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Hand In Hand Ministries operates programs in Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Appalachia and has worked in Jamaica and Haiti. We work to provide food, shelter, clothing, medicine and education to those who need it most. We do not proselytize, letting our actions speak for us.

What does Hand in Hand Ministries do?

Hand in Hand Ministries seeks to make a difference in the world by helping provide life’s essentials – food, water, clothing, shelter, education and medical care -- to the poorest of the poor, so they may one day become self-sufficient and possibly go on to help others in their own communities.

We attempt to make our vision a reality through a number of our own projects in Belize, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Costa Rica and the United States. We also partner with local organizations. In general, we work in Central America, the Caribbean and Appalachia.

While we meet people’s immediate needs in some programs, we seek systemic change. We like to work at the grassroots level, asking community leaders what they need most, and then helping provide the tools and skills to lift themselves and their communities out of extreme poverty.

Our immediate goal is to empower them so they feel a sense of dignity, which overcomes despair and leads to hope, one of the most powerful weapons against poverty.

Hand in Hand Ministries offers people from the United States and Canada the opportunity to participate in an immersion trip to the countries where we meet real people and do real things. It is an important part of our programs. While our immediate tasks are important, many times the relationships our volunteers with the people they serve become paramount. We hope that our volunteers will return to their homes with a new understanding of themselves and the world and that they will join us in our efforts serve the poor. If they do not join us, we hope their new-found knowledge will lead them to a life that includes service to others as one of its main components.

How much of the money donated goes to programs to help the people?
HHM works very hard to keep administrative and fundraising costs at a minimum. Our annual audit is now pending, and figures for 2007 should be available soon. However, in the previous six years, we averaged spending 85 cents out of every dollar on our programs.

Why give to Hand in Hand Ministries?

What Makes Us Special?
Many worthy charitable organizations exist, So why donate your time, talent and treasure to Hand in Hand Ministries?

1. We’re special. We say that not to boast but because people who’ve seen or experienced our work tell us that almost everyday. The reason for such praise is that we save lives and we change lives–the things donor want most.

We’re not just an organization; we are a community. Whether our volunteers and donors live in Klamath Falls, OR, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Chicago or Louisville, we are a community of people who’ve dedicated ourselves to making life better for the children and families we serve. We work to foster community with the people in Belize, Nicaragua, and Appalachia –anywhere we work – because we believe that building relationships can be as important as building homes.

2. We’re a fast-growing, grassroots organization where your gift – whether it’s $25 or $25,000 – still makes a difference, yet we’re still accessible to respond to your calls. You can still call our office and talk to the Executive Director if you have a question or a concern.

3. We invite you to join us for an immersion trip and experience the people and the work first hand. You can hold the children who live near the Managua city garbage dump in your arms, play with them and help educate them. You can begin to know people in another part of the world in ways you never dreamed possible. We guarantee that if you make a trip with us, you will never look at a map of the world in the same way.

People who’ve made more than one trip with us are amazed at the progress that’s been made in the programs when they return.

4. In 2007 we spent 85.2 percent of expenses on our programs, and we averaged spending 84.4 percent on programs in our previous six years of existence. While we may not be the only organization that operates at that level, it certainly ranks us far ahead of most.

5. In the end, we believe that the work we do transforms those who serve as much, or more than, those who are served.

One of the comments we hear most often after a trip is, “You know, I got much more out of this trip than I gave, and that really surprised me.” That’s the spirit in which we make our trips and perform our work.

6. Do something that will make you feel good. Study after study has shown that people who donate money to charity are happier than those who don’t.

As Margaret Mead, the famed anthropologist, once said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”