The United Nations 2016 Person of the Year Award was given to Kenyan Ambassador Tegla Chepkite Loroupe. Ambassador Loroupe was the organizer of the Refugee Olympic Team that competed in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
In 2014 she visited the Kkuma Refugee Camp in Kenya and met a number of refugees who were athletes. She set up a training center to encourage positive activity and to help traumatized people “disarm the minds.” Then she petitioned the International Olympic Committee to allow refugees to compete. The IOC agreed to let the refugees be formed as a team competing under the Olympic flag. A team of 10 was selected, coming from Syria, Congo, Ethiopia and South Sudan. They marched and competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
In her acceptance speech for the award, Ambassador Loroupe spoke of “disarming the mind” and making a difference. She talked about meeting young children who wanted to kill those who had caused their suffering. She also spoke about those engaged in war and involved in the killing as “our sons” and “our brothers.” She challenged people to turn from killing and to “make a difference.”
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