Established in 2005
Our mission is to rescue and
nurture, ignite potential,
and empower futures.
It doesn’t matter how you’re involved in Hands we want you to benefit and feel enriched by the experience. When we consider the community of Hands there are a couple of obvious groups: those that support the work that we do; and those in Thailand that are the direct beneficiaries of that support.
For those in Thailand, the kids and communities whose lives are positively changed each and every day, we measure the impact of our work not on the number of kids, not on the number of homes and not on the amount of money we raise. They can certainly be tangible measures, but the true measure of success is seeing a child progress from being a student to a young adult who is capable of making their own choices, starting a family, and earning a living.
At Hands, we believe that supporting a charity should be good for you, not just those receiving the money. Personally benefiting from your involvement in a charity is not just a good thing, it’s often necessary for establishing a long-term involvement.
The money raised with Hands is used to provide the life-saving necessities for the kids in our homes and importantly, supporting many families in an outreach program keeping kids out of our homes. We know the best place for kids when all things are equal is in a family. When that doesn’t exist we provide a home for those kids, which really is just one big family.
The kids who live with us are because of one of three situations. They have no known family to care for them, they have a family member who is known to them but is unable to care for them, or they are living in an unsafe environment and have been placed in our care by the police or government.
Our Kids Have Dreams
We believe that all children deserve the chance to build a bright future full of possibilities, opportunities and dreams. Just as important as filling their bellies with healthy food, our role is to help them see the opportunities that lie before them.
The establishment of Hands Group, a leading social enterprise generating significant and sustainable financial support for Hands Across the Water.
Hands Across the Water commenced its work in 2005, and the position at the time was that 100% of the donations went directly to the children of Baan Tharn Namchai. At Hands we don’t profess that how we operate the charity is the best or desired way, it’s just the way that works for us and our donors like it.
As the charity grew and we looked to the future, we knew that to best serve the children and increase the number of projects that we could support, that there would come a time that we would benefit by having employed staff here in Australia to manage and grow our fundraising activities. In 2011, the board established a social enterprise, Hands Group, with the sole purpose of undertaking diverse and commercial activities to generate additional funds.
Hands Group mandate was to grow the charity and our fundraising activities but be self sufficient through its own income generation, thereby ensuring 100% of donations continued to support the children and communities of Thailand.
Hands Group grew to be a highly successful organisation with Future of Leadership as the flagship offering with year on year growth in patronage and profit.
Unfortunately the global pandemic interrupted our operations and in April 2021, the Board of Hands Across the Water resolved that as a direct result of the impact of Covid-19 that a small percentage of charity funds would be used to support Hands Group, therein ensuring the survival of the charity during these challenging times that have been forced upon us. You can read more about this position from our CEO here.
Today, the goal of Hands Group remains in generating significant and sustainable financial support for Hands Across the Water, while raising awareness and amplifying the impact of our work in improving the lives of our children.
Its mission is to build strong global communities that connect for life, and to deliver shared and product experiences that matter.
OUR ORIGINS
GOVERNANCE & FINANCIALS
OUR TEAM
OUR PARTNERS
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