Rose Mapendo
| Rose Mapendo | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1963 Mulenge, Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Nationality | Congolese |
| Occupation | Activist |
Rose Mapendo (born in 1963) is a Congolese human rights activist. She founded the Mapendo New Horizons Foundation, to help vulnerable survivors of physical, psychological, and social trauma caused by decades of extreme violence so that they have easy access to health care and to give them hope. In addition, the Mapendo International organization (whose objective is, among others, to assist the Congolese people to emigrate to the United States, so that they can escape the war in their countries of origin) was named in her honor.
Biography
Early life
She was born in Mulenge, Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1963.[1] She grew up in a humble family [2] Tutsi,[1] that professing the Christian religion.[3] So, she belongs to the Banyamulenge Tutsi tribe.[4] Raised for marriage and motherhood,[1] she never went to school[1][5] and married when she was 16, as is common among women of her people. Later, in 1994 she moved to the city Mbuji-Mayi so that her children could go to school and her husband started his career as a butcher.[1]
Genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The outbreak of the genocide was in 1994. On Aug 2, 1998 the government sent a police officer to her house to find her husband. She lied that her husband was not home,[1][6] she was taken to the police office with her son. 10 months for that to ask about the place where he was. Thus, as about where his money. So she told them he was buying more cows to trade (when in reality, he was at home). She and her son were able to temporarily leave the office after she offered him money to protect her family and he promised that he would reflect on it.[1] However, she fled with her husband and their seven children to safety to eastern fron country,[6] after hearing the news on the television that the president was willing to kill all Tutsis and keep their belongings and money. Her family never out of day to avoid being found by the government and she begged money from friends and neighbors to make any purchases that she needed. However, her family was found,[1][6] by which they were carried in a truck [6] to a prison camp in September 23, 1998, along with four other Tutsi families at 11:00 pm.[1]
Experiences in the camp
16 months they were in the camp.[6] Under the surveillance of guards, her government ordered the murder of all the men, including her husband.[1][2][6] Women and children had to die by starvation. Two women and two children who were in her camp were murdered by the government. They had no food, no health system. They had lice. Children had to do their droppings in the cell because there existed no bathroom and they were malnourished.[1][6] In addition, to save to her son from being killed by a soldier, she had to give to a soldier her daughter, Amy, only 17 years old, as a sex partner[2][3] The soldiers also destroyed her home and beat her. At this time she was pregnant and sick. She raised her ten children alone and gave birth to twins at the camp.[1][2] Later, when the order came to kill all the people from camp, the commander had Rose and her family transferred to another prison situated in Kinshasa (capital of the DRC). Two weeks later she was sent to a protection centre run by the Red Cross in Cameroon by the US government emergency programme to resettle Tutsi refugees from the Congo to others places.[6]
Meanwhile, Nangabire, her 12 year old daughter, was with Rose's father in law. The troops attacked the place they were staying and took them as prisoners. For six years, they were separated, but after that time, Rose met her in a refugee camp with her grandmother.[5]
In July 2000[6] Mapendo and her children were rescued and established in the United States,[5][6] but her daughter, Nangabire, had to continue living in the camp six years more years. During that time, Rose sent money for Nangabire to go to school, but the people there stole it and she was forced to work cleaning a house. Eventually, she was able to migrate to the United States.[5]
Life in United states
Already in the United States, she saved some money to send it to the widows of refugees.[1] She also has developed a number of demonstrations to raise public awareness about the problems faced by refugees,[6] and also for send more money to those who lived in refugee camps and internally displaced groups.[1]
She also founded with her brother Dr. Kigabo Mapendo New Horizons, a non-profit Organizations, that she still directs with her brother. The mission of Mapendo New Horizons is to help vulnerable survivors of physical, psychological, and social trauma caused by decades of extreme violence have easy access to health care and to give them hope.[1][7] So, she won The winner of the United Nations' 2009 Humanitarian of the Year.[2]
In addition, she starred in the film Pushing the Elephant, which tells the story of the separation between her and Nangabire during the Congolese genocide. The film tries to convey to people the importance of the fight against violence and for human rights.[5] She has also influenced others to follow suit.[2][3]
Personal life
She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona and has 10 children.[6] Her children study at the local schools, worship at the local church and work at local businesses.[4] Her daughter is studying to be a nurse.[6]
Legacy
Sasha Chanoff, founder of Mapendo International (organization to assist the Congolese people to emigrate to United States and there she was for six years,[1][5] help to people whose lives have been destroyed by war and violence and have been ignored by humanitarian assistance[6] and focused, especially, on helping victims in Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi.[5]) named the organization in Rose Mapendo's honour.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Mapendo MNH Horizons. Retrieved in January 14, 2011, to 0: 50 pm.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 The Daily Northwestern. Posted by By Michele Corriston. Retrieved in January 13, 2011, to 23:55 pm.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 War Survivor Shares Remarkable Story Of Forgiveness. Retrieved January 17, 2012, to 22:15 pm.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 ROSE MAPENDO arrives to MIAMI. posted in April 1, 2011 By Adriana Ramos. Retrieved in January 23, 2012, to 23:45 pm.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Five Questions for Rose Mapendo. Retrieved in January 14, 2011, to 0:31 pm
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 Q&A: Rose Mapendo draws on her traumatic life to help others. Posted in UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency. 23 January 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2012, to 0:40 pm.
- ↑ Organization Mapendo Horizons