The family took refuge in a Muslim area for protection but her father and aunt were killed on 15 April 1994.
A week later, her three brothers, 16-month-old Bon-Fils Abimana, 7-year-old Pascal Muvara, and 9-year-old Philbert Nkusi, were murdered.
Nishimwe fled and hid for three months, enduring torture and other hardship, including sexual assault which resulted in HIV infection.
[1][2][4] In 2001, Nishimwe moved to the United States where she became a human rights activist and motivational speaker.
In 2012, she published a memoir, Tested To The Limit: A Genocide Survivor's Story Of Pain, Resilience And Hope.