Celine Fariala Mangaza
Celine Fariala Mangaza (27 August 1967 – 28 May 2020, nicknamed Mama Leki) was a Congolese disabilities activist.
Celine Fariala Mangaza | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 August 1967 |
| Died | 28 May 2020 (aged 52) Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Nationality | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Biography
Mangaza was born in Bukavu in the Republic of the Congo on 27 August 1967. She contracted polio at the age of 3. Despite her illness and the tradition of girls not going to school at the time, in 1974, she went to school up to the sixth grade when she left to become a tailor. She setup her own sewing training center for disabled people called the Association for the Wellness of Handicapped Women in 2006. She was also the vice president of Safeco, an NGO in Bukavu that taught Congolese women digital skills.[1]
Leki in the Lingala language translates to "aunt" and is intended to be a sign of respect by the local community.[1]
She married her husband Fidel Batumike in 1994 and the couple had 4 children.[1]
On 28 May 2020, during the DR Congo coronavirus pandemic, Mangaza died due to COVID-19 in Bukavu.[1]
References
- Wolfe, Lauren (2020-06-03). "Celine Fariala Mangaza, Congolese Heroine of Disabled People, Dies at 52". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-23.