Carl Wilkens is a humanitarian, educator, author, and co-founder of World Outside My Shoes, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people engage with “The Other” and stand against genocide, racism, and intolerance. Through storytelling, education, and restorative practices, he inspires individuals and communities to cultivate empathy, belonging, inclusion, and healing. 

Wilkens is best known as the only American who chose to remain in Rwanda throughout the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi. While foreign nationals, aid workers, and many United Nations personnel evacuated, he stayed and worked alongside Rwandan colleagues to deliver food, water, medicine, and protection to vulnerable children and families, helping save hundreds of lives during one of the darkest chapters in modern history. 

Before the genocide, Wilkens served as country director for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Rwanda. He later returned with his family to support reconstruction efforts and remains deeply connected to Rwanda’s ongoing journey of recovery and reconciliation. He is the author of the memoir I'm Not Leaving and is featured in the acclaimed documentaries Ghosts of Rwanda and The Few Who Stayed: Defying Genocide. His humanitarian work has earned numerous honors, including the Medal of Valor from the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Dignitas Humana Award. Today, he speaks around the world about moral courage, resilience, restorative justice, and the power of choosing connection over division.