From becoming a refugee to leading a resettlement agency

Mosaics

Zeze Rwasama shares his story from DRC to Rwanda to the U.S.

Zeze Rwasama is the director of the College of Southern Idaho Refugee Programs, which resettles refugees in Twin Falls, Idaho.

As a child Zeze dreamed of becoming an engineer in electronics, but his passion shifted to helping refugees after he himself become a refugee in 1995. Conflict stemming from the Rwandan genocide moved into his community in the DRC (then Zaire). Zeze and his family, part of the Tutsi ethnic group, became targeted and were forced to escape to a refugee camp, where they lived for several years before relocating to the U.S.

Over the years Zeze has held several key roles in and outside of the U.S. helping refugees integrate into their new communities. He is married with four children and holds a master's degree in public administration.

Much of Zeze’s outlook on life and relationships comes from his father’s kindness toward others and from the generosity he himself received from strangers, life lessons he is now passing on to his own children and the people he works with.