For many Rwandans returning from exile after years away, coming home did not immediately settle the question of where they belonged. At Africa New Life Ministries’ 25th anniversary, First Lady Jeannette Kagame said the church helped give that search for belonging an answer.
Speaking at BK Arena on Sunday, October 11, she praised the organisation for supporting vulnerable families and helping people affected by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and its aftermath rebuild their lives.
“When you thought you were simply starting a church, you were actually responding to a question that many of us were asking ourselves. Everyone was wondering: Where is my home? Where do I belong?” she said. “You gave that question a good and clear answer by affirming that the church would become a home for many.”
Founded in Kayonza District in September 2001 by Rev. Dr Charles Buregeya Mugisha and his wife, Florence, Africa New Life Ministries (ANLM) began its work as Rwanda was recovering from profound social and human loss.
The First Lady said the organisation recognised that families needed more than material assistance. They also needed hope and the means to support themselves. She commended its care for children who had lost parents and its efforts to give them a sense of family.
That approach has grown into programmes in education, healthcare, vocational training and leadership development. ANLM says it has helped more than 21,900 students access education. Its Dream Medical Center has served over 528,000 patients since opening in 2018, and its clean-water projects have reached eight districts.
The impact is visible in the lives of former beneficiaries. Fred Sebashoka, who received support in secondary school when his family faced financial hardship, graduated in medicine from the University of Rwanda in 2023. He is now undertaking specialist training in paediatric and neonatal surgery in Kenya.
Chaminah Uwase, one of eight children raised by a single mother, said ANLM support helped five siblings continue their education. She graduated from university in 2024, and all her siblings have since completed university studies. Their mother now works as a community health worker.
Founder Rev. Dr Mugisha said the organisation started with a commitment to help vulnerable children access education, then expanded as it encountered other needs in the community. He described its mission as serving with “two hands”: sharing the Christian gospel while also addressing practical needs such as schooling and healthcare.
The First Lady urged ANLM to remain a church and a family that inspires hope, heals hearts and contributes to Rwanda’s future. At its anniversary, her message placed belonging at the centre of the organisation’s work: a home can be a place where people are welcomed, supported and given room to begin again.
