About Hands 4Life
A Christian nonprofit bringing orphaned children and lonely elders in Kenya together as one family.
Hands 4Life brings orphaned children and lonely elders in Homa Bay County, Kenya together as one family and helps them become financially independent. Local leaders, churches and our Kenya team deliver the work.501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN 84-4439928. Serving since 2016.
Our story
Hands 4Life brings two generations together as one family.
Stacy Shewey founded Hands 4Life, and it became the whole Shewey family's mission to show God's love “from womb to tomb.” Hands 4Life brings orphaned children and orphaned elders together as one new family. The elders at Hands 4Life Nigeria named the first home where orphaned children and elders live together after Alex Shewey, the family's oldest son, who died in 2022. Today that model is focused on Kenya.
Mission and vision
What Hands 4Life is here to do.
Mission
In Kenya, Hands 4Life brings orphans and lonely elders together as one family and helps them become financially independent through education and skills.
Vision
We envision a world where no child grows up without guidance and no elder grows old without purpose, where generations live, learn and care for one another.
How we work: locally led, faith-based, accountable, built for self-reliance
Locally led. Pastor Yusuf, the Kenya team and local churches deliver the work. They know the community, so they shape the solutions.
Built for self-reliance. Care is where it starts, not where it ends. Elders pass on wisdom and children help care for them. The end goal is financial independence: education, skills, mentoring and starter resources so young people, adults and elders can build sustainable livelihoods, start small businesses and share in a growing local economy.
Faith-based. Hands 4Life is a Christian charity, and our work comes out of the love of Jesus. The Bible tells us plainly to care for orphans, widows and the lonely, so that is what we do.
Hands 4Life serves everyone, regardless of faith.
Accountable. Our IRS filings are public. Restricted gifts are used as the donor chose. See the Hands 4Life financials.
How we will measure progress
Hands 4Life does not have measured outcome data yet. So for each expected outcome, we have named what we will track. Examples are school attendance of sponsored children and the number of elders who get regular visits and care.
The Kenya team will keep these records. Hands 4Life will report progress as the data comes in. Until then, we only state what we have counted since 2020.
Expected outcomes
What the work of Hands 4Life in Kenya is designed to change.
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.
Where we have worked
Hands 4Life has served in five countries.
Each place shaped our work in Kenya today.
Kenya
Current focus
Where we serve today and plan to build the Micro-Campus.
Nigeria
Since 2020
Sponsorship continues.
India
2020 to 2025
Care for elders and orphaned children.
Honduras
2020 to 2025
Mission teams and direct support.
United States
Since 2016
Where Hands 4Life started.
Leadership and board
The people accountable for Hands 4Life.
Members of the founding family serve Hands 4Life in board and working roles. Our conflict-of-interest and pay policies cover any compensation or related-party deal. We report these on Form 990 when required.
Leadership and advisors
Stacy Shewey
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Morgan Shewey
Co-Founder and Marketing Manager
Mehgan Fox Zecher
Administration
Yusuf Odhiambo
Kenya Leadership
Theodore Ihenetu
Nigeria Director
Dr. Ameer Nejmeh
Advisor
Pastor Sharon Williams
Advisor
Board of directors
Mike Shewey
Board Chair and Acting Treasurer
Gonzalo Villamizar
Vice Chair and Chief Strategy Officer
Jeffrey Heinichen
Secretary
Stacy Shewey
Founder, CEO and Board Member
Morgan Shewey
Co-Founder and Board Member
Doug Rappa
Board Member
One Open Position
Board seat currently open
Board roles current as of September 2026.
For grant and government partners
Hands 4Life organization facts.
- Legal name
- Hands 4life Inc
- EIN
- 84-4439928
- IRS recognition
- 2020, 501(c)(3) public charity
- NTEE code
- L22
- Florida charitable registration
- CH64339
- Transparency
- Platinum Seal of Approval from Candid
- Address
- 1431 Riverplace Blvd, Suite 1510, Jacksonville, FL 32207
- info@h4lworld.org
FAQ
Questions people ask
Who founded Hands 4Life?
Stacy Shewey founded Hands 4Life in 2016, and it became the whole Shewey family's mission to show God's love from womb to tomb. Hands 4Life brings orphaned children and lonely elders together as one family, and today that work is focused on Kenya.
Is Hands 4Life a registered 501(c)(3)?
Yes. Hands 4life Inc is a 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 84-4439928, recognized by the IRS in 2020. Its Florida charitable registration number is CH64339.
Does Hands 4Life only serve Christians?
No. Hands 4Life is a Christian nonprofit. Hands 4Life serves everyone, regardless of faith.
Work with us
Partner with Hands 4Life
Churches, foundations and local government partners can talk with us directly.