HATUA C.I.C.

What HATUA C.I.C. does

HATUA C.I.C. is a UK-registered charity (Charity Commission Number 1144452) founded in 2011 by trustees Michael Lenora, Susan Lenora, and Damask Smith. The organization identifies gifted children from slums in Nairobi and Kampala through partnerships with 16 local primary schools (9 Kenya, 7 Uganda), sponsors their admission to 25 elite secondary schools (17 Kenya, 8 Uganda) with demonstrated university placement records, and covers the full cost of tuition, boarding, books, uniforms, and equipment. On-ground operations are managed by two local representatives — Faith Yiamato Sawani in Nairobi (13-year tenure) and Loyce Atwine in Kampala — with volunteer support historically drawn from Vanquis Bank employees.

Since inception, Hatua has supported over 600 children, with 318 currently pursuing university education (including placements at Princeton, Harvard, MIT, and a PhD candidate at the University of Mississippi) and 209 still in secondary school. The underlying technology is minimal: a WordPress website, a secure sponsor-student communication login system, and donation integrations with PayPal (UK) and Givebox (USA). The charity does not operate a commercial product line; its sole offering is the HATUA Scholarship Program.

Hatua's revenue model is donation-based, with no pricing or fees. Income is raised from individual donors via PayPal under the UK charity registration and via Givebox through a US affiliate entity (Tax ID 84-3367215), with Gift Aid available on UK donations. The organization has no disclosed corporate anchor sponsor since Vanquis Bank's founding involvement, no venture or institutional funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. Its stated long-term goal is to transition governance to alumni whose education it has funded.

Name

HATUA C.I.C.

Legal name

Hatua

Website

https://hatua.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Short description

HATUA C.I.C. is a UK-registered charity that sponsors gifted children from slums in Nairobi and Kampala through secondary school and into university, covering all educational costs and providing mentorship. It has supported over 600 students since 2011 through a network of 25 elite secondary schools and 16 partner primary schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Education Sponsorship

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGABAE

Education Access & Quality (International Development)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

SECONDARYEDADAHAC

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Funding, Grants & Financial Aid Administration

SECONDARYEDADALAC

NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Partnerships, Intergovernmental & NGO Programs

Keywords

• Education sponsorship
• Charity scholarship program
• Secondary education funding
• Student mentorship program
• Charitable education access

Headquarters

HQ city

Lancaster

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations - UK: UK-based charitable donations through PayPal. Hatua is registered with the UK Charity Commission (Number 1144452) and can claim Gift Aid on eligible donations.
2. Donations - USA: US-based charitable donations through Givebox platform. Hatua USA has Tax ID 84-3367215 for US tax deduction purposes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HATUA C.I.C. operates a charitable sponsorship program that identifies gifted children from slums in Kenya and Uganda and funds their full secondary education at premier schools. The charity covers tuition, boarding, books, uniforms, and equipment, and provides ongoing academic mentorship and monitoring through local representatives in Nairobi and Kampala.

Product overview

HATUA C.I.C. is an independent UK registered charity (registration number 1144452) that operates a single, unified scholarship and mentorship program. The organization identifies gifted children from slums in Kenya and Uganda and sponsors their secondary education at top schools, covering tuition, board, books, uniforms, and other expenses. The charity also provides a sponsor-beneficiary communication system for donors to interact with students. There are no distinct modular products or separate product lines — the charitable scholarship program constitutes the entirety of HATUA's service offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HATUA Scholarship Program A charitable scholarship and mentorship programme that identifies gifted children from slums in Kenya and Uganda and sponsors their full secondary education at premier schools. Covers tuition, boarding, books, uniforms, and equipment, and provides ongoing academic mentorship through local representatives and a secure sponsor-student communication portal.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600 children positively impacted since 2011, with 318 pursuing university education
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Primary Schools in KampalacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Hatua expanded to Uganda in 2016, partnering with primary schools including St. Paul's Kyebando, Grace Fellowship, Bethel Emma, Nakivubo Primary, Nakivubo Settlement, Kamwokya Primary, and Hands For Hope.
• Secondary Schools in UgandacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Ugandan secondary schools supporting Hatua programme include Kings College Budo, Namilyango College, St. Mary's Kisubi, Mount St. Mary's Namagunga, Nabisunsa Girls School, Trinity College, Gayaza, and St. Henry's College Kitovu.
• Primary Schools in NairobicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Hatua works with primary schools in challenged areas of Nairobi to identify the brightest and most deserving students for sponsorship. Schools include Mukuru Kwa Ruben, Kiboro Primary, Mathare Primary, Mukuru Primary, Mukura Kwa Njenga, Saint Bakhita, Saint Catherine's, Saint Elizabeth's, Star of Hope, and Daniel Comboni.
• Secondary Schools in KenyacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Seventeen Kenyan secondary schools support the Hatua programme with proven ability to place students in leading universities. Schools include Alliance High School, Alliance Girls, Utumishi Academy, Kenya High, Lenana School, Upper Hill Boys, Loreto Limuru, Mang'u High School, State House Girls, Maryhill Girls, Moi Girls Nairobi, Starehe Girls, Moi Forces Academy, The Nairobi School, Starehe Boys, Pangani Girls, and Precious Blood - Riruta.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Room to Read: Room to Read operates literacy and gender-equality education programmes across Africa and Asia, including secondary school scholarships for girls. Like Hatua, it sponsors individual students from disadvantaged backgrounds through secondary education and emphasises long-term mentoring and university transition.
• Camfed (Campaign for Female Education): Camfed sponsors and supports bright girls from low-income backgrounds across sub-Saharan Africa through secondary and tertiary education. Directly comparable to Hatua in targeting gifted underprivileged African students, covering educational costs, and providing mentorship toward university and employment.
• buildOn: buildOn delivers education programmes in some of the poorest communities in Africa, partnering with local schools to expand access. Comparable in mission to broaden education for marginalised youth, though buildOn is primarily focused on school construction and adult literacy alongside youth education.
• PEAS (Promoting Equality in African Schools): PEAS runs a network of low-fee secondary schools across Uganda and Zambia serving low-income students. While it operates schools rather than scholarships, it shares Hatua's focus on expanding access to quality secondary education in East African slum and rural communities.

Emerging players

• Akilah Institute: Akilah Institute is a women's college in Rwanda serving low-income East African students with a scholarship-supported model. Comparable East African geography and scholarship-driven model for marginalised students, though Akilah focuses on tertiary rather than secondary education.
• African Schools Foundation: African Schools Foundation channels small-donor and corporate funding to under-resourced schools and individual students in sub-Saharan Africa. Comparable niche as a small, donor-funded intermediary enabling African students to access secondary and higher education.
• African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA) — sponsor pipeline organisations: Smaller African-focused education access organisations that identify high-potential students in under-resourced communities and link them to secondary and tertiary opportunities. Comparable mission and geography to Hatua's slum-to-secondary-school sponsorship pipeline.

Broad incumbents

• Free The Children / WE Charity: WE Charity (formerly Free The Children) operates large-scale education and youth development programmes across multiple countries including East Africa. A broader incumbent in the international education-and-youth-development space with overlapping sponsorship and school-building activity.
• UNICEF Education Programmes: UNICEF's education portfolio funds access, quality, and equity programmes for marginalised children in Kenya, Uganda, and other developing countries. A large-scale incumbent in the same international-development education-access space Hatua operates in.

Regional players

• Harambee Africa International: Harambee Africa International is a US-based nonprofit that supports education and community development projects across Africa, including scholarship and school-support programmes. Comparable as a diaspora-funded channel for African education sponsorship, with a primarily US donor base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 HATUA C.I.C.