Ésperance Gikundiro brings both professional and personal  passion for helping refugees thrive. She has worked extensively with different refugee groups and understands their challenges not only through her work, but through her experiences as an alumni and former Board Member with RefuSHE.

Since her U.S. arrival with her daughter in 2014 as a refugee assisted by catholic social services, Ésperance has been a tireless advocate for refugees. She dedicates the majority of her personal and professional time to assist refugees and the displaced.

Ésperance recognizes the enormous, and all too often overlooked, potential of refugees and supports them to shape a brighter future for their families and their communities. She comes with expertise in program creation, fundraising strategies, and  resource management. She volunteers with Welcome Dayton, Bunco for Charity, and Catholic Social Services which recently conferred two awards upon her for activism on behalf of refugee families from the city of Dayton.

Esperance works as a Residential Advisor  for at-risk students and currently attends Clark College. Esperance believes in improving the community and making refugees feel at home away from home.