Abraham Leno
Executive Director
Abraham has spent his whole career promoting health, dignity and joy in the world’s most difficult places — starting in Guinea, where he and his family were refugees themselves for eleven years. As a humanitarian leader, Abraham has led relief and development efforts in Liberia, South Sudan, Darfur, Ethiopia, Balochistan in Pakistan, and now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In DRC, Abraham helped co-create and implement the revolutionary Asili business model.
Abraham is grateful to have lived beyond survival, and now has a family and a home of his own and other people who look up to him. His relief and development work are inspired by memories of the kindness and the generosity of many others. He travels widely throughout the DRC and United States, but he is based in ECI’s headquarters in Bukavu.
Valéry Namuto
Regional Director
Establishing and maintaining world-class services in eastern Congo is only possible because of the skill of more than 100 local experts in everything from epidemiology to agronomy to plumbing. At the center of all this technical complexity is Valéry, who manages every aspect of ECI’s field operations. From day to day, he coordinates the operation of the whole Asili enterprise, from counting cash at water points to negotiating rights-of-way with local kings and princes. With his gentle sense of humor, deep commitment to human dignity, and constant attention to detail, Valéry makes sure Asili services live up to the promise of our brand, every day.
Beyond his work for ECI, Valéry is renowned throughout the DRC for his skill as a pianist and composer. He has been summoned him to Kinshasa to play for the President of the Congo. He lives and works in Bukavu, a city he loves for its culture and architecture.
Finance Team
- Prince Bahati, Finance Officer
- Nadine Bulembo, Cashier
- Nehemie Jean-Claude, Finance Assistant
- Jodie Rugarabura, Finance Clerk
- Alice Rukungu, Finance Assistant
- Maryline Mwenge Vira, Finance Assistant
Salomé Kaliza
Community Engagement Manager
A widowed mother of six children and eight grandchildren, Mama Salomé makes everyone she meets feel like part of her family. With inimitable energy and joy, she is the foremost ambassador of ECI’s Asili social business model in the communities of eastern Congo. She draws inspiration from the way Asili services provide world-class human services in places where water, healthcare and even dignity have been hard to come by.
Outside of work, Mama Salomé likes taking care of her home, reading the Bible, listening to religious music, and exercising. She loves to visit with family members, friends and neighbors, and anyone who needs comfort and encouragement.
Masudi Katembela
Grant Manager
Born in the DRC, Masudi personally cultivates all ECI’s relationships with visionary Congolese community-based organizations, from the world-renowned Panzi Hospital to tiny youth startups. Prior joining ECI in 2018, Masudi worked with World Vision for 14 years in monitoring and evaluation, program administration, and child protection.
Masudi was drawn to work with ECI because of this organization’s fundamental belief in the power of Congolese solutions to solve Congolese problems — a belief Masudi’s work brings into reality every day. He helps our partner CBOs achieve great things for the communities we serve. He lives with his family in Goma.
Grantmaking Team
- Franck Balume, Driver and Logistics Assistant
- Faustin Munyi-Ogwarha, Grant Assistant
Healthcare Team
- Georges Bahati, Nurse
- Pascaline Cibanshimbira, Nurse
- Adrienne Ganywamulume, Nurse
- Guillaume Mwenze, Nurse
- Pierre Masirika, Nurse
- Rachel Matabaro, Nurse
- Adrienne Mulashe, Nurse
- Christophe Ngwasi, Nurse
- Bienfait Sharadi, Nurse
- Ange Sikwaya, MD, Physician Director
Administration Team
- Aude Wilkins, Executive Assistant
- Pascaline Kabangwa, Assistant Administrator
- Félix Kamenge, Guard
- Déogratias Kashos, Guard
- Léonard Mpova, Guard
- Arc Mudirishwe, Driver
- Dario Mutarushwa, Driver
- Moïse Mwandulo, Driver
- Laurent Mweze, Guard
- Emmanuel Nshagi, Guard
- Joseph Shamavu, Driver
Josée Ruhara
Water Operations Manager
Mama Josée has spent her whole career improving public health in the Congo — as a community educator, dietician, advocate and activist, and leader. Today she is the South Kivu coordinator of REFESHAPE, the Congolese network of women in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector. In that capacity, she has worked with Asili since 2013 to supervise and support the women who operate all our retail water points. Mama Josée loves working for ECI because the Asili model, which she helped co-create, puts the communities we serve at the center of everything we do, and values the contribution of women especially.
Married and the mother of six children, Mama Josée loves being with her family, praying with others, and traveling whenever she can.
Operations Team
- Neema Bulonza, Sanitation Specialist
- Fiston Byamungu, Sales Concierge
- Micheline Engiteyo, Government Liaison
- Marie-Claire Irenge, Sanitation Specialist
- Jean Kakule, Sales Concierge
- Justinne M’Mweze, Sanitation Specialist
- Roger Mwambibwa, Sanitation Specialist
- Lyly Mwamini, Sanitation Specialist
- Reagan Mutambo, Commercial Agent
- Ahadi Safari, Sanitation Specialist
- Roland Safari, Assistant Engineer
- Divine Zihindula, Field Operations Manager
Communications & Advocacy Team
- Courtney Nelson, Communications Director
- Pacome Ritziki, Communications Manager
- Matthew Rishell, Advocacy and Amplification Specialist
- Wivine Ngango Kanyere, Communications Associate
Development Team
- Niclette Mundabi, Development Director
- Kylie Gibbard, Development Manager
- Giovanni Gravino, Fundraising Manager