Our story
Hai Africa is a non-profit organization that was born after a volunteer trip to Africa became a dream to go beyond and do more. It all started with a great desire to do something to support and change the reality of children who were on the streets lacking free public schooling and food.
On May 4, 2015, in a small house in Kabiria (a suburban area of Kenya's capital, Nairobi), Mariana, the founder, opened the doors of Hai to provide meals and creative activities for 13 children from the community—the maximum number of children she could accommodate within her initial budget.
On May 4, 2015, in a small house in Kabiria (a suburban area of Kenya's capital, Nairobi), Mariana, the founder, opened the doors of Hai to provide meals and creative activities for 13 children from the community—the maximum number of children she could accommodate within her initial budget.
Hai today is a Center that is proud to be part of the transformation of the Kabiria community, promoting the development of women and children by providing professional training and humanized education & healthy nutrition, respectively. Hai also supports the local
economy by making all its purchases from the community's local businesses.
Over the years, Hai Africa has become a Center that supports over 40 children (our "Babies"). It has 6 local employees, generates income, and gives voice to 15 women (affectionately known as "Mamas"), it finances the education of 3 female teachers and the continuing education of 66 children in elementary school. What was originally intended to be just a place to provide food and activities for the children has become an institution that positively transforms the lives of many people in this community.
Learn more about Hai's mission, values, and work.
OUR MISSION
Transforming with love
through our values.
through our values.
Our values
Humanized Education
Our teaching method aims at the well-being and development of our "Babies" through an integrated and holistic approach. We do this by following the principles of Waldorf pedagogy, promoting games, love, and affection. We also provide financial support to elementary school students to ensure that after they reach the age limit in our pre-school, our ''Babies'' can continue their studies.
Health and Nutrition
We take healthy eating as a priority. It is proven that when a child has a proper diet, the whole body functions in a much better way, from growth, muscle development, strengthening of bones, as well as the development of the cognitive part. To support a healthy diet, we provide a vegetarian menu carefully developed by a nutritionist. Always valuing health, we work in partnership with the Por1Sorriso NGO to offer annual medical and dental support to the community.
Female Empowerment
Three women from the community, Annite, Jane and Leah, are teachers at our Hai Center preschool. With the financial support of Hai, these women are attending Waldorf Pedagogy school and have taken a specialization in Childhood Psychology. In addition, we founded the "Empresa das Mamas", dedicated to generating income and the development of the mothers of our ''Babies'', so they can, by making their own handicrafts, increase their financial independence.
Impact and Local Development
Our contribution goes beyond individual impacts. At Hai, we ensure that we support the local economy by purchasing 100% of the food and supplies our Center uses from the local businesses in the community. Furthermore, all our local employees are from Kabiria, where we are considered part of the community and recognized as an important center of development.
Conheça a nossa equipe
Nosso time é composto por pessoas que acreditam no poder da educação
como ferramenta essencial de desenvolvimento e transformação.
como ferramenta essencial de desenvolvimento e transformação.
Mariana Fischer
CEO • mariana@haiafrica.com.br
Idealizer and Founder, she has always believed in children and
education as a social transformation for a better world. In April
2015, she left for the African continent in search of a dream come
true. Today she works to make sure that Hai Africa can grow and
continue its impact around the world.
Our team
Teacher Leah
Leah joined Hai Africa in 2016. She was recommended for the interview by a neighbor, and as soon as she arrived, you could tell she was exactly what Hai was looking for. Quiet and soft-spoken, she is a overly sweet and creative teacher. She has a degree in Waldorf Pedagogy and is specialized in Child Psychology, and she devotes herself to her work with a lot of love.
Teacher Annette
When there was a need to hire an assistant, Leah was quick to talk about her best friend Annette. Teacher Annette is shy, responsible, and organized. Nowadays she is attending Waldorf training and has completed a specialization in Child Psychology along with her friend Leah. She is calm and helps us a lot in the daily routine of the school.
Jane
Teacher Jane was Hai's first teacher and won everyone's hearts when she said that it didn't matter the salary, but the fact that she was going to have a job. She saw Hai being born and became a calm teacher with a mild tone of voice. She completed Waldorf training and also specialized in Child Psychology. She recognizes Hai's positive impact on her life since she began working with children.
Fanice
She has been with the team since Hai's first day. Mother of baby Hely, she has become a great friend, because she is always available to help. Very responsible, Fanice is the mother of five children and does everything she can to take care of them in the best way possible. Nowadays she works at Hai, helping with the cleaning. In the afternoon, she also sells vegetables in the community and in this way is able to pay her rent and feed her children.
Jacob
Jacob is a refugee from Congo and has 7 children, he has a sad life story, but it has never stopped him from moving forward.
Resilient, he has lived in Kenya for over ten years. He has a degree in Psychology, and sews very well. Responsible for a school for refugees in the community, he does all he can to ensure that the children continue to be good people.
He is a friend of Hai's creator. He now works for the project as a manager and is responsible for the administrative department in Kenya.
Maíra Kahl Ferraz
PhD in Geography, graduated in Waldorf Pedagogy and currently
studying Anthroposophical Art Therapy. Currently, she is a professor
in the Geography Teaching Program at IFSP - São Paulo. Maíra has
been working as a public-school teacher since 2011 and she
believes in education as one of the main agents of social transformation. For this reason, since the creation of Hai, she has
assisted in pedagogical issues, in order to promote the expansion of
access to humanized and quality education.
mairakferraz@gmail.com
Carola Ferreira
Public Relations and broadcaster, he dedicated most of his career working in Social Communication in politics. During the years she lived in Ireland, she worked as a volunteer in social actions and institutions focused on combating extreme poverty and welcoming refugees. While researching organizations operating in Africa, he discovered Hai and joined the team of volunteers when he returned to Brazil, in 2018. Today, he contributes with content production and revision, in addition to participating in fairs and bazaars.carola@haiafrica.com.br
Gabriela Fischer
Gabriela has a degree in Veterinary Medicine and has been a Hai volunteer since the beginning of the project. For years she was responsible for the organization and the finances of the Bazaar, for collecting donations, sorting, and pricing. Today she works in events and in several specific demands.
The time she spent at Hai's headquarters in Kenya in 2019, she contributed with fun activities, cooking classes, and a variety of games; everything to make the Babies happy.
gabriela@haiafrica.com.br
Iracema Fischer
Iracema is fascinated by nature and traveling, and she has always done volunteer work. She passed on her love for social causes and desire to make a difference in the world to her children Gabriela, Guilherme, and Mariana - the founder of Hai. She said she was very surprised when her daughter decided to go to Kenya, but gave her full support. Since then, she helps with all possible demands of the project. Besides being responsible for the creation and monthly work at Bazar Hai, it is also from Iracema's hands that the famous "Brigadeiros do Amor" are made, which profits are given to Hai. The sale is seasonal, but according to the fans of brigadeiro, Iracema would sell them all year round.
iracema@haiafrica.com.br
Luísa Juskow
She has always been passionate about the arts, especially music, and decided to follow the path of creativity as a profession. Luísa is 21 years old. She lives in Florianópolis, is a student of Multimedia Production at IFSC and has been working in graphic design and digital marketing for 2 years. After a period of not engaging in continuous volunteer work, she decided it was time to unite her passion for design with something even greater: her desire to help people. At Hai, she is part of the design team and hopes to contribute to Hai's growth in its mission.
luisa@haiafrica.com.br
Yuri Choucair Ramos
Economista e com MBA pelo INSEAD, o Yuri já morou em todos os cantos, mas é pela África que seu coração bate mais forte. Desenvolveu toda a sua carreira no mercado financeiro e, numa crise de meia idade, achou que deveria parar um pouquinho e se dedicar a quem realmente precisa. Juntou-se ao HAI, em Nairóbi, em março de 2023 e, além de dar opinião em tudo, é responsável pelo projeto de construção da nossa escola na Kabiria. O Yuri acredita que o acolhimento e a educação das crianças na sua primeira infância são decisivos na formação de adultos mais felizes e uma sociedade mais inclusiva. O Yuri acha que terminando a construção da escola, deveríamos partir para outra. Nós o achamos louco. yuri@haiafrica.com.br
