Norman Paul Desire
Norman		Norman & his family

Mr. Desire was born in 1965 in exile. His family moved from their roots in Rwanda to Uganda in the 1950s to escape the oppression of the Tutsis by the Hutus. In late 1994, with the genocide behind and the new government installed, Mr. Desire felt a compelling call to return to Rwanda with a vision of forming an organization to help the vulnerable children left in the wake of the tumultuous period of terror that had oppressed the country. Mr. Desire gave up his position as pastor of a successful church in Uganda (2,000+ members) and set out to follow his call. After obtaining the registration of his non-profit organization from the Rwandan government, Mr. Desire spent 10+ years doing what he could without any on-going monthly support for himself or his organization. He was able to support 28 children on a scrabbled string of one-time contributions. Unfazed and still committed to his vision, it was easy for CottageCare®, Inc. to match Norman's vision and hard work with a commitment to providing 100% of the necessary financial resources to fund Christ for the Nations Ministries (CNM) and thereby Norman's full-time effort in being an in-country overseer for our objectives which matched and complemented his objectives so well. CottageCare®, Inc.'s funding of the administrative expenses allows, then, for gifts to the CottageCare® Widows and Orphans Relief Fund to be used 100% for their intended purposes and 0% for administrative purposes.

Norman and his wife, Mutesi, have two children, Gad, a boy 4 years old, and Darlene, who is 2 years old. They reside in Kigali near the offices of CNM.

Iraguha Jean D'Amour

D'Amour, Tom Schrader, & Norman

D'Amour (as we call him) was himself an orphan and head of household for his three younger sisters. At 20 years old, D'Amour has proven to be ambitious to learn whatever he can to improve his lot in life. Involved with one of the churches that the CottageCare® Widows and Orphans Relief Fund is working with to build and sustain children's homes, D'Amour has proven himself to be a valuable player to assist Mr. Desire in our joint efforts in Kigali and surrounding districts. D'Amour will serve initially as foreman for the construction projects ensuring that each is built according to the prescribed model. We believe D'Amour has much more to offer and fully expect to see him more and more involved in additional aspects of CottageCare®'s work in Africa.

Tom (left) and Sheri (right) Schrader on a recent visit to Kabuga, 12 kilometers outside the capital city of Kigali.