Chantale Zuzi

Chantale Zuzi’s life began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo just 21 years ago. Despite facing devastating losses amid the cruelties of war and displacement, Zuzi has grown into a positive, accomplished, and enthusiastic young woman determined to forge a future in service to others.

At 13, she lost both her parents in a massacre in her village and was forced to flee with her nine siblings to Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement in Uganda. As the oldest girl in her family, Zuzi became the primary caregiver of her nine siblings. She also began to advocate for the rights of girls and young women of Rwamwanja and for those whose lives were touched by the challenges of albinism, including severely limited vision and security concerns. Zuzi became a liaison to the camp’s United Nations staff, as a formal representative for particular needs of these vulnerable groups.

In September of 2018, when she was 17 years old, Zuzi began a new phase of her life when she resettled in the United States. Zuzi completed high school in just three years, graduating with highest honors and distinctions in Perseverance and English Literature. Today, Zuzi is a student at Wellesley College.

Zuzi is a powerful speaker whose work has been featured amongst organizations and media including The Memorial Foundation for the Blind, Amnesty International, the United Nations, Harper’s Bazaar, and was photographed by Platon for the Cultural Leaders as a Catalyst of Change campaign, which debuted at the World Economic Forum in January 2023.