Hadidja Nyiransekuye

Hadidja Nyiransekuye
Honorary Delegate

Hadidja Nyiransekuye is a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide. She was sponsored to come to the United States in 1998 based on her teaching experience and education background, as well as her extensive language skills, which include English, French, Swahili and Kinyarwanda. She and her four children were granted asylum in 2000.

Hadidja obtained her M.S.W. and her Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Denver. She currently lives in Denton, Texas where she teaches Social Work at the University of North Texas. She is dedicated to speaking out and educating people about Rwanda, and her speaking engagements have led her to work with the Metropolitan State University of Denver where she taught African and African American studies. She also serves as a member of the Council on Social Work Education and the National Association of Social Workers.

Hadidja published a memoir in 2011, entitled, The Lances were Looking Down: One Woman’s Path Through the Rwandan Genocide to Life in the States, and has written another book entitled, At the Receiving End: A Phenomenological Study of African Women Recipients of Refugee Services in the States. In addition to publishing this study on refugee women’s experiences of resettlement services, she is very proud of being a resource, or “go-to person”, for addressing refugee concerns about children’s schooling and family counseling.

In 2012, in recognition of her work, Hadidja received a fellowship at Columbia University’s Human Rights Advocates Program. Hadidja says her experiences with violence and subsequent work with other refugees and asylum seekers have inspired her to become an active human rights activist who never takes for granted such things as education, democracy, or the ability to wake up in the morning free of fear that something horrible might happen. She is most proud of her work to change the perceptions of immigrants.

In the News:

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