MORE than 13 years have passed since Liliane Umubyeyi's entire family were massacred in the Rwandan genocide. But it is still difficult for her to speak about the events she witnessed.

Miss Umubyeyi, who now lives in Shepherds Hill, Greater Leys, Oxford, is co-chair of a charity helping other survivors - and has been nominated as an Ultimate Survivor in Cosmopolitan's Ultimate Woman of the Year Awards 2007 with Olay.

Now 29, she was just 15 when her parents, four brothers, uncle, aunt and cousins were murdered by militia fighters - part of the 'ethnic cleansing' which saw 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus killed.

Although Miss Umubyeyi, who is an ethnic Tutsi, survived, she was raped repeatedly, imprisoned, kept as a "wife" by one member of the militia, and left to fend for herself until being rescued.

She said: "The militia bombed our house, but we saw them coming and hid in a graveyard. Then I managed to go and stay with my uncle."

But it wasn't long before the militia arrived at her uncle's home. Miss Umubyeyi only escaped death by fleeing the house and hiding in a tree - where she heard the screams of her family dying and saw her mother killed while trying to escape.

She said: "I was so terrified. I didn't know where to run. I heard the sound of crying and I tried not to look when they pulled all the bodies out but I couldn't help it.

"Some of them were still moving but I couldn't do anything."

Miss Umubyeyi was caught by the militia when she tried to seek assistance from her uncle's neighbour.

Threatened with death numerous times, and raped on a daily basis, she was convinced she would also be killed.

When she was finally rescued by a rebel Tutsi group, she had been staying with a small band of survivors - many of whom were captured and killed - and formed close bonds with the others, mainly women and young children .

It was through this friendship that she became involved in the Survivor's Fund, of which she is now co-chair. She continued to work with the charity when she moved to Oxford in 2000.

She said: "I feel a responsibility to help the survivors. We need to tell these stories in the future.

"There are so many people who are traumatised and suffering. The only thing we can do is to talk about it so people do not feel alone any more."

She said she was proud of her work and was excited about being nominated for the award, which will be announced at a ceremony at Cirque, in London, today.

She said "It's the best thing that has happened to me for a long time."

The judging panel for the awards includes pop singer Jamelia and presenter Mariella Frostrup.