Email 474 | Panzi Foundation

A STEP OUT OF SUFFERING

For survivors of sexual violence, recovery is not only about treating wounds, but about restoring the sense of safety, dignity, and inner peace that their assailants tried to steal. Accompanying survivors through this complex healing process is Rodha, our lead psychologist in the Survivors of Sexual Violence (SVS) Unit at Panzi Hospital.

Rodha has devoted the past eight years to walking alongside survivors at the most fragile stage of their healing journey. She first joined Panzi Foundation in 2018 and now heads up the psychosocial department at Panzi Hospital, which offers individual and group counseling, as well as art and movement therapies. Treatments are available to survivors, their families, and women with severe gynecological injuries, like fistula and prolapse.

“My role is to provide support to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence by implementing adapted psychological treatments during and after their stay at Panzi Hospital, working in collaboration with families and affected communities to ensure effective care.”

Rodha’s work is not without its challenges – the escalation of the conflict this year has meant that many survivors who had started rebuilding their lives were plunged once again into an environment of violence and fear. Rodha has stayed grounded in this difficult moment by drawing on the meaning behind her work.

“I am proud to be part of an institution sensitive to human suffering. I am proud to soothe troubled thoughts and bring a smile back to faces wrinkled by pain, even when this humanitarian work comes with feelings of uncertainty and limitation in the face of suffering.”

In 2024, Rodha and her fellow 32 psychologists at Panzi offered free psychological consultations, tailored therapies, and both short- and long-term follow-up care to over 5,663 patients, of whom 20% were survivors of sexual violence. For many, these sessions were the first time they felt heard, understood, and supported after experiencing violence and trauma.

Thank you for helping survivors rebuild their peace, their confidence, and their futures.