People with passion for our cause can make a difference
NPH relies on the support of people who believe in our mission to transform the lives of vulnerable children. Here we share stories of NPH Ambassadors whose fundraising efforts help us provide opportunities for children to thrive.
Alaina and Mateo, committed to our mission
Alaina Owens explains how she and partner Mateo Haentjens became involved with NPH and raised funds in challenging times.
“Mateo and I were volunteers at NPH Honduras from 2017 to 2019. I worked as a nurse and he as a physiotherapist on ‘El Rancho Santa Fe’, the home located just outside the capital of Tegucigalpa. When we left, we moved to Scotland, a place that was new to both of us, so that Mateo could study a Master’s programme. We quickly realised that being so far from the ranch left us feeling disconnected from the NPH family. We wanted to continue to support the programmes and people we had seen work so well while we were there.”
Raising awareness at university
“Mateo and I decided to start fundraising in early 2020 by setting up an NPH society at Mateo’s university. We attended several volunteer fairs together with a poster presentation and information about NPH. Our aim was to raise awareness, ask for donations and recruit members to our society to help plan future fundraising events. We created a group of around 10 members and our biggest event was to join a Latin American ‘Carnaval’ celebration in the spring of 2020 where we also set up a booth and fundraised. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the society was no longer able to meet or attend any events so our fundraising efforts had to change.”
New ways to fundraise during lockdown
“Mateo and I continued to raise funds for NPH through lockdown by connecting (in a socially distanced way) with our local community. I made and sold pottery and artwork to neighbours and Mateo fixed old bikes and did handiwork projects. We continued to share our experiences at NPH with those around us and encourage them to donate as well. We managed to raise £1,300 for NPH UK. Although we have had to change our strategies with the changing times, we feel that any little effort or spare change we have can make a huge difference for NPH and the many children they support.”
Students create university society to support NPH
In 2018, a group of students at the London campus of the ESCP Business School set up Sharing Hope Society to raise awareness and funds for us. NPH had inspired the society’s co-founder, Costanza Ferreira de Almeida. Costanza had seen the impact of our work when she participated in service camps to NPH Haiti and NPH Dominican Republic with our partner organisation, NPH Italy.
In 2019, the society raised £1,500 through pizza and cake sales, and a night club event. They chose to direct the funds to the rehydration centre at NPH Haiti’s St. Damien Paediatric Hospital. This department provides life-saving treatment to young cholera patients.
Experiencing the impact of our work
In the summer of 2019, a group of students from ESCP Business School travelled to NPH Haiti where they saw first-hand the results of their fundraising efforts. They spent time with some of the children whose lives are saved at St. Damien Paediatric Hospital. They also visited the community and residential programmes that NPH Haiti runs to enable children in vulnerable circumstances to thrive.
NPH values change perspectives
Costanza explains why Sharing Hope Society chose to support NPH:
“Sharing Hope Society as part of the ESCP community has decided to support NPH UK in order to provide concrete help to those in need. Our aim is to create a society that links students from an international business school with an international organisation like NPH.”
“It has allowed us to bring a humanitarian approach to students who are studying in a business environment and who will lead international corporations in a few years. The NPH family has brought meaningful values to volunteers who took part in the trip to Haiti and enabled them to change their way of seeing things. Our one and only mission is to raise awareness among new generations to turn students into more conscious managers.”
Fundraising to save young lives
In 2020, the society raised another £1,500 for St. Damien Paediatric Hospital. These funds enabled the purchase of essential echo medical supplies for the Oncology Ward. Sharing Hope Society continues to raise awareness about NPH across the multiple ESCP campuses through presentations and other activities.
Have you been inspired to become an NPH Ambassador? Could you help us raise awareness and funds to support vulnerable children and families? Click here to find out more or contact us. We’d love to hear from you!