When Fred Sebashoka’s family returned from Tanzania, money was so tight that continuing school was uncertain.
In 2009, Africa New Life Ministries stepped in with education support. Fourteen years later, he graduated in medicine from the University of Rwanda. He is now training in paediatric and neonatal surgery in Kenya.
Sebashoka’s journey was among the stories behind a wider question at the organisation’s 25th anniversary celebration: what can happen when children at risk of losing their education are given a chance to continue?
At Sunday’s ceremony at BK Arena, First Lady Jeannette Kagame praised Africa New Life Ministries (ANLM) for helping families affected by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and its aftermath rebuild a sense of home and belonging.
Founded in Kayonza District in 2001 by Rev. Dr Charles Buregeya Mugisha and his wife, Florence, the Christian organisation began by supporting 30 children. It says it has since helped more than 21,900 students access education.
For Chaminah Uwase, that support reached beyond her. One of eight children raised by a single mother, she said five siblings began receiving assistance in 2015.
Uwase graduated from the University of Rwanda in 2024 and now works for a private company monitoring the quality and performance of healthcare services.
Her siblings have also completed university, entering fields including engineering, research and banking. Their mother works as a community health worker.
The First Lady said the organisation began its work as Rwanda was rebuilding and many people returning from exile were trying to find their place in the country.
She said ANLM helped make the church a home for people searching for belonging, while also recognising that families needed practical support and hope for the future.
Mugisha said his commitment deepened after he visited Rwanda in 1995 and saw the needs facing families. While he and Florence were studying in Uganda, they began helping children in Kayonza pay school fees and obtain uniforms and books.
He said he chose to return to Rwanda because he felt compelled to continue the work.
ANLM now combines its church ministry with education, healthcare, vocational training and leadership development.
Its Dream Medical Center has treated more than 528,000 patients since 2018, while clean-water projects have reached eight districts.
Florence Mugisha said the organisation’s work with children also brought it face to face with the difficulties their mothers and caregivers faced, including widows and women raising families with little support.
It responded with counselling and vocational training.
The First Lady said the organisation’s mission should continue to address people’s lives today, offering care, restoring hope and helping families build a future.
At 25, ANLM’s record is measured not only in the number of students supported, but in what those opportunities have enabled; a doctor continuing specialist training, siblings graduating, and a mother serving her community.
