Twenty Years of Honoring Vanessa:
A Legacy of Hope
Since our founding in 2005, we have remained true to Vanessa's vision: that education, access to clean water, healthcare, and opportunity can break cycles of poverty and transform communities.
Over the past two decades, through the generosity of friends and family like you, the Vanessa Péan Foundation has uplifted thousands of children and women by providing hundreds of scholarships to students in Haiti and Liberia, building clean water wells, supporting maternal health projects and through vital healthcare initiatives.
JOIN US IN HONORING VANESSA'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY
As we commemorate twenty years since Vanessa's passing, we invite you to be part of the next chapter of her legacy. We are focusing our efforts on the three transformative initiatives highlighted below.
CHARITY: WATER
Water changes everything!
I - charity: water
Building clean water wells in Vanessa's memory— we have partnered with charity: water to bring safe clean water and sanitation to girls and women who walk miles each day for this basic necessity.
696 million people lack basic access to clean and safe drinking water. charity: water uses 100% of our donations to fund clean water projects around the world and then documents every single project funded, complete with GPS coordinates and photos.
We have been honored to support charity: water’s work for the past 19 years.
II. Lead, Edu - supporting childrens' education through soccer, proving that sports can open doors to academic achievement and leadership.
LEAD Edu is a U.S.-based nonprofit shaping a future led by ethical, empathetic, and entrepreneurial leaders through the transformative power of education and sport. Their work currently focuses on Liberia and Morocco with a vision to scale their model globally.
In partnership with local LEAD Hub academies, the LEAD network of organizations provide promising student-athletes, grades 4-12, with holistic education, soccer training, and leadership development. Their programs equip young people with the skills, mindsets, and opportunities they need to drive positive change in their communities, with a particular focus on advancing leadership opportunities for girls.
We have been honored to support LEAD since its founding in 2015.
LEAD, Edu
Shaping Future Leaders Through Education and Sport
Every Mother Counts (EMC):
Transforming maternal health for all
III. Every Mother Counts (EMC) works to make the maternal health journey before, during, and after childbirth safe, respectful, and equitable for everyone, everywhere.
Around the world, too many mothers are dying.
In fact, more than 700 women die each day from pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum complications.
That’s approximately one woman every two minutes.
Haiti has the highest maternal mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere, driven by extreme poverty, malnutrition, political turmoil, a shortage of trained healthcare providers and skilled birth attendants, and poorly equipped facilities, particularly in rural areas.
Despite these challenges, EMC works with four partners on the ground supporting Haitian midwives who continue to play a vital role in bridging gaps in care, providing quality, respectful care and supporting their communities even during the most challenging times.
The Vanessa Péan Foundation is proud to support Every Mother Counts and Midwives For Haiti to increase access to skilled maternity care, empower women and help prevent maternal and infant deaths in Haiti. Every Mother Counts has been working in Haiti since 2013 and has supported 12 classes of women who are now trained midwives, creating a multiplier effect of care and female empowerment.
Our Impact: Two Decades of Service
Immediate Crisis Response:
When the devastating 2010 earthquake struck Haiti, our community rallied. We raised $22,600 for Partners In Health—founded by Dr. Paul Farmer and Ophelia Dahl—to train rural healthcare providers including doctors, nurses, and midwives at the only hospital left standing.
Our commitment to maternal and fetal healthcare has continued through our support of Every Mother Counts' midwife training scholarships.
Clean Water for Life:
Through our partnership with charity: water, we have brought clean water and sanitation to communities desperately in need. From the clean water well that we funded in Haiti serving over 1,350 people in Roche Pab to to our most recent donation to help build solar-powered piped systems in Malawi in 2024, we've helped ensure thousands of families have access to safe clean drinking water—a fundamental human right.
Education as Refuge:
In Haiti, where gang violence has brought Port-au-Prince to a halt and makes even soccer practice too dangerous, school remains a true refuge from political and economic upheaval. We've provided hundreds of scholarships to secondary schools across the country. Over the years, we have supported:
Alliance for Haiti's Children -
Since 2014, providing scholarships to LaVallee Schools where families struggle to afford even basic food. Just $200 covers tuition, uniforms, and supplies for one student. We've provided 14 scholarships in 2025 alone.
Bati School -
In rural southwest Miragoane, 400 students receive education rooted in U.S. curricular standards with agricultural programs teaching food security—all at a school founded after the 2010 earthquake for children at the sustainable Papa Rosier Farm Cooperative.
Foundation Maison du Sourire -
Supporting students in Fort Liberté in northern Haiti since 2023.
University of Notre Dame d'Haiti -
Supporting 26 scholarships to university students.
Empowerment Through Sports:
LEAD Edu:
We've supported LEAD Africa Scholarships and the Monrovia Football Academy in Liberia. Their programs equip young people with the skills, mindsets, and opportunities they need to drive positive change in their communities, with a particular focus on advancing leadership opportunities for girls.
Raw Haiti:
Raw Haiti—founded by Dr. Corey Giffords—helps Haitian youth build competencies to break the cycle of poverty through soccer training and equipment for teen girls, along with art programs offering creative expression and therapy.
Vanessa Péan Soccer Field 
Community Engagement:
Our VIP Soccer Tournament raised nearly $13,000, and our 5K Race for the VIP Foundation brought our community together in Vanessa's memory.
VIP Soccer Tournament Winning team -
For gifts of $5,000 or more, we are happy to work with you to ensure your donation is processed smoothly and without online platform fees.
Please email us and we’ll be happy to assist you and provide you with secure offline donation details.
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The Vanessa Péan Foundation is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization and your donation is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. To claim a donation as a deduction on your U.S. taxes, please keep your email donation receipt as your official record which you will receive upon successful completion of your donation.
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You can do a variety of things to raise money for children and women in need of education and equal opportunities!
From lemonade stands to 5k runs, and everything in between, fundraisers can be remarkable! 100% of the money you raise will directly fund clean water projects, scholarships for children, and maternal healthcare that will transform the future for children and women around the world.
Email us at info@vanessapeanfoundation.org and we can help you set up a fundraiser.