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.
