In 2001, Protection and Care of Families against HIV/AIDS (PACFA) was established as a project under the Office of the First Lady, to mobilize resources desperately needed in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This initiative primarily focused on providing a holistic approach for dignified lives of families, including women deliberately infected with HIV/AIDS during the Genocide against the Tutsi.
Over the years, PACFA grew to embrace more programmes and in 2007, it changed its name to Imbuto Foundation to reflect its evolution and new fields of activity, through programmes in health, education, youth and economic empowerment. Literally translated Imbuto means “seed”. A seed well planted, watered, nurtured and given all the necessary support successfully grows into a healthy plant; one that reaches high and stands tall. This vision shapes the Imbuto Foundation’s current initiatives and future projects.
A nation of empowered and dignified Rwandans.
To support the development of a healthy, educated and prosperous society.
Excellence, Integrity, Innovation, Solidarity and Commitment.
We invest first and foremost in people.
We invest in catalytic actions that address development gaps.
We invest to harness the power of technology and innovation.
We invest with partners whose values resonate with ours.
We invest in solutions that lead to the achievement of national, regional and global goals
Imbuto Foundation aligns with Rwanda’s Vision 2050 by prioritising Human Capital Development to build a healthy, educated, and skilled workforce for achieving the country’s goals. Rwanda aims to become a middle-income country by 2035 with a GDP of 4,036 USD and a high-income country by 2050 with a GDP of 12,476 USD. Investing in Human Capital Development fosters individuals who are innovative, productive, and contributes to reducing inequalities. This drives sustainable development with lasting benefits for future generations.
Imbuto Foundation’s strategic orientation emphasizes implementing its programmes through Imbuto Hubs across all 30 districts. These hubs empower Rwanda’s youth and communities by providing skills, resources, and support in economic empowerment, health, community engagement, personal development, and cultural expression. Aligned with the foundation’s mission, they contribute to national priorities, including NST2 and Vision 2050.
Our Imbuto Hub package is tailored to age-appropriate categories to address the diverse needs of the population.
Mrs. Jeannette Kagame is the Chairperson of Imbuto Foundation, an organisation born of an earlier project for the Protection and Care of Fam
Mrs. Jeannette Kagame is the Chairperson of Imbuto Foundation, an organisation born of an earlier project for the Protection and Care of Families against HIV/AIDS.
Imbuto Foundation contributes to generational improvements in health, education, youth, and economic empowerment in Rwanda.
Mrs Kagame is also the Chairperson of Unity Club, an organization founded in 1996 after the Genocide against the Tutsi. It comprises current and former members of Government and their spouses, to promote social cohesion and sustainable development in Rwanda.
Mrs Kagame is a founding member of the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS and for Development (OAFLAD), serving as its President from 2004 -2006.
Mrs. Jeannette Kagame, who holds a Business and Management Science degree, is a Paul Harris Fellow, an honorary member of the Kigali-Virunga Rotary Club, Patron of the SOS Children’s Home and co-founder of Green Hills Academy, a top Rwandan school.
The First Lady personifies an active, passionate devotion to uplifting the lives of the most vulnerable, particularly widows, orphans of the genocide against the Tutsi and underprivileged families.
She is a staunch advocate for Girls’ Education, and HPV vaccination in the fight against cervical cancer.
Diana Louise Ofwona is the Senior Advisor to the Minister of Local Government (MINALOC) in the Government of Rwanda. Prior to this appointme
Diana Louise Ofwona is the Senior Advisor to the Minister of Local Government (MINALOC) in the Government of Rwanda. Prior to this appointment, she served the United Nations as Resident Representative of UNDP in Niger from April 2019 to June 2022, where she was awarded, at the end of her mission, the prestigious medal of honour, “Commandant de l’ordre National du Niger” by H.E the President of the Republic of Niger in recognition of her distinguished service to the country.
Her cumulative experience in the field of leadership and socio-economic development spans 35 years in Government, the United Nations, academia, the Private sector and civil society in three continents: Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean. She speaks a total of six languages and works proficiently in English and French.
Diana is a Founding member of PACFA and Imbuto Foundation and has also served on other Boards and committees, including the UN high-level Strategy and Management Review Panel, the North-South Institute Board in Canada, the UN Standing Committee on Security Issues in Central Africa, the MTN Foundation, Board of Trustees of the Makerere University’s Female Scholarship Foundation and the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF).
She is also a member of the Lions Club International, the Kigali Golf Club and an alumna of the International Association of Students of Economics and Business (AIESEC).
Ms. Diana Ofwona holds a Master of Arts degree in Languages from the University of Nairobi.
Ms Rose Rwabuhihi served in different government positions including Head of the Gender Monitoring Office (GMO), a Government institution
Ms Rose Rwabuhihi served in different government positions including Head of the Gender Monitoring Office (GMO), a Government institution mandated to ensure accountability for the respect of principle of Gender Equality at all levels in Rwanda, and service delivery to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) victims.
Before joining the Gender Monitoring Office, Ms Rwabuhihi worked with the United Nations for over 15 years, across Africa and in the United States of America. Her goal is to promote an integrated approach to Women’s Rights in Development, with a specific focus on governance, peace and security, as well as innovative strategies to eliminate violence against women in Africa.
Ms Radegonde Ndejuru now in her retirement, has served as the Senior Advisor to the First Lady of Rwanda since 2015. Prior to this, from 200
With over 30 years experience in Project Management, Ms Ndejuru has been working with less advantaged people in Rwanda, Canada, Guinea Bissau and Ivory Coast -
assessing and analysing the various challenges faced by these communities, in order to identify root causes and potential solutions. She believes that Community Based Organizations (CBOs) can go a long way in improving the wellbeing of the populations they serve.
Ms Ndejuru holds a Nursing Baccalaureate from the University of Rwanda and a Masters in Community Health from the University of Montreal in Canada. She is also a trained psychotherapist.
Mrs. Jeanne d’Arc Gakuba is the Senior Advisor to the First Lady of Rwanda since 20th Feb 2023. Prior to her position as Senior Advisor
Mrs. Jeanne d’Arc Gakuba is the Senior Advisor to the First Lady of Rwanda since 20th Feb 2023. Prior to her position as Senior Advisor, she was the Vice-President of the Rwandan Senate in Charge of Finance and Administration, a post she has held since 2011.
Mrs. Gakuba obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from the National University of Burundi in 1987, and a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the National University of Rwanda.
From 1987 to 1994, she was a Professor of Geography, History and Political Economy at Lycée de Ngagara in Burundi. Following this, she took her first government role as the Head of the Climatology Section at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, before moving on to become Managing Director at the National Umbrella of associations of women’s advancement, PROFEMME/ TWESE HAMWE from 1996 to 1998, and then the Coordinator of “Centre de Formation et de Recherche Coopératives – IWACU” in charge of promoting cooperative movement through research and training from 1998 to 2001.
After this, she re-entered public service as the Vice-Mayor of Kigali City in charge of Gender and Women Promotion for the term 2001-2005, and then again as Vice-Mayor of Kigali in charge of Social Development from 2006-2011.
In 2011 she was elected as a Senator and Vice-President of the Rwandan Senate.
Ms Henriette Umulisa served in different government positions including Secretary General in the Rwanda Demobilization
Ms Henriette Umulisa served in different government positions including Secretary General in the Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (RDRC), Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF), Senator in the Rwanda Senate and Secretary General for the Rwanda Women Parliamentary Forum (RWPF).
She is a strong Pan Africanist and a passionate advocate for gender promotion and women empowerment and has contributed to Rwanda being among the world champions in gender equality.
Ms Umulisa holds two Masters’ Degrees in Peace Studies and Conflict Transformation from the University of Rwanda, and a Commercial Engineering and International Business forum from the Catholic Institute of Advanced Commercial Studies (ICHEC) in Brussels.
Ms. Shaduri Umutoniwase Rumongi is the Chief Marketing Officer of Rwanda Finance Limited, the company promoting and developing Rwanda
Ms. Shaduri Umutoniwase Rumongi is the Chief Marketing Officer of Rwanda Finance Limited, the company promoting and developing Rwanda as a leading financial destination for international investment and cross-border transactions in Africa.
She has 12 years’ experience in the areas of communications and events management. Prior to becoming a board member, Shaduri worked for the Office of the First Lady as part of the Communications and Protocol team.
She holds degrees in business administration and communications management and is a member of the Public Relations and Communications Association.
Shaduri draws her energy and motivation from communicating about Rwanda’s exciting and inspiring journey.
Ms. Geraldine Umutesi is the Deputy Director General in charge of Institutional Development, with over 18 years of experience in Strategic & Project Management in the areas of Family promotion, Health, Education and Youth empowerment.
She worked at Kigali Genocide Memorial Center from 2004 to 2006, in charge of Social & Education Programme.
Geraldine holds a Masters of Arts in Leadership and Organisation and a Bachelor Degree in Science with Education and completed professional Certificate programmes in various areas, such as Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Strategic Management, Conflict transformation, Health Promotion, Gender-based Violence, Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights.
She has been a Councillor of the Kigali City Council, Former Board Member of Rwanda National Children Commission, Member of various sector working groups under Health Promotion, ECD & Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights, Genocide Prevention and Active Citizenship.
She has been a Public Speaker and Moderator in various national & international conferences such as: the National Dialogue, Commission of Status of Women 2018 at the UN General Assembly, Interest International Conference on HIV, the National Dialogue, Youth Connect Forum, to mention a few.
Geraldine is passionate about human-centered programming and empowering communities. She is among the Pioneers of the “Family Approach” initiated by Genocide Survivors, to restore the sense of belonging among the Young Survivors to become resilient and contribute to the National Development & Genocide Prevention.
Mr. Aaron Ndizeye is the Head of Finance & Administration at Imbuto Foundation. He possesses an extensive experience over 12 years in Grants management and compliance, financial analysis & reporting, design internal control systems, budgeting & forecasting all attained through trainings & working with Projects funded by both International organizations mainly UN Agencies, Global fund, DFID & different Foundations (Buffet Foundation, Packard Foundation & Segal Family Foundation).
Prior to joining Imbuto Foundation, he worked with RNP-UNDP Project as Finance Manager, Budget Officer at Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA). He also worked in Banque Populaire du Rwanda (BPR) as Assistant Project Manager. His practice covered design, setup and ensure effective implementation of financial, procurement and Human resource management systems.
Aaron holds a MBA in Accounting & Finance from Mount Kenya University & Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration specializing in Accounting from School of Finance & Banking (SFB).
Mr. Felix Hagenimana is the Head of Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting Department at Imbuto Foundation since July 2020. Previously, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at Imbuto Foundation from February 2016 to July 2020.
He also worked as research help desk facilitator and he supported 6 research projects directly with Methodology, Statistical analysis and Manuscript writing at University of Rwanda-College of Medicine and Health Sciences-School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School (HMS) from Jan 2015 to Jan 2016. Initially, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at PYRAMID II USAID funded Project and implemented by University of Rwanda and Borlaug Institute, Texas Agrilife Research in Rwanda from July 2012 to June 2015.
Felix holds a Master’s degree in Applied Statistics from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and Bachelor’s degree in Applied Statistics from University of Rwanda. He’s currently a member of the IBP Network and ResearchGate globally.
Mr. Clement Kabiligi is the Head of Knowledge Development and Research Department at Imbuto Foundation. Clement has 10+ years of Project Management experience.
He worked with DOT (Digital Opportunity Trust) in Gicumbi District, from November 2011 to February 2013, where he facilitated community members to the use of ICTs livelihood projects and did coaching to participants engaged in small business. He also worked with Rwanda Telecenter Network (RTN) as the manager of Gicumbi Business Development Center, from May 2012 to February 2013. Having joined the foundation’s team as an intern, he also served as a Project Officer for different education projects.
Ms. Isabelle Kalisa is a public health passionate and has much interest in health policies, and adolescent sexual reproductive health. Isabelle had occupied different positions in the area of public health/ health promotion abroad and in Rwanda.
She joined Imbuto Foundation in 2013. Educational background and qualifications along with professional experiences in different health and social sectors, have allowed Isabelle to acquire knowledge on social issues that are linked to individuals’ and community health.
At the moment, Isabelle is coordinating health programmes at the Foundation, and she has more than 8 years of experience in working with vulnerable communities and the youth.
Isabelle has actively participated in various community engagement, designing various health promotion strategies that contribute to healthy – enhancing behaviors of Rwandans, mainly in the areas of girls’ empowerment, adolescent sexual reproductive health and rights, family planning, and HIV prevention.
Isabelle holds a Master’s degree in Public health – Health promotion from Leeds Beckett University (2012) in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Jean de Dieu Kayiranga joined Imbuto Foundation in 2015 as a District Supervisor, where he oversaw all of the organisation’s activities in the designated district. In 2018, he was promoted to Project Officer, and as of right now, he serves as the Education Division Manager.
In his eight years with Imbuto Foundation, he helped to shape the Early Childhood Programme (ECD) in Rwanda, where he contributed to many national-level publications regarding the ECDF programme as well as its implementation.
He enjoys working in team, projects of general interest, and doing sport.
Mr. Alexis Muhire is Youth Empowerment Division Manager at Imbuto Foundation. He has 7 years of experience in leadership, management, socio-economic fields.
He is a visionary leader who sees every challenge as an opportunity to innovate and propose suitable solutions.
Alexis holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health and specialization in monitoring and evaluation from Mount Kenya University and completed professional certificate programmes in various areas, such as Strategies for Effective Engagement, Managing Project Risks and Changes, Leadership Management and Governance for Health Systems Strengthening Course, Project Planning and Management.
Since 2016, Alexis Muhire has served as a youth leader on various platforms and is a member of the Kirehe District council.
His values are Discipline, Integrity, innovation and Solidarity.
Mr. Jean de Dieu Niyigena is the Division manager responsible for accounts and budgets at the Imbuto Foundation.
He has more than seven years of experience in the financial sector, especially in the effective and efficient management of funds.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from the University of Rwanda (former School of Finance and Banking (SFB)) and a Master’s degree in Project Management from the University of Kigali.
Jean De Dieu served as an accountant from September 2016 to July 2021, thereafter, he was appointed as Senior accountant from August 2021 to August 2022, he then took over as division manager in charge of the accounts and budget under the finance department in September 2022 to date.
Jean De Dieu is an engaged staff member, dedicatedly working with his team to smoothly execute all tasks and responsibilities on time and in good quality.
Mr. Christian Mbabazi is the Division Manager of Resource Mobilization and Partnerships where he focuses on strengthening regular relationships between Imbuto Foundation and partners. He is a seasoned economist with over a decade of expertise in different sectors such as public, private, and (I)NGOs.
Prior to joining The Foundation, Christian was a lecturer at UR-CBE, School of Economics where he taught Econometrics, Microeconomics and National Economic Account and Policy Analysis and has done other academic related activities. He has a background in banking sector where he worked in the World Bank Group and Bank of Kigali Plc.
He enjoys research and he has been contributing in different activities at Institute of Policy Analysis and Research-Rwanda, (IPAR-Rwanda). His areas mainly concentrated on Capital Markets, Investments, Economic Growth in Rwanda.
Christian earned his bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Rwanda.
Ms. Martine Umukunzi is the PR & Communications Division Manager at Imbuto Foundation. She has 10+ years of experience in the areas of communications, media and events management. She first joined the Foundation as an intern, became a communications officer and was later entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating the entire Division.
Martine holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communication and with her educational background and experience, she was able to further grow skills in information, media and social media management, content development as well as indoor and outdoor branding.
Her values are Humility, Integrity, Discipline and Solidarity.
Ms. Marie Claire Uwamahoro has nine 12 years of experience working with various institutions in Project Coordination
Ms. Marie Claire Uwamahoro has nine 12 years of experience working with various institutions in Project Coordination, Public Service Human Resource Management Inspection, Service Delivery Audits, Monitoring and Evaluation, and advisory services. She is dedicated to contributing to the development and implementation of Human Resource Management policies, strategies, and ensuring compliance with established principles, policies, and laws.
She has capacities in working with different individuals, teams and Institutions with a great sense oriented on corporate decision making.
Marie Claire joined Imbuto Foundation in 2022. She has a Masc. of Science in Human Resource Management and Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration.
