FROM THE JUNGLE TO THE WHITE HOUSE : Week#1

The week from the 22nd to the 27th of May 2011 was the orientation week of my internship with the American Association of People with Disability (AAPD). During this week I learnt a lot in terms of Disability History and Identity; living in DC and working in DC. I enjoyed also meeting different personalities who are supporting disability rights movement in this country. During this orientation week every thing was organised on high level from Airplanes tickets , Speakers, housing, food; conferences hall, etc...

I was very impressed by seeing how every one of us had a mentor and a supervisor, and the way they brought them together with all interns for a lunch and elaboration of learning objectives.

My mind was also impressed by how they found a supervisor and a mentor for every single person of all us. This is not a great job but a super great great job. My greatful thanks to AAPD team. We are proud to have leaders organised in such way.

This orientation week was not only a week of fun for me it was also a week of tears. But don't be worry if I talk about tears, it was tears of joy. I don't know if one day anyone of you had tears of Joy as it happened to me. It is hard to understand, but Almighty God is Powerful : "From the Jungle to the White House".

Fifteen years ago I was lost in the largest jungle of the World. (Congolese equatorial Jungle) because of the Rwandan genocide and Congolese mass killings. I didn’t have access to salt, to soap; to bed…I was hopeless, homeless, and lifeless if I can say. The jungle in which I was staying is over imagination. It is compared to Amazon Jungle in Central America. I lived inhumanity life during 7 months in the jungle. The genocide, the Jungle and mass killings I am talking about today it is over imagination. I don’t know how to describe. But God is powerful and Almighty. I can’t understand how now after this terrible life I am walking around the white house, pentagon, capitol hill and Washington Monument."Tears of Joy".

In the Jungle, where I was staying 15 years ago there was no salt, no soap,no microwave, no bike, no train, no car, no plane, no…. Only human rights violation, fear, PTSD, and… Now I am exposed to a new life where I can eat salt, using a washing machine, a dryer, travel by a car, a plane or a train. God is good. Life in the jungle is over. "Tears of Joy".

I am having fun in Washington DC. From my life experience I know how fun it is to put on shoes. Some people are not having fun when they put shoes on because since they were born they had shoes on or because they didn’t see thousands and thousands of people without shoes on.

Oh my collegues, It was a privilege to meet you guys. Every one of you is a blessing to me . And let us put together our efforts to promote and to push disability rights movement until it get in every corner of the World.

Now I am interning with the United States International Council on Disabilities. I think it is a right place for me to be. I am very sure I will learn a lot in terms of global rights disability policy and I expect to work together with USICD team to advocate for millions and millions of people with disabilities especially for those from developing countries where cultural and economic issues don’t allow them even some of their basic rights.
I think that with these 11 weeks I am going to spend here I will be more informed in terms of disability rights and disability advocacy.