Remarks at the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of StateKinshasa, Democratic Republic of the CongoAugust 10, 2009
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I am very honored to be at this hospital which is such a place of hope and healing, particularly with its emphasis on mothers and babies, which is very close to my heart. Dikembe built this in honor of his mother, who I had the privilege of meeting in the White House in 1994.
MR. MUTOMBO: Four, yes.
SECRETARY CLINTON: And so for me it’s like coming full circle, having met his mother and knowing how much she inspired and supported him, and now he has taken his extraordinary success as a professional basketball player and has one of the biggest foundations in Africa, working not only here in his home country, but around the continent to help provide services to people. And it’s a great tribute to his mother and to the values that she raised him with.
MR. MUTOMBO: Thank you, Madame Secretary. For me, all I will say is that we are honored to have Madame Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to visit us here. You know, this hospital was such a dream, and today becoming a reality and serving the community of more than 3 million people. And we are trying to save as many lives as we can. In all, we think that Congolese people deserve better health care, and we hope that what we are doing here, we’re just setting an example so that people can have hope and so that their future is more close to them, that there are people there in America, at least somewhere else, who are thinking about them.
Thank you, guys.
