Hi, I’m Isaac Nkurunziza.

My story begins in a refugee camp in Rwanda’s Northern Province, where I spent the first fifteen years of my life. Eventually, my family and I were given the opportunity to resettle in the United States—a move that changed everything.

For a long time, I never thought I’d go back. But after receiving my U.S. passport, I made the trip to Rwanda to visit family and reconnect with the people and places that shaped me. That visit stirred something deep in me. Seeing the difference between the life I live now and the struggles I grew up with, I couldn’t help but ask myself: What good is having so much if I don’t use it to help others?

That question led me to take action. I began by raising funds to help 130 people pay off their medical bills. The experience brought me a sense of peace and purpose I hadn’t felt before—and it lit a fire in me to keep going.

When I got back to the U.S., I knew I couldn’t do it alone. I wanted to create a space where others could be part of something bigger, where we could come together to make lasting change. That’s how the Dream Nziza Foundation was born.