Fiston NdayishimiyeAbout
I came seeking refuge.
I stayed to build.
I walked out of a war, rebuilt my life starting with a new language, and now I build young leaders.
- Munyamulenge from the High Plateaux of Minembwe, South Kivu
- Left on foot in 2011 with my younger brother: Nakivale, then Kakuma
- New Hampshire since November 19, 2016
- Concord High School 2019 · NHTI 2019 to 2022 · SNHU 2026
- Co-founder and Executive Director, Young Adults Development Network (since March 2024)
- Author (as Fiston Mututsi), speaker, organizer, content creator
My story
Born in the hills.
Raised in a storm.
I grew up among cattle, hills, songs and elders. I also grew up in a time of war.
I am Fiston Ndayishimiye. I am a Munyamulenge, which means I belong to the Banyamulenge, a people of the High Plateaux of Minembwe in South Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I grew up in a home where learning mattered. Some mornings began with gunshots at four o'clock, and the war took many people I loved.
In 2011 I left Congo on foot with my younger brother. We crossed rivers, slept outside and did not know whether our family was alive. We lived in the Nakivale settlement in Uganda and then in Kakuma camp in Kenya, searching for food, shelter, school and a way forward. On November 19, 2016, my brother and I arrived in New Hampshire, leaving behind home, relatives and everything familiar.
“I did not come to Concord seeking a title. I came seeking refuge, dignity, and a chance to rebuild a life.”
Starting again
Concord taught me what leadership really means.
A new language. A new culture. Long hours. Then I found the heart of this city.
My first days in Concord were not easy. Like many new Americans, I faced a new culture, a new language, unfamiliar systems and the hard work of finding stable work and services. Those years were marked by long hours, sacrifice and doubt. Yet in that struggle I discovered Concord's heart. Neighbors, teachers, mentors and friends showed me that this city is more than a place. It is a community.
It was in Concord that I learned what true leadership means. It is not about titles or power. It is responsibility: carrying other people's burdens as if they were your own, making sure no one is left behind, and leaving a community stronger than you found it.
Over the years I have mentored young people, partnered with faith and community organizations, and spoken on platforms that call for justice and opportunity. Leadership means meeting people where they are, listening deeply and taking action that creates real, lasting change.
The road so far
From Minembwe
to milestone.
Childhood on the High Plateaux of Minembwe, South Kivu, DR Congo, among my people, the Banyamulenge.
Left Congo on foot with my younger brother.
Years in Nakivale, Uganda, and Kakuma, Kenya, searching for food, shelter, education and work.
Arrived in New Hampshire with my younger brother.
Graduated from Concord High School.
NHTI, Concord's Community College: Robotics and Programming, then Communications.
Grassroots Organizer with AFSC New Hampshire and Lead Organizer of Change for Concord.
Leadership Greater Concord graduate.
New Hampshire Union Leader 40 Under Forty; NH PANTHER Black Excellence Fund and Storytelling Grant.
Co-founded the Young Adults Development Network (YDN) with Pastor Serge Kagabo, and became its Executive Director.
YDN's first Washington, D.C. Leadership and Advocacy Conference; ran for Concord City Council at-large.
The lights came on at Keach Park.
Stay Work Play New Hampshire Young Person of the Year; graduating from SNHU; finishing Awakening African Leadership as Fiston Mututsi.
Drag, swipe or use the arrows.
Education
Every degree is a tool to serve.
Robotics first. Then I found my real calling: communication.
I graduated from Concord High School in 2019. At NHTI, Concord's Community College, I studied Robotics and Programming in my first year and found my direction in Communications in my second. I went on to study Communications and Public Relations, and I am completing my bachelor's degree in Communications at Southern New Hampshire University in 2026.
My long-term goal is law school, because I believe the law, guided by integrity, is one of the greatest instruments of justice. Leadership Greater Concord deepened my knowledge of my city's government, history and character.
Learning out loud →Work and roles
Six ways I build
the next generation.
Young Adults Development Network
I co-founded the Young Adults Development Network (YDN) with Pastor Serge Kagabo, and I've been its Executive Director since March 2024. YDN is youth-led and volunteer-run, built on leadership development, education, civic engagement and community building.
More →02Organizing in Concord
With the American Friends Service Committee New Hampshire, I was a Grassroots Organizer and Lead Organizer of Change for Concord, a group of young adults ages 18 to 30, from October 2022 to 2024. We led the long push for lights at the Keach Park youth field. They came on June 3, 2026.
More →03Training and advocacy
With Change for Concord, AFSC and the Friends Committee on National Legislation, I have led trainings on public service systems, civic engagement and advocacy, and I have advocated alongside community leaders in Washington, D.C.
More →04Youth networks across New England
I serve as Youth President of youth leadership networks across Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire, guiding refugee and immigrant young people, including my own Banyamulenge community, with trainings on mental health, leadership and advocacy.
More →05Community and media
I volunteered with Project S.T.O.R.Y. (Supporting Talents of Rising Youth), founded One Concord, and share my neighbors' stories through Importance Leadership and Importance TV. I studied media and production at Concord TV.
More →06Writing
I write My Turn essays for the Concord Monitor, and I am the author of Awakening African Leadership, written under my pen name, Fiston Mututsi.
More →Off the clock
Faith, family
and the long run.
Leadership shows up at the barbecue, on the track and behind the keyboard at church.
My life is shaped by discipline, faith and strong relationships with family and friends. Track and field has always been something I enjoy. Running clears my mind and reminds me to keep moving forward, one step at a time.
Family and close friends are at the center of my life. We cook together, barbecue in the summer, and plan camping, hiking and travel.
Faith has shaped who I am. I am a member of Overcomers Church of God, led for many years by Pastor Clement Kigugu, and I play the keyboard on the music team. Church taught me that leadership is about giving your time, your skills and your heart to strengthen others.
I also love computers and technology: programming, problem-solving, coding and design. That's part of why I build websites now.
Recognition
Honors I share
with my community.
Each honor is a call to deepen my responsibility to the people I serve. None of this work has been solo.
All recognition →I want to see young people thinking like leaders.From my interview with NHPR, January 22, 2025
When the Union Leader asked what I would tell my 22-year-old self, my answer was simple: spend less time chasing comfort and distractions, and more time discovering your true potential and purpose. My story is not only one of survival. It is one of rebuilding, of service and of leading with purpose.
Team
No one builds alone.
Behind every vision is a team. The work I do is powered by people who bring different skills, shared values and a deep commitment to serving our community.
Team profiles coming soon
One person. Two names. One mission.
My name is Fiston Ndayishimiye. I write books under the pen name Fiston Mututsi. Both names belong to the same person and the same mission.
Ready to build
what comes next?
Bring the story to your stage, or start a conversation.