Eritrean Advocate Snit Tewoldemedhin Named Peace Ambassador

Eritrean model, educator and disability-rights advocate Snit Tewoldemedhin has been appointed an Ambassador for Peace in Washington, D.C., adding another milestone to a public journey shaped by representation, service and a deeply personal mission to support children with special needs.

The appointment was announced during a Japanese tea ceremony and Ambassadors for Peace program hosted by the Global IAPD Peace Initiative in Washington on April 11, 2026. The event brought together interfaith and community figures from Washington, Virginia and Maryland, with four leaders recognized as new Ambassadors for Peace.

Tewoldemedhin, who was crowned Miss Africa USA in 2023, was recognized for a record that extends beyond pageantry. In 2024, she became the first representative of Eritrea to compete in the Miss Universe competition, where she won a Silver Voice for Change Award for her work with underprivileged children.

At the center of her work is Designing for Diversity, a nonprofit initiative focused on creating inclusive learning opportunities for children with special needs and underserved communities. The initiative works to expand educational access, challenge stigma around intellectual and developmental disabilities, and promote practical tools for children who are too often left outside mainstream learning environments.

Following her appointment, Tewoldemedhin said it was “a true honor” to be named an Ambassador for Peace through UPF International. But her message quickly moved beyond the title itself. For her, peace is not an abstract slogan or a ceremonial idea. It begins with how children are taught to see one another.

“True peace is built through how we choose to teach the next generation to see and care for one another,” she said. “Making room for those the world often overlooks and helping them as if they were your own should start at a young age, in schools.”

She said compassion, inclusion and service should not be treated as occasional classroom exercises or one-time charity visits. They should be part of daily learning.

“That is how we raise a society rooted in empathy and create environments where peace can truly thrive,” she said, adding that the world needs that spirit “now more than ever.”

Her mission is rooted in family. Tewoldemedhin has said she was inspired by her younger sister, Milka, who was born with Down syndrome. In a 2024 profile published by Eritrea’s Ministry of Information, she described her sister as central to her life’s purpose, saying her advocacy, neuroscience studies and Montessori teaching work all grew from a desire to support Milka and children like her.

Born and raised in Asmara, Tewoldemedhin moved to the United States in 2019. Since then, she has built a rare profile: neuroscience student, fashion model, Montessori teacher, Miss Africa USA titleholder and nonprofit founder. The Eritrean Ministry of Information profile described her as the first Eritrean to win Miss Africa USA, a title that placed her in the spotlight among Eritrean communities worldwide.

Her advocacy carries a clear message: children with special needs should not be hidden, isolated or treated as an afterthought. She has argued that inclusion benefits all children, helping those with special needs learn in supportive settings while teaching others empathy, patience and cooperation.

Through Designing for Diversity, Tewoldemedhin aims to support parents and teachers, including through practical seminars and educational materials that can help children with learning disabilities develop literacy and numeracy skills. Her work draws from the Montessori approach, which she has studied both professionally and personally while helping her sister.

For many Eritreans in the diaspora, Tewoldemedhin’s rise has carried a broader meaning. She represents a young Eritrean generation turning personal experience into public service, and cultural pride into practical impact. Her story is not only about pageantry or recognition. It is about using visibility to open doors for children who deserve more than sympathy — they deserve access, dignity and opportunity.

Tewoldemedhin also turned the honor outward, saying the real work belongs to ordinary people who build peace through daily action.

“Though I may hold this title, you are the true ambassadors creating real change through your everyday actions,” she said. “So, I hope you’ll join me in making this future of inclusive, compassionate classrooms a reality for the generations to come.”

Her Peace Ambassador appointment now places that mission in a wider civic and humanitarian frame. From Asmara to Virginia, from Miss Africa USA to Miss Universe, and now to peace advocacy in Washington, Snit Tewoldemedhin has become one of the clearest young Eritrean voices linking identity, education and service.