By Ronnie Moore
As a child of physician parents who, in the 1980s, provided vaccinations and other medical care to the people of Afghanistan and Yemen, Marie grew up in a culture of public service and social consciousness—with a passion for justice.
Now, as a college student, Marie chose World Can’t Wait as the organization to which she wanted to devote her time and passions, so she has come all the way from France to intern in the national office in New York City.
“For me, it’s about serving, and it’s about fighting against crimes and torture. I want to help achieve real democracy, transparency, and accountability in government” she says “That’s why I came to World Can’t Wait.”
Marie’s “aha” moment was when she read about the Guantanamo Bay detention camp/detainment facility. It was then she knew she wanted to work with World Can’t Wait. She says, “When I started to read about Guantanamo, I thought, ‘How can torture and discarding basic human rights happen in the United States?’ I am deeply concerned about this. If this had happened in another country, the western world would be up in arms, but because this is in the US, there are no consequences.”
Although she arrived only a few weeks prior to the writing of this spotlight, Marie is already involved in many critical World Can’t Wait activities, including the “We Are Not Your Soldiers Project,”, doing outreach and developing materials, the “War Criminals Watch,” updating the website, serving as photojournalist covering protests, fundraising, and wherever else she is needed.
Marie says she learns something new every day, and ultimately, she wants to earn her living making the world better. Although she says she will not be a doctor like her parents, she hopes to honor them with a lifelong service mentality. World Can’t Wait is proud to have her on board, and there can be no question that she is making her parents proud.
When asked about how she is feeling about her work with World Can’t Wait just three weeks in to her internship, she replies, “I like what I am doing and I won’t give up because I hope, and hope dies last."
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