It is with great sadness that we announce that our friend and colleague Sidonie Uwimpuhwe passed away on February 2nd, 2021 at the Nairobi Hospital where she was being treated for a post-COVID-19 pulmonary infection.
Our relationship with Sidonie is longstanding and is as personal as it is professional. In 2015, she collaborated with hera on a study commissioned by the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI). She went on to facilitate the external mid-term evaluation of the sustainable health financing program funded by Sweden and Norway and then became the Rwanda Country Director of CHAI in 2018. In this role, she shone as a leader, a scholar, and an advocate for patients and women’s rights.
hera project officer Eva Kayitesi went to school with Sdonie, and hera field officer Chantal Kayitesi was also one of Sidonie’s childhood friends. They both comment that she was an ambitious, inspiring, and resilient young woman, and also an exceptional mom. She was strong and bold in her convictions. She also had an incredible sense of fashion. We will truly miss her presence and all that she brought to this life.
Sending our deepest condolences to her children and family.
Rest in Power Sidonie Uwimpuhwe
