dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation

About Us

The Mukwege Foundation was founded in 2015. Based in The Hague, with offices in the Central African Republic, Ukraine and Burundi (from 2024), we are an international, survivor-centred, rights-based organisation working to change the response to conflict-related sexual violence.

Our Mission

We support survivors’ demands for a world where sexual violence as a weapon of war is no longer tolerated, and bears consequences for individual perpetrators and states. We work for a future where survivors receive the holistic care and compensation they need to rebuild their lives. We create opportunities for survivors to speak out and be heard, and where they can organise to create change, influence policies, and demand justice and accountability.

We are working towards a future where sexual violence in conflict is no longer seen as inevitable, but is recognised for what it is: a crime that should have consequences. We want the international community to draw a line against wartime sexual violence and to hold states and individuals accountable.

Our Approach

Our approach is survivor-centred and human rights-based. That means that survivors themselves define their needs and solutions: Nothing about us without us!

We accompany survivors, enabling them to develop their own strategies, take decisions, and lead the process. We amplify their voices and actions through our communications and advocacy and seek opportunities where they can claim their rights.

Our Theory of Change

To heal from the harms of sexual violence, victims need to regain agency and control over their lives, their decisions, and their bodies. Their needs are complex and interconnected, and the solutions need to be designed with this in mind.