Niarchos Prize for Survivorship
2009 Honorees
The Survivors of Rwanda
Fifteen
years ago, a genocide was perpetrated in Rwanda that claimed over one
million lives in one hundred days and left hundreds of thousands
injured, traumatized and displaced. Since the genocide, the people of
Rwanda have shown remarkable resilience. They have set an example for
the world of how to put aside hatred and revenge by encouraging former
perpetrators to return to their communities and join in building a
united Rwanda. Three Rwandan survivors will accept the Niarchos Prize
for Survivorship on behalf of the people of Rwanda.
Albert
Gasake lost his parents and brothers in the genocide when he was nine
years old. He brought together other young survivors to create an
internet cafe and an agricultural cooperative to benefit their
community.
READ Albert's Niarchos Prize acceptance speech
WATCH Albert's speech [youtube]
Janvier
Mujalibu also lost his family to the genocide when he was in his early
twenties. He now empowers young survivors through education and
information technology, and raises funds to support Child Headed
Households.
READ Janvier's Niarchos Prize acceptance speech
WATCH Janvier's speech [youtube]
Geraldine
Umutesi fled her village with her family when she was thirteen. Only
she and her sister survived the genocide. Ms. Umutesi works to empower
youth through school programs and to provide survivors with the tools
and support to thrive and build a better future.
READ Geraldine's Niarchos Prize acceptance speech
WATCH Geraldine's speech [youtube]
Complexions Contemporary Ballet
Inspired
by political and social themes, as well as the individual struggle to
survive and thrive, Complexions expresses the spirit of resilience to
heal the world, one dance at a time. Diversity and multiculturalism
form the foundation of Complexions. At the Niarchos Awards Luncheon,
Complexions co-founder Desmond Richardson will perform an adapted
version I Will Not Be Broken, a dance piece about the journey from
tragedy to triumph, inspired by the book of the same name by Survivor
Corps Executive Director Jerry White. "Given the wars, international
strife, and global economic challenges we face these days, we knew it
was the right time to present this dance piece," says Mr. Richardson.
"We want people to leave feeing uplifted."
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish
Dr.
Abuelaish is a Palestinian obstetrician and gynecologist, specializing
in treating infertility at the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv. On
the day before Israel declared a ceasefire, a tank fired at his home in
Jabaliya refugee camp, killing three of his daughters and his niece,
and injuring four other family members. Shortly after, he appeared on
Israeli news broadcasts calling for peace. His broadcasts gave the
Israeli public their first glimpse of the human cost suffered by
residents of Gaza during the attacks. "I raised my children to be
soldiers of peace. I believed medicine could be a bridge for peace
between Israelis and Palestinians," he said. "It is a place where
humanity can be discovered, where people are treated without racism and
as equals."
Dr.
Abuelaish studied medicine in Cairo, and specialized in gynecology in
London and public health at Harvard. He has worked as a doctor in Saudi
Arabia and at the Soroka medical center in Israel, and as an adviser
for the World Health Organization in Afghanistan. Dr. Abuelaish
maintained a clinic in Gaza where patients received critical care while
awaiting transfers for medical treatment in Israel.
Nomika Zion
Ms.
Zion is a program director at the Van-Leer Jerusalem Institute's Center
for Social Justice, where she engages diverse groups, from economists
and social activists to business leaders and the public, in an ongoing
dialogue about critical economic and social justice issues. Ms. Zion
lives in Sderot, an Israeli border town that has been the frequent
target of missiles fired from Gaza. She is the Chair of Gvanim
Association, an organization for social change with more than 45 active
projects and programs for the populations in Sderot and throughout
Israel. Nomika is a leading member of Other Voice, a grassroots group
of Israeli residents living near Gaza who want the bombardment from
both sides to stop so that peaceful relations and normal life can
resume. In January 2009, she brought national attention to the group
when she published War Diary from Sderot, an open and sharp response to
those who were glorifying the war in the name of the people of Sderot.
"I am frightened that...we are losing the human ability to see the
other side, to feel, to be horrified, to show empathy," she wrote.
Nomika
Zion, a granddaughter of Kibbutz movement leader Yaakov Hazan,
pioneered a new form of collective living in 1987 when she co-founded
Migvan, an urban Kibbutz within the city of Sderot that promotes a
balance of social awareness, education and personal fulfillment.
Through the kibbutz's high tech company, Ms. Zion creates and oversees
national programs that use technology to foster dialogue between
different sectors of Israeli society, including Arabs and Jews, Kibbutz
and city dwellers, and religious and secular people.
READ Nomika Zion's Niarchos Prize acceptance speech
WATCH Nomika's speech [youtube]
2009 Niarchos Awards Luncheon
Host Committee
Gerald Appelstein
Peter Armitage
Dick Barker
Terry Berkemeier
Paula Berry
Franchesca Biondo
Ambassador Lincoln
Bloomfield, Jr.
Mig Boyle
Kim Brizzolara
Alicia Bythewood
Karen Cassidy
Dr. Dennis Charney
Kathryn Chenault
Mary Daly
Ann Daniel
Michele Demers Gluck
Elizabeth Dewberry
Dr. Gail Furman |
Fred Giuffrida and
Pamela J. Joyner
Myrna and Steve
Greenberg
Eva and Yoel Haller
Cheryl Hill
Joan Hornig
Carolyn Katz
David Kidder and
Johanna Zeilstra
Jesse Kornbluth
David Kuhn
Jourdan Lawlor
Doug McCormack
Elizabeth McCormack
Rockell Metcalf
Dee Dee Myers
Jane Olson
Caroline Pfohl |
Al Roker and
Deborah Roberts
Ken Rutherford
Cynthia Ryan
Vin Ryan
Lionel Sauvage
Ivan Schouker
Ross Sherbrooke
Debra Shriver
Hildy Simmons
Lekha Singh
Gail Snetro-Plewman
Christine Stonbely
John R. Taylor
Bill Toliver
RoseMarie Terenzio
Betsy West
Jerry White
Rick White |