The work of SURF would not be possible without an incredible team of committed staff.
Françoise Lemagnen was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in November 2013. She is supported by David Russell, who serves as the UK Coordinator. David formerly was a consultant to SURF’s Founder Mary Kayitesi Blewitt OBE.
The CEO is the primary point of contact between the trustees of SURF, and the SURF team in Rwanda, as well as with the partner organisations and donors. Françoise directs and coordinates all activities of SURF, and is responsible for programme development, reporting and communications.
The work of the CEO is made possible through the commitment and dedication of a remarkable staff team based in Kigali. The SURF Rwanda team (as of June 2015) is:
- Alex Mugabo, Director of Programmes
- Ariane Uwamahoro, Administrator
- Emilienne Kambibi, Senior Key Worker
- Kelsey Finnegan, Programme Manager
- Dr Jemma Hogwood, Clinical Psychologist
- Raban Havugimana, IGA Project Officer
- Sam Munderere, Director of Operations
- Vincent Nyauma, Accountant
The office team in Rwanda is supported by the following staff:
- Claudine Mkakalisa, Office Assistant
- Gilbert Dusabe, Security Guard
- Godfrey Jagwe, Driver
In August 2014, Albert Gasake, Legal Advocacy Coordinator, relocated to the USA to pursue doctoral studies. In January 2015, due to financial constraints, the post of coordinator in Rwanda was made redundant. As such, after fifteen years of service – three years as a consultant, and then thirteen years as an employee – Gabo Wilson left Survivors Fund (SURF) and is now pursuing other projects. Gabo played a fundamental role in establishing the SURF Rwanda office, as our first employee based in-country, and led the development of many of our most significant projects. His contribution to the evolution of the organisation, as well as the cause of survivors, has been monumental and as such he leaves an important legacy. We wish him great success with his work ahead.
Our team is supported by Liam Dempsey of lbdesign (online) and Drew Sutton and Rachel Collingwood of niceimages (film and photography), and we are thankful for their continuing support.