Immaculee G. Songa is a firsthand witness and survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi during which she lost her husband, her two daughters of 3 and 5, siblings, many relatives and faithful friends. She was born and raised in Rwanda, East Africa and came to the United in 1999.
Songa is passionate to restoring the dignity of her family and that of over one million lives slaughtered during the Genocide and believes Rwandan and other genocides should be a lesson to a world that strives for sustainable peace. Discussions on the roots of genocides; telling her surviving story; and ensuring the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi are not forgotten but instead be a beacon and pillar of peace is her motto. Most people realize the danger of lack of unity; the consequences of genocide on survivors, their countries, and the society. Songa speaks at schools, churches, and institutions about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, how it was planned and executed, and life in the aftermath.
Songa is very involved in her community; empowering other survivors and those in need. She headed different committees, including that of Commission of Genocide Awareness and Prevention in the Rwandan American Community of Midwest. She is now the founder and President of “Global Survivors for Peace” an organization which aim is to support survivors, especially through education and empowering women survivors.
She earned her B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Indiana University of South Bend, USA. She goes above and beyond her abilities to support survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. She involves herself in Genocide Awareness and its Prevention because she believes, even her struggles as a survivor, in the responsibility and obligation she has as a survivor to be an instrument of peace.
Vice President
Pamela Cronkright
Pamela Cronkright is an educator, administrator and small business owner who aims to prepare and equip those she works with to make positive contributions to the community. After more than two decades in the classroom and in facilitating teams, Pamela believes the highest outcome of education and training is when it is transformational and used for a greater good. Pamela’s students have raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity, the systems she has created have improved profitability and outcomes for the organizations and businesses she has led, but her greatest source of joy and pride is found in her marriage of 26 years and her three children. Pamela holds a B.A. in History/Social Science from Wheaton College and A M.A. in Educational Administration from National-Louis University, as well as 32 additional post-graduate hours in Educational Leadership from Aurora University.
Secretary
Virginia Campbell
Virginia Campbell, Ginna for short, was born and raised in the United States of America, in the state of Illinois. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor’s degree in English in May 2018. She has worked as writing editor for a student publication and has interned for the US Department of State.
Ginna first met founder Immaculee G. Songa in 2013 when Immaculee took mutual friends to visit Rwanda. Although she could not join the trip, Ginna followed along in spirit and sent gifts to a child she had sponsored there for many years. For Ginna, Immaculee has been an example and teacher throughout the years of what peace and forgiveness look like in action. Following that example, she hopes to be of service to survivors and to be part of building peace everywhere.
Treasurer
Philbert Mucyo
Philbert Mucyo is a firsthand survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda (Genocide). He was only five years old when he was surrounded by chaos during 1994 as he feared for his life and lost many family members, including his uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends who would have contributed to shaping his life. He also lost his father, who questioned his survival after everyone was gone after the Genocide. Mucyo then became an active member of different survivors’ associations in Rwanda until he came to the USA in 2013. His passion for survivors' wellbeing is evident in his planning of walks to remember the victims of the Genocide and his contributions to the planning of commemorations. Mucyo's voice for survivors is indefinite as he joins Global Survivors for Peace to empower those who survived.
Mucyo is a graduate of Bethel University, where he earned his MA in Business administration in 2020. He has a Bachelors's degree in Business with a concentration in Economics from the National University of Rwanda
Board Member
Dr. Catherine Borshuk
Dr. Catherine Borshuk is Professor of Psychology at Indiana University South Bend. A native of Canada, she has lived in the United States since 2000. Her research focus is social psychology, in particular group relations and gender. She has published on topics such as intergroup helping, immigrant acculturation, and incarcerated women; her current project is on myths regarding sexual harassment. She teaches classes on the psychology of women, and on domestic violence and sexual assault.
Board Member
Emmanuel Sibomana
Emmanuel Sibomana is a survivor of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda. Both his Parents, three brothers and many members of his extended family were killed during the 100 days of Genocide. While in Rwanda Emmanuel served for two years as Coordinator of AERG (Association des Etudiants et Elèves Rescapés du Genocide) at the University of Rwanda, Kavumu College of Education. He also worked nine years at the University of Rwanda, College of Education. Emmanuel believes education is critical to a society and that we are called to assist the most vulnerable in our society. His way to honor the victims of the Genocide is to serve whenever he can where peace is promoted through education and lifting the most vulnerable. He currently lives in Indiana, United States of America with his wife and children.
