CONVERSATIONS WITH JOHN PRENDERGAST & ROSE MAPENDO
Keri Selig and her husband Keith Addis kindly opened up their Los Angeles home to the first Children Mending Hearts salon on April 29, 2009. The evening was an introduction of our non-profit to the wider LA business and entertainment community.
Guests heard Rose Mapendo tell her remarkable story of courage and forgiveness. There was barely a dry eye in the house as Rose, a genocide survivor, spoke about her life in Congo. She described how her husband was tortured and killed shortly after they and their seven children were arrested and forced into a death camp. She spoke emotionally about giving birth to twins on the concrete floor of her cell weeks later. In an act of forgiveness and an appeal to their humanity, she named the twins after the same men who killed her husband. Eighteen months after being imprisoned, Rose and her children were rescued and arrived in the U.S. in 2000. She never once mentioned the numerous awards she has received, instead focusing on what we can do to help those still suffering in Congo.
ENOUGH Project co-Founder and co-Chair, John Prendergast, called upon us to take action after he eloquently described the situation with conflict minerals in Congo. As John described how gold, and the three T’s – tin, tungsten and tantalum – found in all of our electronic devices from laptops to digital cameras to cell phones to iPods are key to the rape and genocide occurring in Congo, I knew no one in that room would look at their tech toys the same way again. A passionate advocate, John stirred the emotions in the room, and encouraged us to act to let electronics manufacturers know that consumers were watching how they will respond to the call to become accountable for their supply chain.
Our wonderful co-hosts, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Tracey Edmonds, Jo Gartin and Suzy Shuster invited their friends and the house was filled with activists, actors and musicians – with powerful voices to spread the word. We announced our Board of Directors as well as our program for 2009, Please Mr. President… a series of letter writing and painting workshops with homeless children across America and refugee children in Congo.
It was a rewarding evening and one we won’t soon forget. We are grateful to everyone who attended and look forward to holding these intimate conversations in other cities so that we may continue to spread the word and raise awareness.
