Rose Mapendo: Difference between revisions

Rose Mapendo (1963 - ) is national human rights Congolese activist. She founded the Mapendo New Horizons 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. In addition, the Mapendo International organization (whose objective is, between others, to assist the Congolese people to emigrate to United States, for that them can escape of the war in their countries of origin) was name in his honor.

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 belong to the Banyamulenge Tutsi tribe.^[4] Bred for marriage and motherhood, ^[1] she never went to school^[5][1] and married when she was 16, as is common among women of his peoples. More late, in 1994 she be established in the city Mbuji-Mayi for that his children can go the school and his husband start his career butcher. ^[1]

The outbreak of the genocide was in 1994. In Aug 2, 1998 the government sent a police officer to her house to find her husband. His lie that her husband was not home^[6][1], took her to the police office with his 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 his family and he promised that he would reflect on it. ^[1]However, she fled with her husband and his seven children to safety to eastern fron country,^[6] after hearing the news through of the television that the president was willing to kill all Tutsis and keep their belongings and money. His 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, his family was found, ^[6][1]by which they were carried in a truck ^[6]to a prison camp in September 23, 1998, along with four other Tutsi family at 11:00 pm.^[1].

During 16 month she were in the camp.^[6] In it place, which was under the surveillance by guards, her government ordered murdering to all the men, incluided to her husband. ^[1][2][6] For its part, women and children had to die by starvation. Two women and two children who were in his camp were murder by the government. They had no food, had no health system, 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, once she had to give to soldier his daughter, Amy, that had only had 17 years, for sex partner^[2][3] More late, the soldiers destroyed his home and beat her. In these moments she was pregnant and sick. Therefore, she raised to his ten children alone and of giving birth to twins at the camp.^[1][2] Later, when the order came to kill all the people from camp, the commander had transferred to her and his family 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 in others places.^[6] By other had, Nangabire, her daughter of 12 years, was with his father in law, the troops attacked the place where they were and made prisoner. For six years, they were separated, but after that time, Rose met her in a refugee camp with her grandmother.^[5]

More late, in July 2000^[6] Mapendo and her children were rescued and be established to United States,^[6][5] but his daughter had to continue living there another six years in the camp. During that time, Rose sent money to school, but the people there took it off and she was forced to work cleaning a house. After that time, she could also migrate to the United States.^[5]

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 the Mapendo New Horizons, a non-profit Organizations, that she still directed with his 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 the film Pushing the Elephant, which tells the story of the separation between her and Nangabire during the Congolese genocide. With his films tries to convey to people the importance of the fight against violence and for your rights. ^[5]She has also influenced others to follow suit.^[2][3]

She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona and have 10 children. ^[6]His children study the local schools, worship at the localchurch and work at local businesses. ^[4]His more old daughter is studying the nurse career.^[6]

Sasha Chanoff, founder the Mapendo International (organization for assist the Congolese people to emigrate to United States and there she was for six years^[5][1], 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]) decided name the organization in his honour.^[6]

• Heroínas: Rose Mapendo : Heroína de República Democrática del Congo (In Spanish).
• Pushing the Elephan