Fred Hacker and volunteers from Life4Kids feeding kids in Nairobi, Kenya.Supplied
The organizer: Fred Hacker
The pitch: Life4Kids Canada
The cause: To care for street boys in Kenya
When Fred Hacker was asked to take over Life4Kids Canada 10 years ago, the non-profit was on the verge of closing down.
Life4Kids started in 2010 when a teacher from Midland, Ont., went on a trip to Nairobi, Kenya, and met a nine-year-old orphan who survived on the streets. That led to the launch of a program that offered meals and shelter for at-risk boys in the Kenyan capital.
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Mr. Hacker was asked to take over in 2016 when the program was struggling to stay afloat. He turned it into a registered charity and with the help of volunteers in Canada and Kenya, found a rental home that Life4Kids could use in Nairobi. But renting space proved difficult, and in 2023 the group managed to buy a house thanks to $250,000 in donations.
Fred Hacker at Life4Kids home with Paul, one of the boys in Kenya.Supplied
Life4Kids now houses 28 boys, some as young as two years old. All of the children had been living on the streets or were abandoned. “We get phone calls from police, from the tribal chiefs, or from children’s institutions saying that they found a kid who’s at risk,” said Mr. Hacker, 79, who is a retired lawyer in Midland. “There are 200,000 little boys living on the streets of Nairobi, so we don’t have to go looking for candidates.”
The charity focuses on orphaned street boys, he added, because they have virtually no economic value in Kenya and are easily forgotten.
In addition to shelter, Life4Kids sends the boys to school and covers the costs of postsecondary education. The 12-member staff includes caregivers, a cook and a counsellor who visits the home regularly.
Mr. Hacker, who like all the directors is a volunteer, said Life4Kids has touched the lives of around 40 children since 2023. Some have gone on to start their own businesses or study to be social workers. One boy is now a police officer.
The charity raises around $100,000 annually to fund its operations, and each boy is also matched with a Canadian sponsor who covers some of the costs. Most of the sponsors have come from Rotary Clubs around Midland.
“I don’t think we have any supporters in any big city in Canada,” Mr. Hacker said. “Our supporters are all from small towns.”