About HKA

Key Points about HKA

1. The Hopewell-Keroka Alliance (HKA) raises money to improve health, education and infrastructure in the Keroka area of Western Kenya. Our first projects are in the Nyankoba Ward, a 3 square mile rural area centered about 3 miles north west of Keroka. Scroll to the bottom of this page for a map of the Nyankoba Ward and coordinates to locate it in a satellite image program such as Google Earth. HKA is based in the Hopewell Valley area of central New Jersey.
2. HKA was formed in February 2008 following the 2007 Hopewell Valley Central High School (HVCHS) Model WHO Club trip to Kenya, by parents and participants who heard about or saw first hand the poverty and deprivations of the people in the Keroka area. The trip was led by David Angwenyi, whose home village of Nyanchonori is in the Nyankoba Ward, and Lillian Rankel, the current HKA President.
3. In 2009, a partner organization of volunteers was formed in Keroka and registered as a non-profit “Self-Help Group” with the Government of Kenya. HKA-Keroka plans and manages HKA projects in Keroka. Grant proposals are written by HKA-Keroka for a particular project following consultation with the HKA Board on whether the project is appropriate. The proposal specifies the nature of the work, how the work is to be carried out, milestones against which progress can be gauged and the costs for each part of the project. Funds are only released to HKA-Keroka after approval the the HKA Board in the USA. HKA-Keroka sends periodic and final updates on the project. HKA-Keroka also understands our authority to withhold and/or recover grant funds in case such funds are, or appear to be, misused.  We are in regular communication with HKA-Keroka. They operate like us with minimal overheads and they employ local labor wherever possible for project implementation.
4. HKA is an all-volunteer non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, with no employees.
5. Since our formation in 2008, HKA has raised over $182,000. Our expenses (State and Federal filing fees, PO Box rental and Bank charges) have been just under $7,000, less than 4% of money raised. In other words over 96% of what we raise goes directly to Keroka to fund programs. In conjunction with the 2007 student trip, which resulted in the formation of HKA, we raised over $35,000 to purchase mosquito bednets for the Nyanchonori community, bringing the total raised for Kenya to just over $210,000 after expenses.
6. HKA holds 4 regular board meetings per year with occasional ad-hoc meetings before major events and fundraisers. Board members and other community volunteers participate in fund-raising and event planning.
7. Many people from the Hopewell Valley area have travelled to Kenya to share meet and work with the people of Keroka people. We have had visits to Keroka by HVCHS students and HKA members in 2007, 2009 (HKA), 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 (HKA) and 2016. All expenses for the trips are borne by trip members. No HKA money is used for trip expenses.
8. Most people in the Nyankoba Ward live in a subsistence manner:
   • They had no electricity (until 2015) or gas and no running water (until 2018).
   • They earn a small amount of money by selling tea and any agricultural products they grow beyond their own needs.
   • The education system is good, but school facilities are poor and overcrowded.
9. Major projects we have funded so far (for details, click on What We’ve Done)
   • Upgraded 4.8 km of dirt tracks to 5.4 meter wide all-weather stone roads – $54,000
   • Materials and labor to build a tea-buying center in Nyanchonori – $7,000
   • Completed the Mong’oni Healthcare Center building plus internal fixtures – $4,500
   • Installed six 2300 liter roof rainwater collection tanks on community buildings – $2,800
   • Microscope and medical equipment for Nyanchonori Healthcare Center – $1,500
   • Funded electricity connection and wiring for all community buildings – $19,300
   • Funded the completion of a borehole and water distribution in partnership with the Nyamira County government – $30,000
10. Future projects for which we are raising funds (for details, click on What We’re Doing)
    • Complete the water borehole and distribution project – likely to be at least $15,000
    • Add culverts to 3.4 km of new roads built by Nyamira County – about $5,000
    • Playing field project – tbd but likely to be around $50,000
    • Supplementary medical equipment for the two healthcare centers – cost tbd
    • Computer labs for 3 high schools – about $60,000
    • Upgrade school facilities – tbd (a lot of money is needed)
11. Fundraiser examples
    • 5th and 10th Anniversary Gala Dinners – 2013 and 2017
    • Annual Flea market – every Spring
    • Various HVCHS WHO Club projects (Water Walks, Soccer Tournament, Souper Bowl …)
    • Projects in Hopewell Valley middle and elementary schools
    • Pennington Day booth – every May
    • Individual donations (including in-lieu of birthday gifts)
    • Grant requests to major foundations to support projects.

David Angwenyi and the Formation of HKA

David Angwenyi was born and raised in Nyanchonori, a village in the Keroka area of western Kenya. He emigrated to the United States in 2002 and became a science teacher in the Hopewell Valley School District in New Jersey. David formed and advised the Model WHO Club at the Hopewell Valley Central High School (HVCHS) with Dr. Lillian Rankel. From the club’s inception, it was their dream to travel with a group of HVCHS students to Kenya to assist in the prevention of malaria. In the summer of 2007, they accomplished this goal by organizing a school trip to bring mosquito nets to local communities and to educate villagers on the use of the mosquito nets.

To purchase the nets, a series of fundraising events were conducted by the Model WHO Club. Through their efforts, the students raised money to buy bed nets for the prevention of malaria. Exxon Mobil noticed these efforts and made a major donation to bring the number of bed nets purchased to over 5,000.

For the 15 students and 6 adults who traveled to Kenya in the summer 2007 and participated in a wide range of activities, it was a life changing experience. Many, if not all the students, came home with a new perspective on themselves, their communities and their place in the world. It was a paradigm shift for many of the students, who had not been or did not think beyond the United States, to begin to see and think like international student leaders. It was like having a new pair of glasses to see the world through. For the students, it was an opportunity of a lifetime and an experience they will never forget.

The students and adults returned to the United States after the 2007 trip wanting to do more for the communities they saw and were so affected by. From this passion and desire to reach out and help their new friends in Kenya was borne the Hopewell-Keroka Alliance (HKA).

HKA held its first formation meeting on February 13, 2008, and is now a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation which forms an alliance between the Hopewell Valley of New Jersey and the Keroka area in western Kenya. It represents a symbolic bridge between two continents. Yet, it is a deep and personal connection between two “villages”.

Bridges between communities are often the beginning of larger cultural exchanges and we are developing this bridge with the infrastructure and the integrity needed to sustain future growth. The bonds and relationships that were created in 2007 are the foundation we have continued to build upon. We have since had visits to Keroka by HVCHS students and HKA members in 2007, 2009 (HKA), 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 (HKA) and 2016. All expenses for the trips are borne by trip members and no HKA money is used for trip expenses. Future trips are planned for 2019 and beyond.

Map of Keroka and the Nyankoba Ward

To find the Nyankoba Ward on Google Earth, the Nyankoba Tea Factory is located at 0 deg 45 min 33 sec South and 34 deg 55 min 10 sec East. The satellite image was last updated in January 2018. A road map of the Nyankoba Ward is shown below: