Martin Ndayisenga

Honorary Delegate

Jan 2

Martin Ndayisenga is a Burundian refugee who was resettled to New Mexico with his wife in 2007. He was just ten years old when he was separated from his parents and was forced to flee Burundi to neighboring Tanzania to escape escalating ethnic conflict in 1995.

Martin spent 12 years living in a refugee camp, where he completed his high school studies and met his wife. He now lives in Albuquerque, where he works as a Community Refugee Mentor and Patient Care Technician (PCT) for the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH).

He earned his bachelor’s degree in social work and is currently an MSW Candidate. He also works as a Research Assistant for the Refugee Well-Being Project, a research program of the University of New Mexico (UNM).

Martin is a co-founder and current secretary of the Association of Burundian Americans in New Mexico (ABANM). He believes it is important for people to be aware of the plight of refugees, and to stand up and advocate for them. He is also a Council Board Member of the Office of Immigrants and Refugees Affairs located in Albuquerque Mayor’s office.