-Hôpital Panzi.