Hands Across the Water is proud to announce that we will be launching Hands Experiences Thailand - a new social enterprise to support Thai operations and deliver our unique Hands Across the Water experiences, such as Ride to Provide.
With Hands Across the Water’s recent acquisition of charity status in Thailand, Hands Experiences Thailand will follow the model that was established in Australia with the formation of Hands Group, whereas the social enterprise Hands Group supports the administration costs of the charity, allowing donor funds to go directly to the projects themselves.
Similarly, with Hands Experiences Thailand, commercial revenue will support the administration costs of Hands’ Foundation in Thailand, allowing us to ensure effective use of donor funds, maintain our charity status by keeping administration costs low, and ultimately build credibility and advocacy for our operations in Thailand through this unique business model.
Says Claire Baines, CEO of Hands Group, “We are excited about moving to our own model of operation and want to build this excitement in our community knowing that this means our supporters' fundraising efforts will be even more impactful in supporting our kids since the proceeds of their registration fees, and costs associated with running Hands experiences will be going directly back to Hands operations in Thailand.”
In addition to developing a commercial model to support the Foundation in Thailand, the business will provide training and employment opportunities for the older kids. In this way, Hands Experiences Thailand will operate as a true social enterprise focused on creating meaningful employment opportunities and income streams for our children and Hands’ homes.
Says Peter Baines, Founder and Director of International Operations of Hands Across the Water, “The Hands experiences that we run are very unique and we have been so grateful to have put together a truly meaningful experience that keeps people coming back again and again. With Hands Experiences Thailand, we can now put investment back into Hands and the kids we support as we build the business in Thailand, and even allow for opportunities for our own Hands graduates to work within the business and seek further opportunities for themselves as the business grows.”
The launch of Hands Experiences Thailand will happen in two phases. First, Hands Experiences Thailand will begin to deliver our existing Hands experiences in terms of equipment and staff to lead the Hands bike ride experiences, such as Ride to Provide and our bespoke corporate rides. The second phase will be the expansion of Hands Experiences Thailand into a touring company based in Khao Lak area for hire of bikes and multi day tours, therefore generating more income to support the charity.
For more information about Ride to Provide 2024 please visit
https://www.handsacrossthewater.org.au/event/view/ride-to-provide-2024
If you are interested in learning more about our bespoke corporate rides, please contact us at
