Who We Are
Our Story
Sr. Clare Nsenga (25 July 1947 - 17 April 1993) joined the Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Good Council at age 15 and served in parishes across the Kabale Diocese, Uganda. In 1983 she moved to the United States for graduate studies, where she dreamed of a charity that would bring quality health care and education to the rural poor of Kisoro District. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and passed away in 1993 before seeing her dream realized.
In 2000, her sister Bernadette Kazibwe, brother Pius Bigirimana, and a circle of relatives, friends, and well-wishers founded the Clare Nsenga Foundation to carry her vision forward. The Clare Nsenga Health Centre was commissioned in July 2007, and in 2018 a major expansion added a maternity ward, staff housing, and expanded clinical laboratory and maternal delivery services.
Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2000
Also registered as an NGO in Uganda, headed by a local Country Director
Our mission
To provide sustainable, quality health care through prevention and creative service to the people of Cyanika and the surrounding villages of Kisoro District, Uganda — because a healthy community is a productive community.
Our vision
A Kisoro District where every family — however remote — can reach quality clinical care, safe maternity services, and education, and where vulnerable children and orphans are supported to thrive.
Our story
Cyanika sits in Uganda's remote Kisoro District, bordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west and Rwanda to the south, hemmed in by the Virunga Mountains and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest — an 8-9 hour drive from Kampala. That isolation is exactly why CNF's Health Center 3 matters so much to the families who rely on it.
What We Do
Our primary causes
Everything CNF does grows out of the Clare Nsenga Clinic, a Level-III health center that sees roughly 1,500 patient visits a month. Around it we've built a maternity ward, community development projects, support for orphans and vulnerable children, academic collaborations, and a partnership with Saint Luke Parish — all funded solely by the generosity of our donors.
Health Care & Vaccinations
The Clare Nsenga Health Center-III delivers primary care, childhood vaccinations, laboratory testing, and maternity services to roughly 1,500 patients a month, with ambulance transport to the district hospital for acute cases.
Community & Family Support
Beyond the Health Center III, CNF supports orphans and vulnerable children, funds community development projects, partners with Saint Luke Parish, and collaborates with academic institutions to bring students and researchers into our work.
Clinic & Maternity Care
A Level-III health center in Cyanika delivering primary care, vaccinations, lab testing, and a 2018-expanded maternity ward.
Orphans & Vulnerable Children
Support and economic opportunity for the vulnerable children and orphans of Kisoro District.
Academic Collaborations & Saint Luke Parish
Partnerships with universities and researchers, and a longstanding relationship with Saint Luke Parish supporting the wider community.
Our Team
Meet the People Behind CNF
The Clare Nsenga Foundation is guided by a small, dedicated group of founders, directors, and local leaders who carry Sr. Clare's vision forward on both sides of the Atlantic.
Bernadette Kazibwe
Founding Member & President
A founding member and president of the Clare Nsenga Foundation, recognized by WFSB Channel 3 (local CBS station) as an Everyday Hero in 2008 for her work promoting health programming and education in Kisoro District. Born in Kisoro, she now resides in Colchester, Connecticut.
Pius Bigirimana
Local Country Director
Pius serves as the Clare Nsenga Foundation's local country director in Uganda, coordinating the foundation's on-the-ground work in Cyanika and Kisoro District. He also serves as Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Judiciary in the Government of Uganda.
Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus
Medical Director
Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus serves as medical director of the Clare Nsenga Foundation. He is a Professor of Medicine specializing in Infectious Diseases at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut.
Tadeo Munyangeyo
Clinic Operating Committee Chairman
Tadeo is a local businessman in Cyanika, Uganda, where he chairs the Clare Nsenga Clinic Operating Committee. He also serves as a member of the Katarara School Board.
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Email: cnfoundation1@gmail.com
Call Anytime: (860) 639-4213