GHE’s Fully Home-Grown Operations Manager

Our Sandrine “Sasha” Benimana has graduated, and her part-time years at Gorilla Highlands Experts are over. She is now a full-time Operations Manager, the first in the organisation’s history. We are growing, and growing with Sasha at the heart of it all.

Her colleagues describe her as “a kind-hearted, positive and strong-willed woman, who has a beautiful energy and knows what she wants in life”, “a very focused and consistent person who never gives up, is open to new things and is friendly to all” and “a fun, caring and easygoing individual who is hardworking and genuinely tries to get things done well”.

The 20 pictures we have prepared tell the story of her 4.5 years with us so far. Many of them show Sasha’s household life, and this is no mistake. In addition to running our tours in three countries, supporting Edirisa on Lake Bunyonyi and helping get GHE Rwanda off the ground, she has been the lady of the house too. She found our last two Musanze homes, surprises us with amazing meals and mothers Lan, our future Managing Director.

If the above makes you wonder whether there’s more to this than work and friendship, there isn’t. Sometimes the stars simply align; the right people come together in ways that aren’t romantic, yet are fiercely loyal.

Now let’s remember how it all started … In June 2022 Sasha came to the first general assembly of GHE Rwanda as, wait for it, an English-speaking delegate supporting a Batwa community from Kigali! She has no Pygmy heritage herself; she has simply always cared for the have-nots. At that gathering she became the organisation’s Secretary, soon experienced the first Friendship Camp, helped with Illumineers for a couple of years and joined our office in 2024 … and here we are!

To many more years of Sasha’s GHE.