Female Fusion Celebrates IWD 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya

For this year's International Women's Day, Female Fusion had the privilege of hosting a dinner in Nairobi, Kenya, with an extraordinary group of young women.

These women, ranging in age from their mid-20s to early 30s, are alumni of the Hanne Howard Fund Lenana (HHFL), an organisation that has provided education to hundreds of children from Kenya's Lenana Slum for more than two decades.

This is a project that has been close to Jen's heart for more than two decades, and seeing these girls highlights the transformative power of education and support in their lives. Today, they not only hold respectable positions across various industries, but they also actively contribute to uplifting disadvantaged youth within their community.

Mercy was the first HHFL kid to graduate from university, holding both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in business. She's working as an administrator for a logistics company and is also the owner of Kitenge World by Kangsy and founder of Stellar Generation Kenya, a nonprofit dedicated to aiding disadvantaged youth.

Lydiah, is the Managing Director of a transportation company and also works as a legal clerk for a law firm. If that weren't enough, she's also set up her own branding and business setup company.

Alice efficiently manages a medical clinic while also working as a travel agent and raising her two children.

Mary, with her keen eye for storytelling, works as a video editor and content creator for a TV production company in Nairobi. She also aspires to launch her own business one day soon.

Sharon, an accounting graduate, contributes her expertise as a credit associate for a digital payment platform.

We were also joined by two friends of the HHFL alumni, Joan who co-founded Stellar Generation Kenya alongside Mercy and Irene, who leads HR for a global NGO that focuses on assisting women living in extreme poverty.

We were also joined by Lucy, who, alongside Isaiah, has been the backbone of HHFL on the ground. Managing hundreds of teenagers as if they were their own, their dedication over nearly two decades is nothing short of heroic.

On International Women's Day, it was only fitting that we raised a toast to Lucy, expressing our gratitude for the support she has provided to these incredible women over the years.