Ann Vanlauwe: Living for charity

Dr Ann Vanlauwe receive gift hampers from Janet Mathenge (left) of Gift Basket Kenya. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Born in Nigeria and married to a Belgian national, Ann Vanlauwe is a unique woman making it big in Kenya, now her home. Commanding power and authority in her various leadership roles, she remains an influential leader, a far cry from the humble orphan she was growing up. Now, she can have it all.

When she moved with her family in 2001, Ann says she immediately fell in love with Kenya.

“I was born to Ibo parents in Owerri, Imo State, Eastern Nigeria, and I am a wife and the doting mother to two children, a 30-year-old son who lives in Ireland, and a daughter, who is 27 and who lives in Brussels,” says Ann, painting a picture of a happy mother witnessing her children living their dream life.

“As a mother, I think parenting is one of the most beautiful things that I have experienced. The most important thing is to get the foundation right and then allow them to find their route,” she says.

She adds that it has been an amazing journey of parenting with her husband, Belgian national Benard Vanlauwe, who she met while in university.

“Bernard was a young soil scientist and agricultural agronomist.  He was in Nigeria at the time, collecting data at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan for his Ph.D.”

The two got married and lived together at IITA, an institution populated by scientists from all over the world. He later worked for IITA as a soil scientist after completing his Ph.D.

“It was here that my talent as a social activist struck my peers, and they elected me president of the African ladies’ group, bringing together women at the institution from all over Africa for two years,” she says.

Ann’s commitment to social responsibilities received a wider boost when she was elected Vice-President of a larger organization comprising women from the rest of the world living with their spouses or working at IITA for a two-year stint. 

Activities were on a larger scale but similar to those at the African Women’s group. They moved to Kenya in 2001 because her husband had decided to form and run an IITA branch in Kenya.

Ann, who gave up employment and decided to take care of her children, says the void grew when the children were older and had to pursue their interests in different countries.

“My husband also travels a lot. Previously, it was a bit difficult, but in life you can’t eat your cake and have it. He has to provide for us, so we live together in Nairobi, but we spend two or three weeks, and then he travels again”, she says.

When the family moved to Nairobi, Ann, who confesses her obsession for charity joined the Rotary Club of Nairobi.  

“Two years into my membership, the club made me the director of the family of rotary with duties that involved organising functions that bring together members and their families. They included fellowships, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and visits to the sick and the bereaved,” she says.

In 2011, Ann was elected director of community service, where she oversaw projects such as the securing of wheelchairs for the physically challenged and sanitary towels for needy girls. The following year, she became the 83rd president and the third black African woman president of the Rotary Club of Nairobi, which dates back to 1930. It is the oldest in East Africa.

“It was an amazing moment for me. The club had prominent people like Manu Chandaria. I took it as an honour and decided to give it my best shot.”

Like it was yesterday, she recalls the challenges she had to face growing up as she appreciates that her sister and her brother-in-law saw her through primary and secondary schools in Yoruba land. She later attended the University of Ibadan for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in African studies.

“At only three, I lost my mother, four years later, I lost my father, prompting my elder sister, who was married in Yoruba-dominated Ibadan in the South, to take me into her care,” she says.

With the first degree safely in her grip, Ann enrolled for a Masters course in community development and education at the same university.  It was at this time that she developed a stronger passion for social advocacy and the promotion of community welfare.

“We were not rich, but we had food to eat. Her husband also understood us. I called him Dad. I am who I am today because of them. I saw how well they treated me and other people. My sister was so selfless, and I hope I’m making her proud today as I help people”, she says.

In 2007, Ann founded Better Life For Women and Children in Rural Africa; a family-centered Not-for-profit Organization that champions for the welfare of orphans and vulnerable children.

“It is in rural areas that you find the most vulnerable people, so we aim at transforming the lives of women in absolute poverty to be self-reliant. We do distribute sanitary towels to schools where girls have difficulties accessing them to do challenges from the backgrounds. The teachers in these schools tell us that the girls are performing better in school after receiving the sanitary towels and that alone gives me satisfaction,” Ann says.

During one of her visits to mixed schools in Narok County, Ann realised that she had focused so much on the girls, and the boys were feeling left out. She then decided to come up with a hygiene kit for boys.

“Now we also give hygiene kits to boys that consist of a bar Soap, bathing soap, roll-ons, towels, and toothpaste. So far, we have done more than 500 hygiene kits for boys.”, she says.

In Narok County alone, Ann and her organisation have helped more than one thousand families since 2019.

“When COVID-19 struck, many families who depended on tourism to eat were affected. We decided to give them foodstuff to sustain them for at least four months.”

Last year, Ann introduced free medical camps starting in Kilifi County, where people went through medical checkups, diagnoses, treatments, and referrals where necessary.

“Many healthcare centers in rural areas do not have enough medication. We plan to take the next medical camp in Sekenani in April 2025”, she said.

In 2018, she founded Hope for African Children in Ibadan, Oyo state. The NGO caters to widows and orphans in rural Nigeria. Every year, Ann visits these women and children with necessities and daily supplies.

“I love Kenya so much, but I decided not to be a foreigner in my own country. I decided to help the widows who have little children, and they don’t know where their next meal will come from.”

Ann adds that while she can’t cure all their problems, some food can give them strength to face the next day.

“We have three centers where we give them supplies. We have more than 300 widows, and we need a lot of money to cater for them. I’m currently planning something for Christmas so they can enjoy the season with their families”, she says..

“Each one of us can do something to help the less fortunate. Don’t do it only once in December. The children’s homes need food throughout the year”, she says.

Her parting shot is a quote by the late Mother Teresa: “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”