Orphaned children and lonely elders in Kenya
Two Generations.One Family.Wisdom Shared.Futures Built.
Hands 4Life brings orphaned children and lonely elders in Kenya together as one family and helps them become financially independent, through education, skills and a real part in their local economy.
From belonging to financial independence
Hands 4Life helps orphaned children and lonely elders build lives that stand on their own.
Elders pass on wisdom, and children help care for them. Hands 4Life is building an environment of growth and opportunity for both, and for the community around them.
Where the work leads
Step 1
Belonging and care
Orphaned children and lonely elders become one family. Elders guide the children, and the children help care for the elders.
Step 2
Education
Children stay in school, and elders pass on what they know.
Step 3
Skills and growth
Young people, adults and elders will learn a trade, farming and how to run a small business.
Step 4
Financial independence
They will start small businesses, earn their own income and take a real part in the local economy.
The goal
Shared prosperity
Over time, those businesses will create jobs and a stronger local economy for Homa Bay County.
The challenge
Orphans and vulnerable children without family care
- No stable adult to care for them each day
- A higher risk of dropping out of school
- More exposed to exploitation and harm
Older persons living alone
- Social isolation, poverty and unmet health needs
- Loss of a role and daily purpose
Few ways to earn a living
- A lack of skills, capital and opportunity to earn an income
- Little local work, so young people leave to find it
Knowledge lost between generations
- Elders with farm and craft skills and no one to teach
- Children growing up without guidance
Our approach
Direct support for both groups
Monthly sponsors pay for food, clean water, school and healthcare for children and elders, so support does not stop and start.
Brought together as one family
Elders pass on wisdom, skills and traditions. Children help care for the elders, with company, joy and purpose.
Training that leads to income
Training, mentoring and starter resources for small businesses will begin in rented community space and grow when the campus opens.
Locally led
Pastor Yusuf and the Kenya team and local churches deliver the work. They know the community and shape the solutions.
Faith-based, open to all
The work grows out of the local church. Support is given to people of any faith or none.
A planned campus to grow the work
The planned Micro-Campus will bring church, school, farm and business training to one site.
Expected outcomes
These are goals, not results yet. Hands 4Life will track each one and report on progress.
The main goal. Planned for the years ahead
Young people, adults and elders start and run sustainable small businesses
Orphaned children as they grow into young adults, young adults from the wider community, and elders through farm and craft work, each earning their own income.
- SDG 1 No Poverty
- SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
What we will track
- People who finish entrepreneurship and skills training
- Businesses started
- Businesses still running after 12 months
- Income earned by trainees
Building on work underway now
Children stay in school and keep moving up
What we will track
- School attendance of sponsored children
- Children who move up a grade each year
- SDG 4 Quality Education
- SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
Building on work underway now
Elders are less lonely, and children grow up with guidance and belonging
Elders pass on wisdom. Children give them company, joy and a reason to get up each day.
What we will track
- Regular time elders and children spend together
- Elders who report daily companionship
- Children with an elder who mentors them
- SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
- SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
Building on work underway now
Children and elders have food, clean water and healthcare
What we will track
- Health checks given
- Children and elders who get food and water support each month
- SDG 1 No Poverty
- SDG 2 Zero Hunger
- SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
Building on work underway now
Knowledge and skills pass from elders to children
What we will track
- Regular times when elders teach or mentor children
- Children and elders taking part together
- SDG 4 Quality Education
- SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
Building on work underway now
Children and elders belong to a caring church family
What we will track
- Children and elders in weekly church life
- Local pastors and leaders who finish training
- SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
- SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
Planned for the years ahead
Local businesses create jobs and a stronger local economy in Homa Bay County
Inclusive growth that makes room for orphans, elders and young people, and helps the whole community stay strong for the long term.
What we will track
- Jobs created by trainee businesses
- Local people employed by the campus and its farm
- Goods and services bought locally
- SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG 1 No Poverty
- SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
- SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
Planned for the years ahead
A model that increasingly pays its own way
Farm sales and trainee businesses will help fund the work, so it depends less on donations over time.
What we will track
- Share of costs met by local income such as farm sales
- Programs run by local leaders
- SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
SDG labels name the UN Sustainable Development Goals each outcome contributes to.
Explore the Micro-Campus
Help Bring the Blueprints to Life
The planned campus is where the Hands 4Life model will come together on about 5.5 acres in Homa Bay County. Church comes first because it is the foundation of everything we do.
- Church & CommunityThe planned Multi-Purpose Space, a future home for worship, training and outreach.
- Learning & InnovationThe planned Learning & Innovation Center, where school and skills training will lead to jobs and small businesses.
- All Things Good FarmA planned farm where people will learn farming as a trade, sell produce and help fund the work.
A Missionary Dorm will house visiting teams. Through the campus, local leaders will train people for jobs and small businesses, grow food and strengthen the local church.
Our global footprint
What Hands 4Life has done since 2020.
Since 2020, Hands 4Life has served more than 1,500 people across five countries through education, healthcare, food assistance, sponsorship, housing support and healthcare training. Today, that experience is shaping our next chapter in Kenya.
See some of what that was
- 32 people received food support
- 11 received hospital, emergency, vision, dental or medical equipment support
- 14 received medicine or nutritional supplements
- 10 students received education support
- 2 older adults received housing or home safety support
Monthly giving
The work keeps moving because you do.
Monthly giving is the bedrock of this mission. It keeps daily operations steady, lets Hands 4Life plan ahead with confidence, and funds the leadership, communication, financial oversight, reporting and local partnerships behind every program, sponsorship, mission trip and campus project.
Monthly support goal
240 giving partners at $100 a month would reach it.
Ways to help
Find your place in the work of Hands 4Life.
Give Monthly
Monthly partners keep Hands 4Life steady: the people, planning and oversight behind every program in Kenya.
Become a Monthly Partner
Sponsor in Kenya
Help provide food, education, mentorship and practical care for a child or older adult in our Hands 4Life family.
Meet Our H4L Family
Join the Mission Trip
Serve alongside our Kenya team and spend time with the children and elders we care for, ending with a cultural safari through the Maasai Mara.
See the Mission Trip
Church & Community
The Generations of Wisdom Church meets under a tree today. The planned Multi-Purpose Space will be its home, for worship, discipleship, pastor and leadership training, health education and outreach.
Explore Church & Community
Learning & Innovation
At the planned center, children, older adults and people of all ages will learn through education, technology, entrepreneurship, STEM and practical life skills.
Explore Learning & Innovation
The Farm
A planned working classroom for agriculture, nutrition, STEM and small business. The farm will grow food for the campus and sell the surplus to help fund the work.
Explore The Farm
FAQ
Questions about Hands 4Life
What does Hands 4Life do?
Hands 4Life is a Christian nonprofit that brings orphaned children and lonely elders in Kenya together as one family and helps them become financially independent. Elders pass on wisdom, and children help care for them. Sponsorship pays for school, food and healthcare today. The end goal is education and skills that lead to income, small businesses and a stronger local economy. Hands 4Life plans to build the Generations of Wisdom Micro-Campus to grow that work in one place.
Where does Hands 4Life work?
Hands 4Life works in Homa Bay County, Kenya, where it plans to build the campus on about 5.5 acres. Since 2020, Hands 4Life has reached more than 1,500 people across five countries.
Is Hands 4Life a registered charity?
Yes. Hands 4Life is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 84-4439928, registered as a charity in Florida (CH64339). Its Form 990 filings and financial information are on the Financials page.
How can I help children and older adults in Kenya?
You can give monthly, sponsor a child or older adult in Kenya, help build the campus, or join the mission trip. Every restricted gift is tracked by fund and used for the purpose it was given.
See where your gift goes
Open books, and gifts used as given.
Hands 4Life is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 84-4439928. Our Form 990 filings and financial information are available for review. We track restricted gifts by fund so donations are used for the purpose they were given.
