Lani Fortier ‘04

Humanitarian Award 2007

Charity Global, New York City
Nominated by: Nancy Fortier

Lani is a 2004 UConn graduate in Exercise Science from Neag School of Education. She was a walk –on athlete for lacrosse and soccer earning letters in both. After graduation, through her own funding she served on the Mercy Ship which provided medical services to people in need in Africa.

While in Africa she visited an orphanage in the Bush Country called Fatima Cottage. It was at this orphanage that she met 153 orphans who slept on concrete floors, with no blankets or clean water, in a structure full of holes. Shortly after her visit, government inspectors stated the orphanage would need to close because it did not meet government standards. Lani was informed the children would have to be moved to Monrovia where they would be fed twice a day and live on the streets. Lani was so stirred by this decision she decided to undertake rebuilding the orphanage. Lani worked with government officials to determine what was needed to keep the orphanage open. She prioritized what was needed and set out with her two friends to raise funds through negotiations, leads, and meetings. She bought bunk beds and mattresses, repaired the roof and screens and organized a crew from the ship to paint and repaired the well. In 2006 Lani was able to procure enough funding to start construction on a dining hall large enough to accommodate all the children. When she left in June 2006 she had raised enough money for Fatima to be taken off the closure list.

During her service on the Mercy Ship she met photojournalist Scott Harrison, who convinced her to move to New York City and start Charity Global, Inc., a non-profit organization that digs wells in Africa. Because of her and Scott’s effort, since it’s inception in 2006, Charity Global, Inc. has raised more than $650,000 dollars and granted money to build more than 70 wells in Africa.

Updated: 2007