--- title: Denis Mukwege Helps Victims of Sexual Violence Rebuild Lives description: As founder and lead doctor of the Panzi Foundation, Denis Mukwege treats some of the most vulnerable victims of rampant sexual violence. canonical: https://time.com/5087346/dr-denis-mukwege-surgeon-helping-rebuild-african-women-lives/ author: Charlotte Alter article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-04T11:19:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T18:44:12.946Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Denis Mukwege Helps Victims of Sexual Violence Rebuild Lives og:description: As founder and lead doctor of the Panzi Foundation, Denis Mukwege treats some of the most vulnerable victims of rampant sexual violence. og:url: https://time.com/5087346/dr-denis-mukwege-surgeon-helping-rebuild-african-women-lives/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5880d5e623b850cc/6988f65a8fd2ee5dda35a23c/optimist-issue-mukwege.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: optimist-issue-Mukwege og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Denis Mukwege Helps Victims of Sexual Violence Rebuild Lives twitter:description: As founder and lead doctor of the Panzi Foundation, Denis Mukwege treats some of the most vulnerable victims of rampant sexual violence. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5880d5e623b850cc/6988f65a8fd2ee5dda35a23c/optimist-issue-mukwege.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Thousands of African Women Face Sexual Violence. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Jan 4, 2018 11:19 AM UTC  Dr. Mukwege, founder and lead doctor of the Panzi Center in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dr. Mukwege, founder and lead doctor of the Panzi Center in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Jan 4, 2018 11:19 AM UTC As founder and lead doctor of the Panzi Foundation in the [Democratic Republic of Congo](http://time.com/4607046/democratic-republic-congo-aid/), Denis Mukwege treats some of the most vulnerable victims of rampant sexual violence: women who have been raped in front of their husbands, girls who have been assaulted by multiple soldiers, babies as young as 4 months old who have been raped. It’s not a job brimming with optimism. “When I have women coming to my hospital, they are completely destroyed,” he says. “Physically, mentally and economically.” But at Panzi Hospital, one can take heart. The center in Bukavu has treated more than 50,000 survivors of sexual violence and over 37,000 patients with gynecological injuries since 1999\. At least 120 sexual-violence survivors seek help there every month. Mukwege, 62, specializes in fistula-repair surgery and pioneered an approach that empowers survivors by giving them the mental, educational, legal and financial tools to rebuild their lives. When Panzi gives these women resources, Mukwege says, they build homes and businesses that employ other women. “My hope is that women are not waiting for their freedom to be given by men,” he says. “Women are realizing that nobody gives them a gift, they have to take it.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5087346/dr-denis-mukwege-surgeon-helping-rebuild-african-women-lives/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5087346/dr-denis-mukwege-surgeon-helping-rebuild-african-women-lives/"},"headline":"Thousands of African Women Face Sexual Violence. 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