CEE-HOPE mourns German-Swiss humanitarian and Hearts100 founder Anne Rüffer, plans celebrations to honour her
CEE-HOPE Nigeria has expressed deep sorrow following the death of Swiss humanitarian, filmmaker, publisher, and founder of Hearts100, Ms Anne Rüffer who passed recently aged 69.
In an official statement issued by Betty Abah, Founder and Executive Director of CEE-HOPE Nigeria and Coordinator of the Hearts of Hope Shelter in Lagos and Hearts100 programs in Nigeria, the organisation paid tribute to Ms Rüffer, describing the German-Swiss as a cherished friend, partner, and steadfast and passionate advocate for vulnerable populations in Nigeria.
Ms Rüffer’s partnership with CEE-HOPE began in 2020 during the socioeconomic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through Hearts100, she backed CEE-HOPE’s emergency relief efforts, delivering livelihood support and critical aid to thousands of vulnerable families across Lagos, Ogun, Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, and Ebonyi States.
That initial collaboration laid the groundwork for an enduring humanitarian alliance. In 2021, Ms Rüffer through Hearts100 facilitated the establishment of the Hearts of Hope Shelter in Lagos, an initiative managed by CEE-HOPE to offer protection, healthcare, psychosocial support, and legal assistance to women and girls fleeing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) as well as campaigns against Female Genital Mutilation and others. In recognition of her extraordinary selflessness and transformational contributions, CEE-HOPE officially renamed the facility the Anne Rüffer’s Shelter in 2024 .
Beyond providing emergency shelter and campaigns against GBV, Ms Rüffer championed economic empowerment projects for women and funded community campaigns against gender-based violence (GBV) and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Her unwavering commitment remained focused on safeguarding the rights, dignity, and safety of women and girls.
Despite battling illness in her final years, Ms Rüffer maintained her active dedication to her work in Nigeria. She continuously mobilized funding for her causes, contributed her own personal resources, and insisted on keeping much of her philanthropy private.
Abah also noted that, Hearts of Hope Shelter was renamed the Anne Rüffer Women’s Shlelter in 2024 in honour of the woman who brought hope to many.
“Ms Rüffer was far more than a partner to CEE-HOPE; she was a friend, a compassionate human being, and a woman deeply committed to making a difference,” Abah stated. “We are heartbroken by her passing. In her passing our world has lost a rare, indeed extraordinary human. But we are consoled by the remarkable life of compassion she lived and we believe that her work will continue to inspire goodness in our embattled world.”
CEE-HOPE extended its condolences to Ms Rüffer’s family, colleagues, and the global Hearts100 community, reaffirming that her legacy will endure through the shelter, programs, and thousands of lives she touched across Nigeria in the last six years.
Meanwhile, CEE-HOPE plans to have tributes events to celebrate her legacies and honour her memory in the organisation’s offices in Lagos and Abuja in the course of October ahead of her burial by her family and friends in Switzerland by October ending. About 250 beneficiaries and friends are expected at the events in Lagos and Abuja.
