Simon Bayingana

Organizing Fellow

Simon has experience in community organizing, movement building, civil resistance, and leadership mentorship. As a student leader during his undergraduate studies at the University of Kisubi in Uganda, he advocated for students’ rights especially on matters of fees and affordable education. While Simon served the students community by exhibiting servant leadership, volunteerism, and excellence, he realized his call to serve people and community. This was his entry into mainstream activism and community support work. As an Organizing Fellow at The Horizons Project, Simon will support the development of meaningful research, the creation of overviews for strategic engagement of key societal pillars, build a strong mentorship platform for US fellows in organizing and movement building, and support the organizing of convening opportunities that bring together peace builders, dissidents, activists, and academics.

Simon recently served as the Central Region Coordinator of Solidarity Uganda, an organization that builds the power of grassroots activists and progressive groups through civil resistance and pluralistic advocacy. He worked closely with activists and students to build regional movements and establish social justice centers that build collective power to address societal challenges. He has also worked with Rhize, ActionAid International, Non-violence International, Albinism Society of Kenya, National Democracy Institute, and the Leading Change Network. He was part of the panel with Maria Stephen the Co-Lead and Chief Organizer of The Horizons Project that launched the book ‘The Checklist to End Tyranny’ by the late Peter Ackerman.

Simon holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Statistics from the University of Kisubi. He also holds certificates in advocacy, human rights and community organizing. He was nominated for the Rhize Global Coach fellowship as a fellow and mentor in 2020 and 2021 respectively. He was also selected by Leading Change Network as a coach for the public narrative training by Professor Marshall Ganz in 2022. He loves sports especially playing soccer, the invention of new knowledge through reading, partying with friends, dancing, meeting new people, and playing with kids.