Our Projects

We have a passion to create self sustainable communities and social justice

Togo Africa: Mama Charity's Orphanage

Foundation Secours Universel

An agricultural project – purchase of 5 acres of farming land was initially anticipated. Mama Charity found some fertile farm land of 2 acres in June 2021 with the possibility of 1 additional acre. Hand in Hand raised funds for the purchase of the 3 acres. This was the initial phase. With land secured Mama Charity is exploring how to source water for the anticipated crops, fruit trees and animals. She currently has 5 goats. Produce will help feed the children nutritious food and generate income which will be used to help cope with the expenditures of the orphanage.

Concurrent Projects:

Mama Charity has seen the need for improved education in which the local Togo people living just across the border in Ghana can educate their children using the French language that is used in Togo. She owned a plot of land just across the border in Ghana and decided to build a school to give the local Togo children a good education

Hand in Hand has contributed to the building of her school in Ghana just across the border from Togo. Many families cannot afford to live in Togo, it is too expensive so they live in Ghana. She registered the first students for the school year that started September 15, 2021. She built 8 classrooms using bamboo for siding and putting up a metal roof. Toilets with indoor plumbing were built

Each year Mama Charity adds another grade level and she has needed to add a second classroom for level 1 and 2 classes to accommodate all the children.

In the fall of 2022, 100 additional children enrolled in the school. Many come from families that cannot afford to send their children to school, have no money for required uniforms, tuition or even enough food. Mama Charity believes every child has a right to education and she is keenly aware of the difference education makes in the future of the world. Hand-in-Hand is joining her efforts to increase donations to help pay for additional desks, tables and teachers. Teachers alone cost 1000 euros/month. A special fund has been started for donors that wish to support educational projects. Mama Charity will put money towards the most urgent needs and provide invoices to Hand-in-Hand before any money is forwarded. If you would like to contribute to the educational fund, click here:

Agribusiness:

With the purchase of land supported by Hand-in-Hand Mama Charity’s Foundation is in a position of growing crops for the orphanage as well as supporting widows and single moms in the village where the land is located. Right now Mama Charity plants Cassava and she supplies seed money to the single moms to plant soya beans. The beans are harvested in about 4 months from the April planting when the rains come. The seed money is re-paid to Mama Charity and the crops can be used for food or sale to raise funds for care of their children. The Cassava is harvested in a year and will be used at the orphanage.

A sustainable supply of water must be established before fruit and neem trees can be planted on the land.

Cost of planting trees and and seeds estimated at $532,599.44 XAF; $1201 Can; $960.00 USD

Maasai Maara-Kenya-Mama Dinah's solar generated water pump

Oloonkerine Community in the Maasai Mara

Mama Dinah lives in a Maasai Mara village. A bore hole was dug 10 years ago for the school and the generator that had operated the pump to bring up water could no longer be repaired and costs for diesel fuel was more than the community could afford. They now travel 1.5 to 2 km daily to carry large jugs of water from a water hole that collects rainfall and is heavily silted and frequented by animals. This water is carried to the village and boiled. We , along with a group of donors in Germany raised funds to drill another bore hole with the hopes it would have adequate supply as the previous bore hold did not. The new bore hole was drilled to 350 meters in October, 2022 and money is needed to install a solar pump in the borehole, purchase two storage towers and create a small distribution system to make water more accessible to the widespread community.

Currently Mama Dinah is talking with solar pump suppliers and getting accurate quotes for the pump, soar panels, towers and minimal piping for distribution

The cost for drilling was: $2,100,000.00 KS,
$17,139.00 USD $22944.00 CAD

Cost of installation of solar pump and minimal distribution system is currently estimated at: $2,458,216 KS; ($22,029.00 (US); ($28,118.00 (CAD)

Cost of Tower for water storage when no solar production is estimated at: 1.5 Million KS ; $12,562.00 (US); $16,048.00 (CAD)

Future Projects:

Because of the added expense of drilling a new borehole the future goals of finding a market for the beaded jewelry the women make and the milk cooler to enhance the sales of fresh milk from the cows has been moved into the distant future.

With the drought of this last winter, half the cattle perished. Once the community has adequate clean water, Mama Dinah would like to explore whether the land can be used to plant fruit trees so there is another source of sustainable living.

News flash

Fundraising globally, including a big fundraising campaign in Germany by relatives of Mama Dinah, plus fundraising by Hand-in-Hand has allowed Mama Dinah to have a borehole drilled. Work began on October 7, 2022 and drilling went to a depth of 350 meters and was completed on October 10, 2022. The borehole was capped until May 2023 when enough funds were raised to complete the solar powered pump , the two storage tanks and their structures and a simple distribution system.

Mama Dinah and Maasai women in the community playfully celebrating their jewelry making and the jewelry they have for sale. They wish to find a broader market for sales.

Western Kenya-Sister Agnes

Children's House and Feed Program

Sister Agnes’s desire was to start a poultry farm. It will help feed the children, teach them how to care for the chickens, collect the eggs for sales and how to run a business. Hand-in-Hand supported the costs for the egg incubator and to build a chicken coop/poultry building and purchase a vehicle for delivery of the eggs and broilers to local hotels and schools that are expected to be purchasers of large amounts. We postponed purchase of solar panels for the poultry shed for times the electric service has interruptions.

The poultry business was officially started late April 2022. A small amount of income has started to flow and will need to be used to sustain the business and to educate children.

Vehicle: $946,849 KS; $8,500.00 (USD); $10,896.00 (CAD)

Poultry building:

$639,354 KS; $5909.00 (USD); $7,449.00 (CAD)

Egg incubator and 500 chicks:

$90,000 KS; $808.00 (USD); $1,035.00 (CAD)