The Hanne Howard Fund (HHF) is a family oriented, grassroots charity that was founded in 2006 by Canadian couple Hanne Howard and Ted Horton.
The organisation supports more than 110 orphaned and vulnerable children living in Lenana, an underprivileged community in Nairobi, Kenya. HHF provides the children with education, daily meals, healthcare and shelter. It also provides after-school, weekend and holiday programmes to help build life skills and foster personal growth in a safe and nurturing environment.
Where possible, HHF youth are expected to give back their time to help lead the activities and become good role models for their younger peers. HHFL has its own trusted Board of Directors and a local management team who were once disenfranchised youth. The First Group is a long-term supporter of the charity. In 2012, it established The First Group University Scholarship in association with HHF, which gives the charity’s children the chance to attend top-tier universities and colleges in Nairobi.
Over the past decade, a dozen children have benefitted from The First Group’s financial support through secondary and tertiary education and beyond. Those who have graduated from college or university are pursuing their dreams in professional fields ranging from aeronautical engineering, marketing and banking, to hospitality, nursing and design media. Current TFG scholars include Mary Wairimu, who is in her final year studying media science at Moi University and has interned with major broadcasters in Kenya, and Albanus Mbuvi, who is in his final year studying nursing at the Kijabe School of Nursing. He too has benefitted from hands-on learning having interned at a variety of local hospitals. FFLV also distributes around 66,000 meals and provides basic medical care to around 1,000 people living in and around Vrindavan each month.
HHF’s philosophy
HHF believes that a child’s development benefits from a combination of love, good nutrition, healthcare, recreation and training, particularly using modern technologies, as well as instilling a sense of discipline, respect and teamwork.
According to HHF’s founders, Hanne and Ted, when you combine all of these ingredients with goal setting and good old fashioned hard work, the odds point to self-reliance. This is their ultimate measure of success.
HHF’s integrated approach to caregiving coupled with strict fiscal management is truly transforming the lives of the children it supports.
