Senator Collins Welcomes Moninda Marube Of Auburn, ME To Washington D.C.

    WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Susan Collins welcomed Auburn, Maine’s Moninda Marube to the U.S. Capitol this morning. Moninda is an anti-human trafficking activist and is currently running across the country to raise awareness about this deplorable crime and to share his personal story.

     Led by Moninda Murbe, the Moninda Movement is a 3,700-mile cross-country running tour from Auburn, Maine, to Santa Barbara, California, that seeks to raise awareness of the evils of human trafficking. Today’s stop in Washington represents a detour of some 500 miles in order to bring more attention to the urgent issue of human trafficking.

     “Moninda is more than a world-class athlete. He is a person of remarkable courage and commitment to others. His advocacy and leadership of the Moninda Movement will help to shine a light on the horrific and widespread problem of human trafficking in America. No place is immune from the evil of traffickers luring vulnerable victims with the promise of a better life,” said Senator Collins. “For this reason, I was proud to cosponsor and vote for important bipartisan anti trafficking legislation that was signed into law this May. Congress must continue to work diligently to provide law enforcement with the tools it needs to pursue trafficking and to support the preventive programs that help vulnerable women and men who fall victim to trafficking.”

     Moninda left his homeland in Kenya in 2010 to escape poverty and violence and came to America to find freedom. Instead, he found that he and other top athletes had been tricked by an unscrupulous athletic agent into lives of near-slavery and poverty. It was after winning the Santa Barbara International Half Marathon in 2011 that Moninda told Dan Campbell, a legendary Maine high school track coach who was working at that event, about his desperate situation. Dan helped Moninda come to Auburn early the next year, where the community welcomed him with open arms.

     Senator Collins has been a longtime advocate and strong voice against human trafficking, and a cosponsor of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act—which was signed into law this May.

     “As Moninda’s journey now turns westward, the people of Auburn and the entire state of Maine will be with him every step of the way,” said Senator Collins.

     Read Moninda’s full story in his own words here.

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