We are thrilled to announce that the construction of the second Transitional Center is complete!
The second Transitional Center will be able to serve up to 24 youth at a time, which doubles the number of young people who can escape homelessness and heal! The facility will open this fall to new children who are seeking solutions to be able to escape homelessness long-term. This project has been a long process – over four years in the making! – and we rejoice together in its completion. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic has worsened the number of vulnerable children in Rwanda, and we are truly excited to make a larger impact in the community through this facility.
The new Center also includes a brand new kitchen and dining area for staff to prepare healthy meals and laundry facilities, and a large outdoor dining area so that all the children in the Transitional Program can eat together at the same time.
We are especially grateful for the partnership of The Hovde Foundation and Mite for funding the construction and furnishing of this project. Watch the video about the project.
While we celebrate the good news of the completion of the second Center, we still have more progress to make on the completion of the new Administrative Facility and grounds. We look forward to letting you know when those projects have also been completed.
Want to come alongside Hope for Life as we expand impact? Please consider becoming a Changemaker by starting a recurring monthly donation of any amount. Changemakers help fund the year round operations of programs which is essentially important as we expand the number of children and families served in Rwanda.
It is with both excitement and sadness that the Board of Directors shares that HFL’s co-founder and US Executive Director, Megan Chao, will be departing Hope for Life at the end of September for a new role at one of HFL’s partners (stay tuned for more details soon!). This is a poignant change for HFL, as Megan has been a committed leader of the organization since its founding 14 years ago. We honor and appreciate the ways Megan has grown HFL into a healthy and sustainable organization, and we are excited to have her remain as a partner and advocate of HFL. We will miss her steadfastness, her cross-cultural insight, and her drive to execute our strategy at an exceptional standard for the sake of greater impact for the youth we serve. We invite you to join us in sharing your thanks by sending Megan a note at megan@hopeforlife.us by September 30th.
The Board has formed a hiring committee to begin the search for our next US Executive Director who will lead the organization in the next season. If you have any referrals to suggest for this role, we invite you to contact us at board@hopeforlife.us or apply by clicking the link below.
Many of you have likely become supporters of HFL because of Megan’s leadership and invitation to the work of empowering youth to escape homelessness and thrive. We deeply thank you for your support, and we are committed to hiring a passionate and strong US Executive Director to lead Hope for Life going forward. We look forward to sharing an update with you soon on our hiring process.
Sincerely,
Emily Kuhn
US Board Chair
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Family Support & Monitoring Coordinator
Josiane is passionate about child protection and psychosocial initiatives with over 10 years experience in child protection programs, behaviour change, and community awareness activities. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychology from the National University of Rwanda and is certified in clinical Supervision through the University of Rwanda. Josiane is a registered clinical psychologist with the Rwanda Allied Health Professions Council
Family Psychologist
Anathalie enjoys working with children, adults, and families to find healthy perceptions of themselves and make positive future achievements. She is passionate about facilitating the healing process for people who have gone through traumatic experiences. Anathalie holds a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychology from the University of Rwanda and a Master in Public Health from Mount Kenya University.
US Board Member
Tressa (she/her) has a background of more than two decades working alongside US-based, international, and cross-national nonprofits, mainly focused on relief and development. She has experience in a wide range of roles, including Human Resources, Grant Writing, Finance, and more. She was introduced to HFL through a friend and was strongly drawn to the organization’s holistic approach to addressing community needs.
SUPPORT STAFF
Esther wears many hats at HFL’s office, from clearing to preparing meals.
TRANSITIONAL PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Chantal is passionate about working with vulnerable children and seeing them experience holistic wellbeing. She oversees the work in the Transitional Program and serves as a child and family therapist. She has more than 17 years of experience as a therapist, school counselor, and in women empowerment programs. Chantal holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and an advanced diploma in Mental Health Nursing.
RWANDA CASE ATTENDANT
Emmanuel, a former HFL beneficiary, supports youth in educational services. He leads catch-up classes, school work revision, and ensures youth who have dropped out of school are able to successfully return to the classroom.
US BOARD MEMBER
Alessandra serves as Chief of Staff for Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. She has worked on critical issues such as affordable housing, the opioid epidemic, race and social justice, developed and strengthened relationships with communities furthest from opportunity to ensure more diverse perspectives are considered in policy development, played a key role in the response to COVID-19, and led Snohomish County’s refugee resettlement efforts in collaboration with community and non-profit partners.
Alessandra was raised in Snohomish County and resides in Everett. She attended the University of Washington and holds bachelor’s degree in Society, Ethics, and Human Behavior and holds a master’s degree in business administration. Alessandra enjoys biking, exploring trails, traveling, reading, playing with her Shiba Inu, and spending time with her family and friends.
Advisor, US Board of Directors
Emily works as a Washington State Auditor and is passionate about social justice, fighting homelessness, and nonprofit finance. In addition to being a CPA, Emily holds a BA in International Development, an MA in Public Administration, and certificates in Accounting and Nonprofit Management. We are grateful for her and the expertise she brings to the organization.
