Diane Niyukuri is a mother of four, a wife, a lover of singing and someone who has always had a heart for serving her community. Just recently, she stepped into a role she never imagined she would one day fill: becoming the new National Director of Igniting Communities for Jesus (ICJ). Prior to stepping into her new role, she has been leading ICJ Foundation’s Income Generating Activities programme and had previously served as the Child Sponsorship Programme Manager.
A lawyer by profession, trained at one of Burundi’s top universities, Diane had worked for an insurance company and had spent more than a decade volunteering alongside her husband, Freddy, through an initiative serving Batwa communities. They worked with over 120 families and 600 children across three sites and provided more than 50 hectares of farming land to help communities build towards independence.
When she met Maria, a grandmother caring for her five orphaned grandchildren in Muwri, it reassured her that ICJ was where she needed to be, serving people who needed support and opportunity. As the Income Generating Activities officer, Diane helped strengthen the foundation’s businesses and increase its income. The businesses have grown, created jobs and generated profits that are reinvested into serving the communities ICJ works alongside.
For Diane, transformation is not simply about meeting a need today. It is about helping people discover their God-given dignity, create opportunities for themselves and their families, and move towards greater independence.
Diane’s time at ICJ also allowed her to work closely with previous leader Bosco, who saw her passion, dedication and strong work ethic. As he prepared to step into a new season, he also prepared Diane for what would come next.
Today, Diane is stepping into leadership with a desire to continue building on what has already been established while bringing her own voice and experience to the journey.
Her mission is to keep pushing forward what Bosco founded: helping the most vulnerable move towards independence, while continuing to demonstrate the love of Jesus and bringing transformation to communities.
For Diane, practical and spiritual transformation belong together. She wants to see ICJ continue to grow, reach more unreached communities and expand a culture of God’s Kingdom by sharing the Gospel while creating practical opportunities that help people build better, more independent lives.