WCK Partners with Panzi Hospital in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Working alongside trusted local partner Panzi Hospital, WCK is supporting the preparation and distribution of fresh, nourishing meals to the hospital’s staff, patients, and people accompanying patients.
Although this conflict has been ongoing for the past 25 years, it recently escalated in Bukavu, cutting off the region from foodways and water.
WCK is honored to collaborate with Panzi Hospital, founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege, which has long served communities in eastern DRC through years of instability. This partnership allows WCK to respond quickly and responsibly, reaching families who urgently need support while reinforcing trusted local institutions.
Meet Our Partner: Panzi Hospital
Panzi Hospital, founded by Nobel Laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege in 1999, is located in Bukavu, South Kivu province. It is internationally renowned for its comprehensive and holistic treatment of survivors of sexual violence, a devastating consequence of the ongoing conflict. By providing holistic care for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, alongside education and advocacy, Panzi transforms both individual lives and communities. This model fosters dignity, justice, and systemic change, ensuring survivors are not only treated but empowered to rebuild their lives.
According to Dr. Mukwege, healing and justice are inseparable: healing restores dignity and agency, while justice ends impunity and builds the conditions for peace. Panzi’s holistic model recognizes that healing is multidimensional: a medical intervention alone does not restore dignity. Trauma counseling without justice leaves wounds open. As a Congolese-led institution, our proximity to communities allows us to adapt rapidly, respond with cultural and social nuance, and influence lasting change. But we also know we cannot respond alone.
By partnering with Panzi, WCK will help provide nourishing meals to patients, staff, and displaced persons sheltering at or near the hospital, ensuring a vital component of the hospital’s holistic care—the power of a fresh, hot meal—is met.
Access to food is not only a matter of survival but a critical component of healing and dignity.
Dr. Denis Mukwege
Panzi Hospital Founder
Help us keep serving families in DRC