--- 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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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent.  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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