Monika is the founder and executive member of the board of Medica Mondiale. Indignant at media reports about the mass rapes of women during the Bosnian war, Monika decided to travel straight to the war-torn area at the end of 1992. A few months later, in April 1993, together with local female psychologists and doctors, she opened a women’s therapy center called Medica Zenica in Bosnia. This start was made possible by both private and public donors. An office was simultaneously set up in Cologne for the charity Medica Mondiale. For 25 years, the organization has supported survivors of sexualized violence in war and conflict areas such as Afghanistan, Liberia and Northern Iraq. Monika’s commitment to support women in war and crisis areas and to speak up for women’s rights worldwide has been honored many times, including the “Right Livelihood Award” in 2008.