The primary objective of the Dobbyn Foundation is to raise and distribute money that will enable the children of East Africa to achieve a secondary education. 

Our mission is to make secondary education possible for children who would otherwise be marginalized from schooling due to repressive school fees.

The Dobbyn Foundation seeks to be a functional advocate committed to the principal that education is a fundamental human right. Access to secondary education should be indiscriminate of income, social class, or national origin. Our vision is to empower children by providing access to education by eliminating barriers, which prohibit learning for the individual and their community.

In 2002, Kevin Bouchard traveled to Uganda and worked for the Uganda Microfinance Union in Kampala for ten months.  During that time he was fortunate to work with many Ugandans and travel to Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania.  As a result of his travels, some of the most vivid memories of Africa were of the children he met and their determination, drive and perseverance in a situation of poverty and constant daily struggle.

After returning to the United States in 2003, Kevin began to support two children who lived in his neighborhood in Uganda and assisted with their ever increasing school fees.  The children’s corresponding letters spoke of their gratefulness for the opportunity to go to school and learn which many of their friends and neighbors could not afford.  Seeing the impact on the two students, Kevin began to think about a project that could benefit more children on a much larger scale.

The Dobbyn Foundation was formed in 2005 out of the realization that without financial support and a strong advocate for secondary education, the majority of children in East Africa would never be able to set foot in a classroom for secondary schooling.  Our goal is to provide an opportunity of secondary education to African children who would normally be cast aside because of school fees and financial limitations.

The Dobbyn Foundation was created in memory of Robert Dobbyn (1920-2000), formerly of Braintree, Massachusetts. He was a graduate of Harvard University, a Captain in the Navy Reserves during World War II and served as a Senior Vice-President of the Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Company. Among other charitable activities, Mr. Dobbyn was a former President of Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, former President and Director of Family Counseling and Guidance Centers Inc. and a former trustee of Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts. Mr. Dobbyn was better known for his love and generosity toward his family, friends and grandchildren.