Nearly 200 women, including survivors of female genital mutilation (FGM), domestic violence survivors, widows and economically disadvantaged women, gathered at the Lagos headquarters of CEE-HOPE Nigeria on October 15, 2026, to celebrate the life and legacy of Anne Rüffer, the late Swiss-based publisher, filmmaker and humanitarian whose support transformed the lives of vulnerable women and families across Nigeria.
Rüffer, founder of the Swiss humanitarian organisation Hearts100 and a renowned Zurich-based publisher, died on September 11, 2026, following a battle with cancer.
At the memorial, dubbed a celebration of life, beneficiaries and advocates recounted how her generosity helped struggling families survive the COVID-19 pandemic, provided safe accommodation for women fleeing abuse, supported survivors of FGM and enabled vulnerable women to rebuild their livelihoods.
Through her partnership with CEE-HOPE Nigeria, Rüffer supported interventions across several states and helped establish a shelter for women and girls escaping domestic and sexual violence. The facility provides temporary accommodation, food, clothing, psychosocial support and other assistance to survivors as they work towards rebuilding their lives and securing independent accommodation.
CEE-HOPE Executive Director, Betty Abah, who worked closely with Rüffer despite never meeting her in person, traced their partnership to around July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, lockdowns and worsening economic conditions had pushed many families, particularly women and children, into severe hardship.
According to Abah, Rüffer was seeking organisations that could reach distressed families, single mothers and people experiencing abuse in Nigeria and Afghanistan.
Following an introduction through environmentalist Dr Nnimmo Bassey, a supporter of CEE-HOPE, Abah shared information about the organisation’s work. CEE-HOPE was subsequently selected to coordinate the intervention in Nigeria.
The programme provided food and financial assistance to thousands of women and families across six states: Lagos, Ogun, Benue, Ebonyi, Kaduna and Plateau.
As the immediate effects of the pandemic began to ease, Rüffer encouraged the expansion of the intervention to address the growing needs of women and girls experiencing domestic violence, sexual abuse and homelessness, against the backdrop of heightened concerns about gender-based violence during the period.
Abah described the shelter as a critical intervention in a country where safe accommodation for survivors of abuse remains in short supply. She recalled that some women arrived after fleeing violent homes with their children and little more than the clothes they were wearing. Others came barefoot, having escaped desperate circumstances with virtually nothing.
For these women, she said, the shelter became a place of safety, recovery and renewed hope. Beyond providing basic needs and counselling, the intervention also offered opportunities to acquire practical skills that could help survivors regain their economic independence.
Rüffer’s support was central to making the initiative possible.
“One of the most remarkable things about her was that she supported women whose faces she had never seen,” Abah said, reflecting on the late humanitarian’s commitment to helping people she might never meet.
Even as her health deteriorated and her capacity to raise funds became increasingly limited, Rüffer continued to seek ways to sustain the work. Abah disclosed that she connected CEE-HOPE with an organisation in Switzerland to help support its FGM prevention activities and shelter operations. She also contributed from her personal resources and remained committed to the cause until the final weeks of her life.
Urging participants to draw lessons from Rüffer’s life, Abah reflected on human mortality and the fleeting nature of material possessions, calling on people to make compassion and service to others a lasting part of their own lives.
The Chairman of CEE-HOPE’s Board, Lekan Otunfodunrin, also encouraged participants to embrace the spirit of giving, emphasising that meaningful contributions do not have to be large.
“We don’t have to be millionaires. Your little kobo, your little naira can support,” he said.
Rev. Sophy Mbanisi, founder of Healing Hearts Foundation, described Rüffer as a selfless humanitarian whose commitment to vulnerable people endured despite her battle with cancer. She urged those present to carry forward her legacy by extending kindness and practical support to others, regardless of their financial circumstances.
Mbanisi said Rüffer had lived a life marked by sacrifice and service, adding that the effects of her generosity would continue to be felt through the people whose lives she touched.
“We have lost a rare gem, but heaven has gained an angel,” she said.
Comrade Rufus Olusesan, National President of the Precision, Electrical and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association (PERESSA), described Rüffer as a committed advocate for vulnerable people who prioritised impact over recognition.
“She did not seek the limelight; she sought impact. She did not build a movement around herself; she built a shelter for others. In a world where giving is often publicised, she was a quiet giver. Her impact will live on for a long time in the lives of women and children who can now sleep safely because she cared,” he said.
Beneficiaries recount journeys from hardship to hope
The most moving moments of the gathering came from women who shared personal accounts of how the interventions supported by Rüffer had helped them navigate some of the most difficult periods of their lives.
One beneficiary recounted spending months on the streets with her infant and another young child before finding refuge at the shelter. After five months, she and her children received support to secure stable accommodation, alongside a business grant to help her rebuild her livelihood.
Another woman, a mother of three, including twins, became homeless after her husband abandoned the family. Following several months at the shelter, she received economic support that enabled her to return to her home state of Benue and begin rebuilding her life.
CEE-HOPE community coordinator, Mrs Fatima Dawud, shared her own experience as an FGM survivor, recounting how the practice and the family conflict surrounding it shaped her childhood.
Dawud said her parents divorced following disagreements over her father’s insistence that she undergo FGM. The procedure, carried out in Lagos in the 1990s when she was nine years old, nearly cost her life after she suffered excessive bleeding.
Her father, a security guard, was reportedly arrested by his employer, a military officer. After his release, he returned to his home in Borno State, deeply distressed, and died a few months later.
Today, Dawud has turned her painful experience into a commitment to preventing FGM. Through CEE-HOPE, she speaks against the practice at community meetings and coordinates women in Monkey Village, Lagos, mobilising them to participate in the organisation’s programmes, including activities supported by Hearts100.
Her testimony underscored how support for vulnerable women can extend beyond immediate relief to inspire survivors to become advocates for others.
Several other participants also testified to the far-reaching effects of Rüffer’s generosity. The gathering brought together predominantly women from communities across Lagos and Ogun states where CEE-HOPE works with vulnerable women and children.
For many of those present, the memorial was more than an occasion to mourn a benefactor. It was an opportunity to acknowledge a woman whose compassion had helped them find safety, recover their dignity and imagine a different future.
CEE-HOPE Nigeria announced that a second celebration of life for Rüffer would take place at its Abuja office, bringing together community women and other beneficiaries to honour her memory and reflect on her enduring legacy.
