Staff in Rwanda and the US operate under their own governing boards, working together to achieve a shared vision for Hope for Life.
Executive Director
Finance & Administration Manager
Transitional Program Coordinator
Support Staff
Family Support & Monitoring Coordinator
Case Manager
Case Manager
Case Manager
Case Attendant
Program Support Staff
Driver
Center Security Guard
Security Guard
Supports the organization’s mission by focusing on fundraising, marketing, outreach, and program support as requested.
Executive Director
Events & Engagement Manager
Communications Contractor
Rwanda Board Chair
Rwanda Board Vice Chair
Rwanda Board Treasurer
Rwanda Board Secretary
Rwanda Board Member
Rwanda Board Member
Rwanda Board Member
Rwanda Board Member
US Board Member
US Board Member
Copyright 2024 Hope For Life | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy
CASE ATTENDANT
Janvier, a former HFL beneficiary, is responsible for organizing daily recreational and team activities for youth while providing care and supervision.
SECURITY GUARD
Alphonse ensures physical safety is maintained at the Center.
CASE MANAGER
Kellen works with the Family Support team in implementing case management goals, conducting assessments, counseling, and school and home monitoring.
Driver
Bernard helps youth and staff safely travel to family monitoring sessions and visits.
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.
US BOARD TREASURER
Tim is under construction. Born in the UK, he and his family moved to the Seattle area in 2004. He works at Apple in a product management leadership role, and previously led teams at Google and Microsoft. With experience serving on a number of boards for non-profits working in east and central Africa, he’s honored to partner with Hope for Life in serving the locally-led Rwandan organization.
US Board Member
Pomaa, a seasoned mental health professional, brings ten years of experience working with vulnerable populations across Ghana, Rwanda, and Canada. Currently, Pomaa is pursuing a master’s degree in counseling at the University of Northern British Columbia, where she works as a research assistant. Furthermore, Pomaa extends her support to individuals grappling with mental illness and substance misuse through her work with the Canadian Mental Health Association of Northern B.C
US BOARD VICE CHAIR
Emily (she/her) is a business systems and process designer, experienced in building and improving nonprofit operations. She is passionate about supporting international development and social justice through nonprofits, and is currently a Senior Business Analyst at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
U.S. Board Secretary
Marissa (she/her) has extensive experience in fund development, event planning and nonprofit marketing. Having grown up outside the US, she is eager to be a part of a cross-cultural organization that strives to be anti-racist and that is committed to empowering youth to live free, full lives.
US Communications CONTRACTOR
Maggie (she/her) serves as Hope for Life’s US Communications Contractor with nearly a decade of communications experience in nonprofit organizations. She holds a BA from the University of Minnesota in Global Studies, an MA-TESOL from Seattle Pacific University, and a certificate in editing from the University of Washington. Maggie is a freelance administrative consultant in Seattle.
SUPPORT STAFF
Esther wears many hats at HFL’s office, from clearing to preparing meals.
US EVENTS & ENGAGEMENT MANAGER
Amanda is HFL’s US Events & Engagement Manager, and oversees the annual A Night of Hope Gala and other fundraisers. A PNW native, Amanda brings over 20 years of industry experience and a passion for bringing people together.
RWANDA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Daniel leads the Hope For Life Rwanda team, providing strategic direction and leadership to achieve the organization’s vision and mission. With ten years of experience, he is passionate about seeing families live an abundant life and about championing change in their transformation journey. Daniel holds a Master of Science in Psychology from the University of South Wales and a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychology from the University of Rwanda.
SPECIALIZED CARETAKER
Thacienne provides individual and specialized care for youth in the Center with special needs.
SUPPORT STAFF
Ange plans and prepares nutritious meals for the youth at the Center.
CENTER SECURITY GUARD
Felix ensures physical safety is maintained at the Center.
Office Security Guard
Javan ensures physical safety is maintained at Hope for Life’s office.
OFFICE SECURITY GUARD
Daniel ensures physical safety is maintained at HFL’s office.
PROGRAM SUPPORT STAFF
Pacifique, a former beneficiary, provides support in logistics, communication and record keeping. He also uses his affinity for journalism to take photos and conduct interviews, helping to create communications for the HFL community.
CASE MANAGER
Francoise works with the Family Support & Monitoring team. She identifies, traces, and establishes contact with families of youth in HFL’s care. She conducts assessments, counseling and monitoring.
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION MANAGER
Elyne oversees financial and administrative operations. She holds a Bachelor of Science in International Administration from the United States International University.
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.
Family Support and Monitoring Coordinator
Joseph has over 10 years of industry experience in working with children, youth and families. He oversees the FSM team in identifying, tracing and establishing contact with families of youth in HFL’s care. He conducts assessments and interviews for both pre- and post-reunification and provides educational support throughout the reintegration process, primarily prior to a youth moving home. He works closely with local authorities to identify resources in the community to better help each family on their healing journeys.
CASE MANAGER
George leads the psycho-education lessons with the youth at the Transitional Center. In addition to his assigned caseload, he makes sure the Center’s activities run smoothly.
Family Economic Empowerment Officer
Gisele works with caretakers on their financial sustainability to ensure lasting reunifications. She helps them to determine goals and connects them with appropriate training, employment, loans and more, while also teaching them about financial literacy skills such as budgeting and saving. Gisele holds a Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Rwanda.
EDWARD SUMNER
US EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Edward serves as HFL’s US Executive Director and provides agency leadership, vision, and strategy while overseeing day to day operations and staff. He holds a B.A. in Communications from Washington State University and is passionate about social justice, story-telling, and adventure.
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 CHAIR
Philip has worked within social impact organizations his whole career with areas of responsibility around strategy, marketing, and business operations. He is currently Head of Strategy at Cascadia School. Building on his seminary years, he has always been equally focused on the ethical “why” and “how” of the work as he is the operational best practices. While working as the Director of One Day’s Wages he learned of HFL, and the vision and mission resonated strongly with him as a likeminded organization that is wrestling well with what community-based empowerment should look like.
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.
US BOARD MEMBER
Judith is a Medical Doctor. Born and raised in Rwanda, she moved to the US a few years ago. Judith is currently studying for the United States Medical License. Growing up and practicing medicine in Rwanda influenced her personal value of supporting and loving children and youth.
US ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR
Gina Werdel graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2020 and began her career in nonprofit advocacy work. She is currently a grad student at the University of Washington in Seattle, studying Public Administration. She started on staff at Hope for Life in January 2022.
RWANDA BOARD CHAIR
Jacques serves on the Auditing Committee.
US BOARD MEMBER
Seng is a finance professional with over 20 years of experience working with corporate and non-profit organizations on financial analysis, management, and strategic planning. He has lived in Rwanda and is passionate about empowering youth to live to their full potential.
VOLUNTEER GRAPHIC DESIGNER
David provides graphic and web design expertise to help Hope for Life with various projects throughout the year.
US BOARD MEMBER
Jane has lived and worked cross-culturally since childhood, is bilingual French-English, and is experienced in sustainability, post-crisis recovery, community development and livelihoods on the African Continent. She enjoys the hope and challenge of working with communities to advance justice and equity in ways that are culturally relevant.
RWANDA BOARD MEMBER
Christophe has served HFL as a Board Member since its foundation. He is a nationally recognized leader in Rwanda in the field of reconciliation and social justice. He also serves as the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Christian Action for Reconciliation and Social Assistance.
OFFICE COOK
Jacky ensures all staff and guests are well-cared for through warm meals and hospitality
SOCIAL WORKER
—-
RWANDA BOARD TREASURER
Amos is currently the Director of Global User Engagement at NABU, a global literacy organization. Amos’ expertise focuses on team building, strategic planning, expansion, and leadership.
RWANDA BOARD SECRETARY
Nicole is a Public Health Specialist with over 10 years of experience developing and implementing community-based public health promotion programs in Rwanda. She has experience leading programs for international agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Peace Corps. She is skilled in coordinating the budgeting, reporting, monitoring, and evaluation of programs in Water, Hygiene, and Sanitation (WASH), Nutrition, Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), and HIV/AIDS to improve public health outcomes.
RWANDA BOARD MEMBER
As the Chief Technology Officer at Qt Software, Aimable’s expertise is in programming, mobile development, database administration, and operating systems. He serves on the Conflict Resolution Committee.
RWANDA BOARD MEMBER
Charlotte is an African Enterprise Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist with over nine years of experience working with projects funded by U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and Feed The Future. She has managed the internal monitoring and donor reporting requirements for a number of large projects and programs and recently developed an institution-wide monitoring and evaluation system. Charlotte has a master’s degree in development studies from National University of Rwanda.
RWANDA BOARD MEMBER
Jean is passionate about seeing the next Rwandan generation being transformed holistically. He enjoys spiritual mentorship with children and to help families and churches know how best to disciple children. He is the Founder of Discipling the Next Generation initiative. Jean has a background in education.
FAMILY PSYCHOLOGIST
Louise works closely with families pre and post reintegration to strengthen and monitor psychosocial dynamics and assist with the healing process.
YOUTH ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT MANAGER
Innocent works with older youth who are reaching financial independence to determine goals and plans for their future. He helps connect them with appropriate trainings, education, and employment, while also teaching them about important life skills such as budgeting.
Transitional Center Co-Coordinator
Abdul manages the finances related to the Center and ensures all proper documentation is taking place in accordance with laws and best practices. He provides monitoring to his own caseload and works closely with the Center’s social worker and therapist.
LEARNING TRIP
Want to travel to Rwanda to see the impact you are helping to create while learning about the country, culture, and ethical tourism?
Consider joining us on a Learning Trip! The next Learning Trip is tentatively scheduled for Summer 2021, dependent on COVID-19 travel restrictions.
If interested, email admin@hopeforlife.us.
A NIGHT OF HOPE
Save the date for October 1, 2021 in Seattle!
We currently do not have any volunteer or internship openings. Check back soon for new postings!
RWANDA BOARD VICE CHAIR
Nathan brings a wealth of knowledge and connections to Hope for Life having over a decade of experience living in and operating businesses in Rwanda.
US BOARD SECRETARY
Kari recently retired after working for over 15 years in the international nonprofit sector, engaging with Hope for Life from its inception on an administrative level. She is excited about becoming more intimately involved in sharing hope and learning from this wonderful ministry.
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.
