Patience Umereweneza

Patience  Umereweneza is a first-generation Rwandan immigrant who has spent the past 18 years living and working on Treaty Four Territory in Saskatchewan. Her lived experience of displacement and surviving the impacts of war rooted in colonial disenfranchisement has deeply shaped her commitment to protecting communities, cultures, and histories from further harm.

 

With an academic background in Health Studies and a Master’s in Public Administration, Patience’s research and advocacy work focus on the multifaceted impacts of colonial violence, particularly as they relate to the social determinants of health and community well-being. For the past 14 years, she has worked in the gender-based violence sector, beginning in domestic and family violence and more recently focusing on sexual violence.

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Guided by the principles “Violence on our lands is violence on our bodies” and “Nothing about us without us,” Patience centers culturally and trauma-informed approaches in all aspects of her work. In 2020, she led the first comprehensive study on sexual violence victimization in Saskatchewan. She has since traveled extensively across the province, from Uranium City in the north to the southern tip, listening to and learning from survivors, families, and service providers. These powerful stories shaped Saskatchewan’s first-ever Sexual Violence Action Plan, a project she continues to lead in her role as Director of Public Policy and Research at Sexual Assault Services of Saskatchewan (SASS).

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At SASS, Patience ensures that all research initiatives uphold OCAP® principles (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession) and are grounded in anti-oppressive, anti-colonial, and community-participatory frameworks. Her research expertise also supported the province-wide community consultation process for SaskCulture’s Funding Renewal Project, ensuring that equity, inclusion, and lived experience remained central to the dialogue on cultural investment.

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Patience is passionate about empowering communities. She provides education and capacity-building to sexual violence practitioners in communities across Saskatchewan, tailoring resources to reflect their unique conditions and ensuring that practitioners are equipped to respond effectively to local needs. She believes that communities must be empowered to address their own challenges with the right tools, support, and resources.

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Patience is also deeply involved in community-building initiatives. She is a member of the Righting Relations national network, which supports adult educators and community organizers in dismantling systemic oppression at every level—within individuals, organizations, and broader society. She previously co-chaired the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Regina Chapter, supporting the integration of refugee students to Canada, and was a featured speaker for the Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation’s International Development Week in 2020.

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As a proud union worker, Patience has chaired three rounds of negotiations at Regina Transition House and has been a tireless advocate for advancing workers’ rights in Saskatchewan. She was a keynote speaker at the CUPE Convention in 2019.