Hope For Life’s talented Rwandan staff unanimously elected Chantal (right in blue)
to serve as our new Executive Director.
As a young child, HFL Co-Founder Chantal Umutesi dreamed of opening a home for vulnerable children in her community. She used her time and resources to care for her neighbors even as a 10-year-old. Chantal visited the homes of poverty stricken families, offering food, clothing, and friendship. She recalls, “I hated seeing children suffering. I dreamt of my country becoming a place of peace, where the vulnerable were valued.” Eventually, Chantal became the Children’s Director at her church, serving families that lived on $2 per day or less.
In 2008, God used Chantal to help launch Hope For Life and continue fulfilling her call to love children. Without her, we are convinced that HFL never would have started or flourished. Every day, she invests all of herself into seeing the poor in her community come to know Jesus, and equipped to better their lives. She is a true model of what it looks like to love God and her neighbors as herself.
This year, our boards decided it was time to name a Rwandan Executive Director. With a unanimous vote, our boards and staff elected Chantal to be our new leader. With her experience in management and budgeting, her deep commitment to her neighbors, and her natural ability to lead, we are excited to watch Hope For Life continue to grow under her leadership.
Congratulations, Chantal! Your faithful devotion and deep commitment to your community is an inspiration to us all.