Our focus right now
Helping orphaned children and lonely elders in Homa Bay County, Kenya become financially independent.
Hands 4Life brings orphaned children and lonely elders in Homa Bay County together as one family today. The goal is school, skills and small businesses, so they can earn their own income and grow the local economy. A planned 5.5-acre Micro-Campus will help that grow.
Hands 4Life in Kenya at a glance
Location
Homa Bay County
Western Kenya, near Lake Victoria.
Local leadership
Pastor Yusuf and the Kenya team
They deliver the work directly with the children and elders we serve, alongside local churches and community leaders.
Current phase
Generations of Wisdom Micro-Campus
Phase 2 will develop the 5.5-acre campus, with school, farm and training for sustainable small businesses in one place.
Where the work stands
The work has already begun. Now we plan to build a home for it.
Hands 4Life already supports children and elders in Homa Bay County. Each phase is planned to reach more of them, and the campus will give that work one place to grow.
- NowPhase 1
Community Outreach
Sponsorship, education, health education, discipleship, mission outreach and direct support for orphaned children and lonely elders, alongside local churches and leaders.
- Building nextPhase 2
Generations of Wisdom Micro-Campus
Current focus
About 5.5 acres. When it is built, it will be the home base for our work in Kenya, where children, elders and young adults will learn, worship and train to start sustainable small businesses.
- Long termPhase 3
Full Vision Campus
More education, housing where generations live near each other, agriculture, career and business training, sports and other services as the campus grows.
The Micro-Campus
Three anchors bring the vision together.
The three anchors of the Generations of Wisdom Micro-Campus are designed to work together, so school, faith, skills training and food will happen all week long.
Church comes first. It is the foundation of everything we do.
Anchor 1
Multi-Purpose Space
Church & Community
A planned gathering space where the local church will worship, pastors and leaders will be trained, and the community will come for discipleship, health education, outreach and events.
Explore Church & CommunityAnchor 2
Learning & Innovation Center
Learning & Innovation
A planned center where children will learn, older adults will share their knowledge and people of all ages will gain skills for jobs and small businesses in technology, farming and trades.
Explore the Learning & Innovation CenterAnchor 3
All Things Good Farm
The Farm
A planned farm where people will learn farming as a trade and start farm businesses. It will feed the campus and sell the surplus to help fund the work.
Explore the farm
Supporting the campus
Missionary Dorm: a planned home base for those who come to serve.
Simple, safe lodging for mission teams and trainers will cut costs and give visitors more time serving.
Why Kenya, and what we expect to change
What the work in Homa Bay County is designed to change.
Hands 4Life has reached more than 1,500 people across five countries since 2020. In Kenya, led by Kenyans, that experience now goes into an environment of growth and opportunity for children, elders and the whole community.
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.
Ways to support
Help Bring the Blueprints to Life
$2 million public campaign goal
The next major step for Hands 4Life is the 5.5-acre campus: Church & Community, the Learning & Innovation Center and the Farm, with a Missionary Dorm and shared infrastructure.
Leading a church or foundation, or thinking about a larger gift toward the full vision? Talk with us about partnership.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Where in Kenya does Hands 4Life work?
Hands 4Life works in Homa Bay County, in western Kenya near Lake Victoria. Pastor Yusuf and the Kenya team lead the work there.
What is the Generations of Wisdom Micro-Campus?
The Generations of Wisdom Micro-Campus is a 5.5-acre campus Hands 4Life is preparing to develop in Homa Bay County. It will have three anchors: a Multi-Purpose Space for church and community, the Learning & Innovation Center and All Things Good Farm, with a Missionary Dorm for visiting teams.
What is the campaign goal for the Kenya campus?
The public campaign goal for the Generations of Wisdom Micro-Campus is $2 million. It covers the church and community space, the Learning & Innovation Center and the farm, with a Missionary Dorm and shared infrastructure.
Who leads the work in Kenya?
Pastor Yusuf and the Kenya team lead the work on the ground. Local leaders and churches know the community and shape the solutions, and Hands 4Life supports them with training and resources.
What outcomes does Hands 4Life aim to achieve?
Hands 4Life's work in Kenya is designed to achieve 8 outcomes. The main goal is that young people, adults and elders start and run sustainable small businesses. The others: Children stay in school and keep moving up. Elders are less lonely, and children grow up with guidance and belonging. Children and elders have food, clean water and healthcare. Knowledge and skills pass from elders to children. Children and elders belong to a caring church family. Local businesses create jobs and a stronger local economy in Homa Bay County. A model that increasingly pays its own way. These are expected outcomes, not measured results yet. Hands 4Life will track each one and report on progress.
Kenya
Help build what comes next.
Hands 4Life has spent years building relationships and serving alongside the people of Kenya. Now we are ready for a place where this work can come together and grow.