A woman named Hilde Back walked into my life and changed it. Hilde Back started supporting me through primary school and part of secondary school and I became more confident and I was beginning to think that maybe I had some future. I started wondering why is this happening and who is this lady.
It all started in the early 1970s when Ms. Hilde Back, then a simple elementary school teacher in Sweden, began to support the education of an impoverished boy, Chris Mburu, then growing up in a small village called Mitahato in rural Kenya. Thanks to Hilde, Chris went on to study law at the University of Nairobi then proceeded to Harvard University and today protects human rights working at the UN.
Inspired by Hilde’s small act of generosity, Chris started a scholarship programme aimed at providing bright and needy Kenyan children with education opportunities. He named the organization Hilde Back Education Fund (HBEF) after his childhood benefactor.
The story of Hilde Back and Chris Mburu is now the subject of an Emmy-nominated Hollywood film titled “A Small Act” (www.asmallact.com) which has captured the imagination of millions of people around the world.
‘A Small Act’ is an inspiring story which shows that a small act of kindness can have far reaching positive effect in the lives of others. It’s a story of hope and shows how each one of us can play a role in the education of a poor child in Kenya or elsewhere. Filmed in the small town of Vasteras, Sweden, the bustling city of Geneva, Switzerland and the lush landscape of Kenya’s central highlands, ‘A Small Act’ is as entertaining as it is inspiring!
Hilde Back Education Fund (HBEF) is a Kenyan charitable organization that helps provide children from low-income families complete secondary school education in Kenya.
