The Team

Bea Furtado – President & Founder

Beatriz Furtado, better known as Bea, received her Bachelor’s of Nursing from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She is a Full-time School Nurse in Fall River, Ma, and has experience in Pediatric Oncology and Medical Missionary Nursing.

Bea is an active parishioner of Santo Christo Catholic Church in Fall River, where she strives to teach children of all ages about God’s infinite love. She is also the Youth Minister at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

Bea’s love for missionary work sparked when she took her first mission trip to Haiti.  Her devotion and infinite care to help others and her endless love for God is what prompted her to start Rise Rwanda, an organization that would bring light, love, and care to the community of Rwanda in many capacities.

Christine Catarino – Marketing Director 

Christine Catarino received her Bachelor’s in International Business from Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. She is a Full-time Digital Marketing Strategist for a Healthcare Group. She is also a Community Habilitation aid for a young lady with special needs.

Christine is an active parishioner of Santo Christo Catholic Church in Fall River, where she has been teaching catechism for over twenty years. Her hope is to inspire the youth of Santo Christo to continue in their faith journey beyond their catechismal years.

She has volunteered and supported organizations like SNAP which supports children with autism, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp which serves children and their families coping with cancer and other serious illnesses and conditions, the St. Vincent DePaul Society which is a multi-service human service organization, and local soup kitchens.

Becky Couet – Secretary

Becky Couet is involved in PK-7 education. She has taught in the classroom, been a principal and now coordinates curriculum and Title I programs for Taunton Public Schools.

She grew up in East Freetown and is actively involved in her parish, St. John Neumann Catholic Church. She is on the Youth Ministry Board and has been a cantor there since 2000.

Becky’s devotion to this project stems from her everyday work. She firmly believes that education is the gateway to a better life and every child deserves a chance to learn.

Zelia Reis- Board Member

Zelia Reis received a Bachelor’s of Nursing from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a Master’s in Education from Cambridge College. After a career in surgical inpatient nursing, she took on a different role and has been working as a school nurse for the New Bedford Public Schools.

Zelia has been married for 26 years and is a proud mother to 3 beautiful boys. She is a Parishioner of Santo Christo Catholic Church and is involved in various ministries there.

Although Zelia has given back to her community both professionally and personally, she has often felt that God has a bigger plan for her. After receiving a call from Bea, Zelia knew that this was God’s message for her, to join the Rise Rwanda team in order to serve the children of Rwanda that are in need of our support.

Osvaldo Pacheco – Board Member 

Osvaldo Pacheco, a.k.a. Ozzie, is a Customer Service Engineer with SICK Inc. He is married to his wife Susan for 36 years and they have two children and two grandchildren.

Ozzie has been active in ministry at Santo Christo Parish in Fall River, MA since his teenage years, and is now the Faith Formation Director, Youth Minister and Choir Director. Ozzie also teaches religion part time, at Holy Trinity School in Fall River.

Although Ozzie has understood his call to ministry he’s always wondered if God is calling him to minister to others outside the walls of his parish. With RISE Rwanda that call became clear. He considers himself blessed to be a part of this ministry and serving the children of Rwanda.

Jill Fernandes – Board Member

Jill Fernandes is a student at Bridgewater State University, where she is studying Special Education and Psychology. She is currently involved in various youth ministry projects throughout the Diocese of Fall River which has led her to want to transfer towards obtaining a degree in Theology.

Jill grew up as a parishioner at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church in New Bedford. There, she and her friends started a youth group program post confirmation. She serves on the newly formed Youth Council for the Diocese of Fall River.

She has always had a passion for teaching children, especially when it comes to learning about their faith. Her role models are people who have shown her how important faith is and everything that God can do while working through you.

Rev. Leonard Kayondo- Spiritual Advisor

Rev. Leonard Kayondo is an alumni of Boston College in Boston, Ma, who now serves as a Catholic priest. He actively performs duties as the Chaplain for St. Anne’s Hospital in the Diocese of Fall River, Ma.

He is a native of Rwanda and is the Mission Representative for his home Kabgayi Diocese. The Diocese of Kabgayi, Rwanda is not only Rev. Leonard’s diocese but it is also home to the Franciscan sisters who have partnered with Rise Rwanda.

Among all of Rev. Leonard’s responsibilities, he humbly serves as the Spiritual Director for the Rise Rwanda Organization.