Stephanie Nyombayire, Anti-genocide activistDuring her freshman year at Swarthmore College, Nyombayire co-founded the Genocide Intervention Network. As a representative, she traveled to over one hundred colleges and high schools to speak against the Darfur genocide and give citizens the tools to take action. Nyombayire has reported on the Darfur crisis from the Chad-Sudan border with MTV and testified before the Texas Senate Commission, which unanimously passed Senate bill 247 on Divestment from Sudan. Today, the Genocide Intervention Network has raised over three million dollars and divestment bills have been passed in over twenty states.
In 2007, Nyombayire was named one of Glamour magazine’s Top Ten College Women heroes for her work on Darfur. Nyombayire was honored by Rwandan First Lady Jeannette Kagame for her role in founding the Genocide Intervention Network, and in 2008 was invited to speak on a Clinton Global Initiative panel on student activism.
Today, Nyombayire is working with Orphans of Rwanda, Inc., an organization dedicated to helping orphans and other socially vulnerable young people in Rwanda pursue a university education and ultimately become leaders in driving economic development and social reconciliation. After her studies, she hopes to return to Rwanda to continue empowering and serving the youth.
Currently, Nyombayire is attending New York University’s Master’s program on Public Policies.
