Make Me Smile International

What Make Me Smile International does

Make Me Smile International is an Austrian-registered non-profit association (Verein) founded in 2008 in Vienna that raises funds in four European donor countries (Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Luxembourg) and channels them into sustainable development and humanitarian relief programs in five project countries: Kenya, Colombia, Lebanon, Ukraine, and South Africa. Its core subsidiary, Make Me Smile Kenya, has operated since 2008 in the Kisumu region through the Mayenya Community Centre, running a portfolio of programs including maternal and child health services, HIV/AIDS treatment and OVC support (historically co-funded with USAID), the DREAMS adolescent girls program, an IT Future Hub vocational training centre (over 400 students trained), a Craft Centre, a Youth Friendly Centre, a solar-powered community water station serving ~200 households, permaculture and vertical gardening food security projects, dental camps, and flood-affected shelter reconstruction.

The organization does not operate a proprietary technology platform; its technical footprint is a WordPress website, the FundraisingBox donation processing widget, Google Analytics, and an e-commerce shop (shop.makemesmile-kenya.org) selling handmade crafts from Kenyan and Colombian producers. Physical infrastructure includes solar panel installations at the Mayenya Health Centre by an in-house Solar Team. Donor engagement is delivered through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, a blog, an email newsletter, and recurring awareness events (Global Movement, Gender Equality Hike, Global Run). Partner-supported sister programs include FEBB's 25-year Colombian rainforest reforestation initiative (over 120,000 trees planted), Africa Aweee's Cape Town women-and-youth empowerment programs, Himaya's Lebanese child protection work, and Ukrainian Education Platform's emergency relief for internally displaced persons.

Revenue is generated from individual donations (one-time and monthly recurring, tax-deductible in AT/DE/CH), annual membership subscriptions, the online shop, and gift vouchers tied to specific outcomes (e.g., €20 reforestation, €70 solar panel, €280 home construction). No public revenue figure is disclosed. The 5-person core international team is supplemented by a 100-person implementing team and 900 community volunteers in Kenya. In 2025, the organization entered a turnaround phase after the abrupt USAID funding stop forced cancellation of most Kisumu programs, prompting an emergency fundraising campaign to sustain services for high-acuity beneficiaries including 254 children living with HIV.

Name

Make Me Smile International

Legal name

Verein für nachhaltige Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (Make Me Smile International)

Website

https://makemesmile-int.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Make Me Smile International is an Austrian non-profit that funds sustainable development and emergency relief programs across Kenya, Colombia, Lebanon, Ukraine, and South Africa, supported by donors in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Luxembourg through donations, memberships, and an online shop of handmade crafts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid and International Development Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE), Human Rights, Social Inclusion & Disability Inclusion (BPAGABAN)

Keywords

• Humanitarian development aid
• NGO fundraising services
• Community empowerment programs
• International development aid
• Vocational training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Primary revenue stream from individual donors, monthly recurring donations, and one-time contributions. Donations are tax-deductible in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
2. Membership Fees: Annual membership subscriptions that provide donors with project updates, direct access for questions, and opportunities to get involved.
3. E-commerce Sales: Online shop selling handmade products from tailor shop in Kenya and partner organization in Colombia. Proceeds support producers.
4. Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers (e.g., Christmas vouchers, experience vouchers) that support specific projects or general operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Make Me Smile International is a non-profit association that raises funds from individual donors, members, and institutional partners to support sustainable development projects and emergency relief in the Global South. Through partnerships with locally established NGOs in Kenya, Colombia, South Africa, Lebanon, and Ukraine, it delivers programs in healthcare, education, child welfare, gender equality, food security, environmental restoration, and emergency humanitarian relief, and sells handmade products from program beneficiaries through its own online shop.

Product overview

Make Me Smile International is a non-profit organization operating as a platform of interconnected development programs rather than a single unified product. The organization supports local partner NGOs in Kenya, Colombia, South Africa, Lebanon, and Ukraine, each running distinct programs. The core subsidiary Make Me Smile Kenya operates multiple community centers (Mayenya Community Centre) offering health services (Health Centre, Youth Friendly Centre), education (Future Hub IT training, Craft Centre), child welfare (Safe Park, OVC Program), and environmental programs (Permaculture Project, Water Point, Vertical Gardening). Africa Aweee provides similar vocational training and women's empowerment in South Africa. Fundación Estación Biológica Bachaqueros runs large-scale reforestation in Colombia. Additional programs include emergency relief through Ukrainian Education Platform and child protection via Himaya in Lebanon. An online shop sells handmade crafts from Kenya and Colombia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Make Me Smile Kenya: NGO for development cooperation, child care and assistance for self-help operating in Western Kenya
• Mayenya Community Centre
• Future Hub
• Safe Park
• DREAMS Programme

Products and services

• Make Me Smile Kenya Community Programs NGO for development cooperation, child care, and self-help assistance based in Kisumu, western Kenya since 2008. Operates multiple community programs in health, education, gender equality, and economic empowerment serving vulnerable families in the Kisumu region.
• Future Hub IT Training Centre Vocational IT training centre providing courses in basic computer skills, office experience, coding, job readiness, and life skills. Has trained over 400 students since inception across Mayenya, additional Kisumu hubs, and Cape Town.
• Mayenya Health Centre Health facility providing specialized maternal and child health services including prenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care, as well as HIV/AIDS support with antiretroviral therapy. Solar panels were installed on the roof to power the facility.
• Safe Park Community project providing a safe environment for children to play and learn, with outreach to women and families, established in 2015.
• DREAMS Program USAID-funded program to reduce HIV risk among adolescent girls and young women aged 9-24 through comprehensive interventions including HIV screening, educational support, and reproductive health services. Reached approximately 18,000 girls and young women in 2023.
• Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Program USAID-supported program providing comprehensive support to orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV across four domains: school, health, stability, and safety. Targeted 254 of the most vulnerable children and adolescents living with HIV for continued support after the 2025 USAID funding stop.
• Craft Centre Tailoring Training Six-month tailoring training program for adolescent girls and young women covering theory, practice, life skills, reproductive health, and entrepreneurship. Graduates sit the Kenya National Industrial Training Authority exam.
• Permaculture Project Sustainable farming program providing training in permaculture methods, agroforestry, aquaponics, and food security to approximately 200 households through demo farms.
• Solar-Powered Community Water Station UV-filter-equipped community water station powered by solar pumps providing clean water access to approximately 200 households.
• Native Forest Revival Project (FEBB / Viveros Hermanos) 25-year reforestation initiative by Fundación Estación Biológica Bachaqueros aiming to plant 1,000,000 native trees in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Over 120,000 trees have been grown and planted to date.
• Africa Aweee Programs (Cape Town) Partner NGO running skills development, job creation, and education empowerment programs in South Africa. Programs include the Hout Bay Future Hub (IT training), BLOOM (women's empowerment in Imizamo Yethu), Little Explorers (mother-child program), Gospel Outreach Educare (early childhood education), and The Sprightly Seed (food garden infrastructure).
• Himaya Child Protection (Lebanon) Lebanese NGO partner since 2009 helping children subjected to abuse ranging from neglect to sexual, psychological or physical violence. Provides psychosocial support, family reunification, and protection services. Make Me Smile International fundraiser supported Himaya's emergency relief efforts after the Beirut Explosion.
• Ukrainian Education Platform (UEP) Emergency Relief 20-year partner NGO supporting internally displaced people and children in Ukraine with emergency shelters, psychological support, vital supplies, and accommodation coordination since the 2014 conflict. Make Me Smile International has fundraised for UEP's emergency relief efforts since the war began in 2022.
• Make Me Smile Online Shop Online store selling handmade products from the tailor shop in Kenya and partner organization in Colombia, with proceeds supporting producers under a fair trade model.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70,000 families supported in Kenya through various programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• UN Women's Guild (UNWG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporter of Safe Park project established in 2015, providing safe spaces for children to play and learn.
• ComundomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss-Italian development organization that sends advisors to support Make Me Smile Kenya operations, including organizational development and child protection.
• BenevityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate giving platform enabling employee donation matching for Make Me Smile International.
• Blackbaud Giving FundminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCharitable giving fund platform facilitating donations to Make Me Smile International.
• Moi UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenyan university partnership for academic collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• TU GrazminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraz University of Technology partnership for technical knowledge and research collaboration.
• AuslandsdienstmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian Service Abroad enabling volunteers to do civil service at Make Me Smile Kenya partner organization.
• HimayamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLebanese NGO focused on child protection. Make Me Smile International supported emergency relief efforts after Beirut explosion by fundraising on their behalf.
• Ukrainian Education Platform (UEP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUkrainian NGO supporting internally displaced people since 2014. Make Me Smile International has fundraised for UEP's emergency relief efforts since the war began in 2022.
• Africa AweeemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth African social project empowering communities through skills development, job creation, and education. Make Me Smile International supports and partners with Africa Aweee.
• Fundación Estación Biológica Bachaqueros (FEBB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColombian foundation focused on reforestation of tropical rainforests. Make Me Smile International has supported their Native Forest Revival Project since 2019, helping plant over 120,000 trees.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Right To Play: International NGO using sport and play to educate and empower children and adolescents in disadvantaged communities across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Comparable in targeting vulnerable children and adolescents, particularly girls, in regions overlapping MMSI's footprint (Kenya, Lebanon, Africa).
• SOS Children's Villages: Major international NGO providing family-based care for orphaned and vulnerable children across 130+ countries. Overlaps with MMSI's orphans and vulnerable children programs, DREAMS-style youth support, and community-based child welfare in Kenya, though at much larger scale.
• Welthungerhilfe: One of Germany's largest private aid organizations working on hunger, poverty, and humanitarian aid across the Global South. Comparable thematic focus on sustainable development, food security, and emergency relief, though at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint than Make Me Smile International.

Direct peers

• Swissaid: Swiss development organization funding poverty alleviation projects in the Global South through local partner NGOs, primarily in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Comparable as a tax-deductible Swiss-registered NGO using local partnership implementation models and recurring individual donor funding.
• Childaid Network: German-based non-profit supporting education and development projects for underprivileged children in India, Nepal, and Nicaragua. Highly comparable as a small European-rooted development NGO funding local implementing partners in the Global South via recurring individual donations and member sponsorship programs.
• Helvetas: Swiss non-profit association supporting development cooperation and humanitarian aid across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Directly comparable as a DACH-region (German-speaking) international development NGO with multi-country European donor base, local partner implementation model, and programs in Kenya and Colombia.
• Kindernothilfe: Large German child-rights NGO working through local partner organizations in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Comparable as a German-speaking European donor-funded NGO partnering with local implementing NGOs for child welfare, education, and community development, with tax-deductible donation structures in multiple European countries.

Emerging players

• Himaya: Lebanese NGO protecting children subjected to abuse through psychosocial support, family reunification, and protection services. Both a current MMSI emergency response partner and a comparable peer — operates in the same child protection niche in Lebanon that MMSI has supported since the Beirut explosion.
• Fundación Estación Biológica Bachaqueros (FEBB): Colombian foundation focused on tropical rainforest reforestation in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Both a current MMSI partner and a comparable peer in the environmental/reforestation niche — comparable to the 25-year Native Forest Revival Project MMSI has supported since 2019.
• Africa Aweee: South African social project in Cape Town providing IT training, women's empowerment, and early childhood education in township communities. Both a current MMSI partner and a closely comparable peer — operates Future Hub model, women empowerment programs, and food security initiatives similar to MMSI's Kenya portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/make-smile-international
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/make-me-smile-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/makemesmile_international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Make Me Smile International