From refugee camp to Global advocate: Gentille’s journey of purpose

Gentille Dusenge was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but at just two years old her life changed dramatically when conflict forced her family and community to flee to neighboring Rwanda. Like many displaced families, they were resettled in refugee camps across different regions. Her family lived in a remote settlement where she spent most of her childhood and completed much of her early education. 

Growing up, she was taught that girls should be quiet, kind, and primarily responsible for household duties.  

“My upbringing emphasized that girls should be quiet, kind, and primarily responsible for household duties,” she shares. “While these expectations shaped my sense of responsibility and discipline, my lived experiences pushed me to grow beyond them”. 

Life in the refugee camp was one of her greatest challenges. There was little privacy, stability, or adequate infrastructure. Access to clean water, food, sanitation, firewood, and proper shelter was uncertain and required daily effort. Yet despite these hardships, Gentille developed adaptability, perseverance, and the ability to hold onto hope beyond immediate survival.  

“Knowing my children did not experience life in a refugee camp remains one of my greatest personal achievements.” she says. 

In 2012, Gentille received a government scholarship to attend a public university in Rwanda. However, her progress was interrupted.  

“One year later, I was required to provide documentation available only to national citizens, which refugees could not obtain,” she recalls. “As a result, I lost tuition support, housing, and meals.” 

Five years later, Gentille was admitted to the Kepler Program, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management with Concentration in Global Perspective. During this period, she balanced marriage and pregnancy while serving as student association president, teaching ESL at a community library, and represented refugee students in Switzerland at the Global Refugee Forum.  

After arriving in Canada, Gentille enrolled her child in the HIPPY program in September 2024 to support her child’s early learning soon became a new chapter in her own journey, as she later became a HIPPY Home Visitor at ISANS. Reflecting on how far she has come, she says “I am proud of providing children with a stable life, one that was taken from me at a very young age,” she admires. “While I was born into a loving and financially stable family, that reality ended abruptly due to conflict and displacement.” 

African Heritage Month holds deep meaning for Gentille. It is a time of reflection, affirmation, and responsibility, a reminder that her life, voice, and dreams matter. It offers an opportunity to honor where she comes from, clarify where she is going, and commit to contributing positively to others.  

“I honor the legacy of those who came before me by recognizing their courage, vision, and commitment to future generations,” she shares. “Their belief that freedom, dignity, and equality are non-negotiable continues to guide her actions and aspirations.” 

Gentille encourages young Black professionals to believe in their potential and pursue their goals with persistence, while acknowledging that systemic barriers still exist. Progress, she believes, requires both individual effort and collective action. She urges them to challenge limiting narratives, advocate for opportunities, and lead with integrity. 

In October 2025, Gentille also published her book, A Congolese Refugee’s Quest for a Purpose and Better Life More to Life that a Refugee Camp, a memoir that traces her journey from childhood in Kiziba Refugee Camp to academic achievement and advocacy. The book challenges the structural barriers that silence displaced people and calls for refugees to be empowered as agents of change and to call leaders to lead towards sustainable peace and true patriotism so that we have refugees no more. On a personal level, she wrote it to preserve her community’s memories and ensure their story is told through their own lived experiences for future generations. 

Her book can be found here: https://livedplacespublishing.com/book/isbn/9781916985605