Denis Mukwege — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Nobel Peace Prize laureate (2018) for efforts to end sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.
Founder of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, specializing in the treatment of women who have been raped.
Congolese gynecologist and Pentecostal pastor.
Earned a PhD from Université libre de Bruxelles and a medical degree from the University of Burundi.
Announced candidacy for president in the 2023 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election.

Biography

Denis Mukwege is a Congolese humanitarian, gynecologist, and Pentecostal pastor, born on March 1, 1955. He founded and works at Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, where he specializes in treating women who have been raped. Mukwege has treated thousands of women who were victims of rape as a weapon of war since the Second Congo War, performing up to ten operations a day during his 17-hour working days. He is recognized as a leading expert on repairing injuries of rape.