The Helping Hands Network is a nonprofit organization committed to helping teachers and schools thrive. We have been on this mission for decades. We engage and transform communities through education. We break barriers to improve teaching-learning outcomes.
We help communities to provide schools and students with the gift of qualified teachers. To us, education is a non-negotiable right for all, not a privilege for the few. We support teachers to continuously provide the this right.
HOW WE WORK
We consider "local ownership" in the design and implementation of our projects by:
- Making sure our projects are designed with the inputs of the local community. Thus, the teachers and our national partners have major inputs in the design and implementation of our projects.This makes them take ownership of the projects and see it as their own.
- We enrich our volunteers with culture experiences. While working with us, volunteers are encouraged to stay in project communities without compromising their safety.
- We focus on minimizing the costs of our projects. For instance our teaching & learning materials easily made from local materials by our participants. We just show them how.
- Our projects are fully participatory. We encourage our volunteers, donors, and friends to make inputs to our projects.
- We keep our friends, supporters and donors informed about the impact of their contributions. We believe it is our obligation to stay in contact with people who support us.
THE TEAM
J. Wilfred Zeon
Founder and Country Program Manager
J.Wilfred Zeon has over 10 of experience working with nonprofits specifically focusing on education and health. Wilfred is the Co-founder and Lead Strategist of the Helping Hands Network. In 2018, he led his team to reach an agreement with the Departments of Physics and Mathematics at the University of Liberia to expand the project to other parts of Liberia.
Wilfred’s commitment to social justice is inspired by his own life trajectory. He experienced and survived poverty at firsthand as a teenager. This backdrop gave him an unflinching mission of helping people to live and demonstrate their potentials through quality education and health. He envisions a world where everyone has access to quality education and health. Besides charities works, Wilfred enjoys speaking and writing to inspire people to chase dreams despite their backgrounds.
He also volunteered with the Internal Revenue Service, Ghana, the Liberia Youth Initiatives for Self-Empowerment, the Population Caring Organization, and the Liberian Students Association of Ghana and serves as a board members of several nonprofits in and out of Liberia. He also holds strong ties with the World Youth Alliance. Wilfred is a 2019 Mandela Washington Fellow and an alumni of the Harvard Division of Continuing Education and holds a Master of Philosophy(MPhil) Degree in Development Finance, a Master in Health Economics and Financing and Bachelor of Science Degree (Honors) in Business Administration. He also a winner of the Albert Einstein/ UN Scholarship.
Zeon has tremendous management and leadership experiences in his service to God and men. He has served on key leadership and Management positions at the Ministry of Youth and Sports; Liberia, Partners in Health Liberia, Medical Assistance Program International – Liberia, the Success Consult International, the Center for Christian Leadership and Counseling, an affiliate of the Flowers School of Technology and Management, Accra Ghana. He also volunteered with the Internal Revenue Service, Ghana, and the Liberia Youth Initiatives for Self-Empowerment, the Population Caring Organization, and the Liberian Students Association of Ghana. He also holds strong ties with the World Youth Alliance.
In fulfilling his own concept about the opportunity of giving, Zeon co-founded the Helping Hands Network (www.2hnet.org); an educational local not-for-profit, along with his best friend Tilman Hartwig. He has been an active infopreneur, educationist, inspirational speaker and development worker for the past ten years. The motive behind this site is to share his stories, writings, and projects. This site will provoke you into action. The principles and stories you will come across here will add something significant to your life.
Mr. J. Wilfred Zeon is equipped to inspire you for essence. He’s an alumni of the Harvard Division of Continuing Education and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree (Honors) in Business Administration from the University College of Management Studies through the Albert Einstein/ UN Scholarship.
Dr. Tilman Hartwig
Co-Founder & Oversea Coordinator
Tilman is Chief Data Scientist at the German Environment Agency. By using AI tools, he and his team are supporting political decision making in order to better protect the environment. He was very influential in the design and implementation of our Subject Mastery Mobile Teaching Training Project. He holds a PhD in astrophysics and has worked as assistant professor at the University of Tokyo. He has organized several workshops for teachers in Ghana and Liberia. His passion for education has seen him lived and stayed with host communities in Liberia and Ghana. He has given public lectures on astrophysics and scientific writing at the University of Liberia. These lectures remain the foundation of our faculty exchange program with the University of Liberia. This enables our volunteers to be pro-bono guest lecturers at the University as way of enhancing their experience about college education in Liberia.
Dr. Fabian Ruf
Partnerships Manager & Trainer
Fabian Ruf is passionate about helping people realize their God-given potential in all circumstances. He supports various initiatives around the globe, particularly in Africa, including Liberia,
Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, and Uganda.
He holds a PhD in physics from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and currently works as an Integrated Optics & Photonics Designer at
ZEISS in Germany. In addition to his research on photonic integrated circuits, Fabian is passionate about teaching and promoting optics and photonics at all levels, especially as a
means of improving educational opportunities in underprivileged communities, as he believes that education is an important driver of sustainable
development. As an OPTICA Ambassador, he supports students in several West African countries.
Since joining the Helping Network in 2014, he has been an integral part of this movement and has organized and conducted several teacher training courses. For his work with the Helping Hands Network, he was awarded OPTICA's Milton and Rosalind Chang Pivoting Fellowship 2023. He was recognized for “his vision and dedication to creating practical teaching tools and fostering a passion for science through optics in Liberia and other African countries, inspiring teachers and students alike.” Fabian is committed to building networks to promote educational development and research cooperation in Africa and beyond.
Adaeze Ibik
Subject Matter Expert & Education Consultant
Adaeze Ibik is a recent PhD graduate of Astrophysics from the University of Toronto. While she is currently exploring new career opportunities, she is serving on the Outreach & Education Committee of the African Astronomical Society and the Pan-African School for Emerging Astronomers. She is passionate about inclusive STEM education and impacting the world around us through science and technology. Adaeze supports the Helping Hands Network as educational consultant.