HURU’s Roots
HURU International was launched in 2008 under the aegis of AmericaShare, the US-based nonprofit arm of Micato Safaris, an organization that has worked in Kenya for more than 20 years. Our mission began with a simple realization: without the means to take care of their basic needs, young girls would continue to suffer needlessly and be denied the hope and dignity that is every person’s birthright.
Our initial goal was to ensure that young girls throughout the Mukuru slum in Nairobi were able to take full advantage of the opportunities being offered. Recognizing that certain obstacles would persist, HURU International was established as a permanent, independent organization.
Founders and Partners
HURU was launched with a grant from AmericaShare/Micato Safaris, Johnson & Johnson, and PEPFAR in response to research funded by Girl Child Network. Since then, HURU has received generous funding and support from the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Bernard Wharton and Jennifer Walsh, Warner Brothers, Schering Plough and many other kindhearted donors.
Global Vision
The problems we are addressing in Mukuru exist throughout the developing world, making HURU’s work easily adaptable. Our program can benefit girls of many different cultures and countries. We plan to expand throughout sub-Saharan Africa, where the problems that we identified in Kenya are all too common. Once this is achieved, our vision will extend to Asia and elsewhere.
HURU in a Box
HURU in a Box is a logistically smart and easy to implement solution designed to ease suffering in refugee camps or similar environments. While aid organizations provide a wide range essential goods and assistance, female sanitary products are often overlooked, creating the unhealthy situations that HURU is working to eradicate.
Partner List: AmericaShare/Micato Safaris, J&J, President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Elton John AIDS Foundation, Warner Brothers, Girl Child Network, Kenya Girl Guides Association, Sunflag, and Bernard Wharton & Jennifer Walsh
