Teachers receiving their certificates
Teachers receiving their certificates

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. This saves us from hotel bills and luxury living costs and makes the project participants feel we are part of them. Besides, this is our contribution to enrich our volunteers' experience with the Liberian culture.
  • 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

Wilfred Zeon

J.Wilfred Zeon has over 10 of experience working with nonprofits specifically focusing on education and health. Currently, he is the  Finance Director of an international  nonprofit working with the Ministry of Health to strengthen health systems in Liberia. In this role, he supports the Leadership team with the financial operations of the organization; building functional systems, ensuring strategic allocations of resources, etc. Wilfred is the Co-founder, Program Manager 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.

 

 

 J. Wilfred Zeon is a dynamic inspirational writer and speaker who is passionate about awakening the power and wisdom of people. He strongly believes no one is born useless and is of the conviction that every desirous person is just a mile and spark away from their destination. Mr. Zeon sees himself as that spark or positive energy driver. His disposition and everything about him shows it. His smile and enthusiasm never fade and finds it difficult to say ‘no’ to those who deserve attention. Zeon’s own life story is inspiring too. He spent over 18 years of his youthful days in the refugee camp. The ideas and mental teachings he picked up from his tough days gave him a career in inspiring people with his story. He speaks and teaches on self-leadership. Since 2008, Mr. Zeon has spoken to several students, aspiring and corporate leaders, at the AME Zion University, Stella Maris Polytechnic, Symte Institute of Technology, and the Liberian Refugee Welfare Council, among others.

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 Hartwig

Tilman is an assistant professor and lecturer committed to help people in different parts of the world. He was very influential in the design and implementation of our Subject Mastery Mobile Teaching Training Project. He holds a PhD in astrophysics and currently works as professor at the University of Tokyo. Besides his lectureships at two German universities, 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.  

Adaeze Ibik

Subject Matter Expert, Facilitator & Education Consultant

Jonathan Trenk

Adaeze Ibik is a PhD student of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, Canada. She earned her bachelors and masters degree in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She is passionate about science education in Africa especially for the less privileged communities and girls. Adaeze supports the Helping Hands Network as lecturer in astronomy and educational consultant.

Dr. Fabian Ruf

Partnerships Manager & Trainer

Jonathan Trenk

Fabian is passionate about supporting people in developing their God-given potential in any circumstances. He supports different initiatives around the globe, e.g., in Uganda, Liberia, Germany. He holds a doctoral degree in Physics from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University, Denmark. He believes education is a key driver of sustainable development. Since joining the Helping Network in 2014, he has been an integral part of this movement. He initiated the trainer-of-trainers approach of the Teach Liberia Project and leads the organization's Essential Educational Supplies Initiative. At the 2014 Edition of Annual Teachers Refresher Workshop, he was gowned and named "the Paramount Chief of Experimental Science Education in Liberia" by over 200 teachers who benefited from the training.