History of the Hilde Back Education Fund (HBEF)

In the mid 1970s, a Swedish woman by the name Hilde Back participated in an international sponsorship program organized by a group of Swedish nationals committed to helping Kenyan children from poor families pay for their education. As a result of this support provided by individual Swedish benefactors, hundreds of children from Githunguri Division of Central Kenya –who might otherwise have been forced to drop out of school for lack of school fees- were able to stay in school.

Many of these program beneficiaries went on to lead successful careers and lives, which they owe to a large extent to this sponsorship program. One of those beneficiaries was Chris Mburu, whose school fees were paid for by Ms Hilde Back for many years; thanks to the support from Ms Hilde Back, Mr Mburu was able to proceed with school and to eventually study law at the University of Nairobi; he thereafter received a Fulbright scholarship to go to Harvard University in the US where he graduated in 1993 with a Master’s Degree in international human rights law. Mr Mburu has since been working for different international organizations outside Kenya, including the United Nations.

In September 2001, Mr Mburu together with a team of educationists from Githunguri Division decided to create a small scholarship foundation aimed at providing funds and other assistance to bright children in the area whose chances of pursuing education are diminished by poverty. It was decided to name the foundation after Ms Hilde Back as a gesture of gratitude to the Swedish benefactors and others who have contributed to the education of needy Kenyan children.