Gilbert Tuhabonye

Gilbert Tuhabonye’s story is truly inspirational. A native of Songa, Burundi, when he was in high school he survived a massacre during the Burundian Civil War that is so harrowing that it is hard to believe. After more than 100 of his classmates and teachers were captured by members of the Hutu tribe they were killed with machetes and burned alive. Tuhabonye survived by hiding under the burning bodies of several of his classmates for hours, suffering massive burns to his body as well. After recovering from the burns he came to the United States as a part of the Olympic training program and earned a track scholarship to Abilene Christian University. At Abilene, the boy who survived the massacre and that saw his friends tragically taken far before their time won a National Championship and became a national sports hero. In 2006 Tuhabonye shared his story with the world in the book “This is the Voice in My Heart: A Genocide Survivors Story of Escape, Faith and Forgivenes,” which has since been featured on the BBC and National Public Radio. That same year he cofounded the Gazelle Foundation, a non-profit organization with the mission to improve the lives of the Burundi people. Now a United States citizen, he currently resides in Austin, Texas with his wife and children.