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[heading]Our Story[/heading]

A natural disaster always opens another eye within us. Miraculously surviving the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, Petra Němcová, a renowned supermodel and entrepreneur, has her life altered forever. The emotional pain of losing a loved one and hearing children screaming for help whilst hanging onto a palm tree during the tragedy has become a turning point for Petra. She rose up with a mission to help children who survived natural disasters. In 2005, Petra founded Happy Hearts Fund which aimed to rebuild safe, resilient schools in areas impacted by natural disasters.

In May 2006, a destructive earthquake took the lives of thousands in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Holding onto its mission to aid children surviving natural disasters, Happy Hearts Fund rebuilt more than 30 schools at the time. In 2013, after an almost 7-year significant presence in Indonesia, Happy Hearts Fund launched its first international chapter, Happy Hearts Indonesia (Yayasan Hati Gembira Indonesia), to support the reconstruction of more schools affected by natural disasters around the country. In the spirit of creating a greater impact, Happy Hearts Indonesia is also supporting local communities by rebuilding sustainable schools in underdeveloped areas. Rebuilt schools are equipped with proper furniture and facilities. Additionally, we provide and facilitate suitable training programs for teachers and students.

Globally, Happy Hearts Fund has impacted more than 101,200 children and 627,000 community members in more than 200 rebuilt schools. In 2017 Happy Hearts Fund has announced its merger with All Hands Volunteers to become All Hands and Hearts – Smart Response, combining their efforts to serve more children and communities in disaster areas. Today All Hands and Hearts is active in more than 18 countries around the globe.

Happy Hearts Indonesia as an affiliated partner to All Hands and Hearts is growing strong in Indonesia. Believing in the intersection of quality education and poverty eradication, we have expanded our support to East Indonesia. The islands of Flores, Sumba and West Timor of East Nusa Tenggara are some of the poorest regions in Indonesia. Based on our survey, a high number of schools on these islands are in dangerous conditions, without toilet and other sanitary facilities, and many of them are not equipped with table, chairs, and educational materials. Therefore, we set our focus in restoring hope for children in East Nusa Tenggara. On March 13, 2018, we officially launched the #IAMCHANGE campaign that aims to rebuild 200 schools in East Nusa Tenggara.

To date, we have rebuilt over 210 schools and reached more than 71,000 children in Indonesia. We believe that every child in Indonesia has the right to quality education and therefore we continue to work tirelessly in providing safe and decent learning facilities for children in need.

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