When natural disasters strike, they leave behind a traceable trail of wreckage that’s malleable: you can see it, touch it; move it. But what you can’t see are the faces, often nameless, of children waiting – wanting – to learn. And while emergency responders can move and rebuild and restructure and report, their first priority isn’t always to the mental spirits of those left in disaster’s wake. And as for the things you can’t see and touch and move, they belong to Happy Hearts Fund.

The organization builds safe-resilient schools in areas all over the world that have been impacted by natural disasters by working among the children to empower, excite and educate them today, tomorrow and in the future. Petra Němcová first created the Fund in 2005 following the devastation of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and since its inception, the Happy Heart Fund has served nine countries: Thailand, Mexico, Peru, Haiti, Chile, Columbia, the USA, Philippines and Indonesia, building 85 schools that have served over 46,000 students. For those interested in the monetary aspect of the program, the Happy Heart Fund has brought almost $15,000,000 to these grief-stricken areas in the form of hope, patience and quality education.

To see how far they’ve come, Happy Hearts Fund will commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami in late 2014 by building and opening its 100th school for children.