Introducing Oloba

In Nigeria, far into the bush outside Ibadan, lies Oloba, a rural community where families survive by harvesting palm oil, cassava and pepper. Life is tough here. There are no nearby clinics or schools, and often not enough food.

Oloba, Nigeria

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In 2023, the Hands at Work Service Centre team in Ibadan began visiting Oloba, walking alongside families to listen, pray and understand the depth of need. For many, daily life was a struggle simply to survive. Yet in the midst of hardship, hope and strength were found – in the welcome of a local chief, a church leader, and members of the local church who were ready to serve as Care Workers.

By the end of that year, a Community Based Organisation (CBO) was established, initially caring for 25 of the most vulnerable children. Today, seven dedicated Care Workers, led by Janet and Kehinde, are supporting 50 children with the Three Essential Services of food, access to education and basic health care.

Although Oloba’s children still walk to school in the nearby community of Onilemo, they now have Care Workers in their own community who visit their homes, encourage their families, and ensure they are cared for.

As part of the Hands at Work model to involve the global church, we’re seeking UK partners to build a long-term relationship with Oloba. Could that be you? The primary goal of a partnership is to build a relationship between a church or other group of people outside Africa and the vulnerable families and children being served on the ground. Whether you’re part of a church, school, community group or family and friends, find out more about what partnership could look like.

The Ibadan Service Centre supports three Community Based Organisations including Oloba. They provide support, training, networking and encouragement to the CBOs. They also provide administrative support, including helping with funding proposals, monitoring and evaluation, bookkeeping and reporting.

Off The Tar Road in Zambia

We often say in Hands at Work that we go to communities ‘off the tar road’.  It is a saying that expresses not only the physical isolation of many of the communities that we support, but also is an indication of their hiddenness from the wider population, from the structures of local government, and from health and education.

Visiting Mutaba A, as we did in July, makes you realise that this saying is no mere metaphor! The journey takes you over 13.5 miles of potholed dirt roads from Chisamba. Then the community itself is made up of extremely scattered rural homesteads. The practical consequence of this is that our Care Workers have to walk huge distances each day. Asking one Care Worker, for example, where she gets her water, she described a two-hour round trip at the start of her day. Her house was then another 30-minute walk from the Care Point. At the end of one day when we were there, she (then) walked with a friend to the huge weekly market in Chisamba. Although they said there are short cuts you can take on foot, they still must have clocked up a considerable mileage by the time they finally arrived home.

Distance is such a feature of life in Mutaba. There is the gulf between rich and poor that separates the community from the big city of Lusaka, only a couple of hours away. There is the walk that children face to the Care Point. We did a Holy Home Visit to a child who, we were told, lives close to the Care Point, in what turned out to be a 30-minute walk!  Over the last year the Community Based Organisation has split into Mutaba A & B, with the creation of a second Care Point, to try and reduce the amount that the children have to walk. Meanwhile Mutaba A cares for 125 of the most vulnerable children, with a wonderful team of 22 volunteer Care Workers headed up by the Coordinator, Christopher, providing them with the Three Essential Services of food, education and health care.

It has been very moving to witness the impact that Hands at Work is having in Mutaba. When we visited there in 2024, it was in the grip of a serious drought and the Service Centre team told us that people had died as a consequence, and how the Care Point had literally kept children and families alive.

When Cecilia, the Service Centre Coordinator, and her husband Peter first began walking in this community there was no school and so, in 2008, they started a small community school so that the children could get a very basic education. Eventually, the government took it over and put in professional teachers. When we were there in July, building work was going on to extend the school with more classrooms and two teachers’ houses. When Hands at Work gets involved in a community, it starts to put it on the map, reducing the distance separating them from the support that comes from access to proper education and health care.

The trip was very special for us as, at the beginning of 2025, our church, St. Michael’s, Boldmere, agreed to partner with Hands at Work. It had taken us nearly seven years of patient, quiet advocacy to get to that point, so this visit laid the foundations for taking a team in 2026. We look forward to introducing representatives from our church to this amazing community.

David & Jane Newsome

An Unimaginably Important Trip

In April 2025, I travelled to Zambia with a team from Forge Community Church and West Mersea Free Church to support the communities of Maposa and Amlew. Amlew is a lively community where I was able to run a relationship group alongside my Grandma for the 6-12 year olds, who loved to colour, play games, sing and dance. Maposa is located in a more rural area and the children I met were more reserved but loved all of the same things. They have beautiful attention to detail and care so much about all of the activities that they take part in. A real highlight from visiting these two communities has been the times of worship and prayer. Nowhere else do you get to be around so many people who share such a strong faith and just genuinely celebrate in the Lord’s presence.

For the second week of our trip we hosted a kids’ camp at Kachele Farm, where we were staying. We had 15 kids from Maposa and 15 from Amlew come to stay and be involved with crafts and activities, sport competitions, singing and dancing, as well as learning valuable lessons about Jesus. Our aim for the week was to remind the children about how much they are valued by God, and that they are worth so much just for being who they are. We led stories and had group conversations where we asked the big questions and supported the children in the best way we knew how to, reminding them all the time of the loving Father that they can all find in God.

These two weeks have been unimaginably important. I have learnt so much and gained valuable friendships from my kids team, the team I went out with and the Service Centre members who we were supporting. Since my trip I have had the opportunity to share the stories I made and the stories that I have heard with people around me by sharing at my parent’s small group, at my own youth group and through having conversations with friends, which I sparked by keeping a list of my kids team’s names in my phone case as a reminder. And, hugely, my faith has been built so much stronger as I was reminded of the importance of spending time with God, appreciating the blessings that God has provided us with and enjoying the God-given peace that comes through a relationship with Him. I am so thankful to every person who I met in Zambia, you all made the experience what it was and I couldn't ask for more. Thank you.

Jemima Westmancott

Each One Reach One

At Hands at Work in Africa we are deeply grateful for your partnership. Together, we are part of an incredible global family, supporting and standing with African Leaders and Care Workers who are bringing transformation and hope to their own communities. It’s a privilege for us in the UK to walk alongside them, learn from them, and contribute in meaningful ways.

Why Reach One?

Imagine the difference it would make if each of us introduced one more church, organisation, or individual to the Hands at Work family. By inviting others to participate in this work, we:

• Strengthen the support for African communities as they care for the most vulnerable

• Widen the network of prayer, encouragement and solidarity for Care Workers on the ground

• Help more people here in the UK to experience personally encountering God’s heart amongst the vulnerable and to grow in faith, as well as to be encouraged and impacted by the core values and way of life of the Hands at Work community.

How You Can Help

1. Identify Potential Partners: Think of churches, organisations or individuals who might share our heart for justice, community and relationship.

2. Build a Connection: Share your own journey with Hands at Work. Talk about the privilege of partnering with African Leaders who are living out sacrificial love every day.

3. Share the Vision: Invite them to a Hands at Work event, connect them with our team, or tell them about the powerful stories of hope emerging from communities. We have some helpful pages on our website about Partnership.

4. Encourage Participation: Encourage them to explore ways they can walk alongside Hands at Work, whether through prayer, financial support, or joining your partnership visit to see the work firsthand.

Together, We Can Do More

When we grow the Hands at Work family, we amplify the efforts of those on the ground who are already leading the way. If each of us reaches just one more partner, imagine how many more children could be cared for and how many more lives could be impacted. Please join us in this simple but powerful step of faith. If you’d like guidance or resources to share, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Thank you!

Raising support for Hands at Work with second-hand books

Inspired by our friends in the Netherlands, who hold a huge second-hand book sale each year to raise funds for Hands at Work, Becci, our UK Coordinator, decided to try her own version – albeit on a much smaller scale!

Photo credit: @cbaileycreative

With donated books from friends and family, and a few that had been gathering dust on her bookshelves at home, Becci and her mum set up a stall at a local school fair. Despite the sweltering day, many people came along, and although the stall didn’t raise lots of money, it did offer a great opportunity to chat to people about Hands at Work, as well as to recycle pre-loved books.

It was a reminder that every fundraising effort counts, whether big or small, and shows that we can all play our part, right where we are, to help raise funds and support vulnerable children across Africa.

Are you doing any fundraising for Hands at Work? We’d love to hear about it – do let us know!

Hands at Work UK Welcomes Two New Partners

We are excited to welcome two new partners to the Hands at Work UK family!

In June, both Haven Coalisland in Northern Ireland and Woodlands East in Bristol officially launched their partnerships with communities in Zambia. This marks a new chapter for both churches as they step into relationship with local communities on the frontline of caring for the most vulnerable children.

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Maposa

Haven Coalisland has become our very first partner in Northern Ireland! They have recently partnered with the community of Maposa, in the Luanshya area of Zambia, where dedicated local volunteers serve children through regular meals, home visits, and faithful presence. Church Leader Sam Walker was previously part of The Forge Community Church in Suffolk, where he played a key role in establishing their partnership with Hands at Work. After relocating to Northern Ireland, Sam carried his heart for Hands at Work with him, and we’re so pleased that Haven has now become part of the Hands at Work family too.

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Chilando

Woodlands East, a new church planted in Bristol in January this year, has begun its partnership with Chilando, a Zambian community in the Kabwe region which started to establish a Care Point and feed children just a few months later, in April. It’s encouraging to see two communities both in their early stages – one in the UK and one in Zambia – beginning this journey side by side. This kind of mutual, growing relationship reflects the core of what Hands at Work is about: walking together in service and learning from one another.

At Hands at Work, we believe in the power of partnership: of churches, communities, and individuals walking together to see the most vulnerable children cared for in holistic and life-giving ways. These new partnerships remind us that hope is not only possible – it’s already being lived out through the faithfulness of local Care Workers, the commitment of global partners, and the presence of God in the midst of it all.

We’re so thankful for the involvement and generosity of both Haven Coalisland and Woodlands East. We look forward to getting to know you more, praying with you, and witnessing the hope that grows as we serve together. Welcome to the Hands at Work family!

News from Chilabula

Earlier this year Becci, Coordinator for the Hands at Work UK Office, spent time in Zambia and South Africa. Here, she shares an update on Chilabula – a community in the Luanshya area of Zambia, supported by UK Partners.

“In March I had the privilege of travelling to Zambia and spending time with the Service Centre and other Hands at Work volunteers. One sunny Tuesday I jumped into a local taxi with the amazing Service Centre team, Chilabula-bound. The Community Based Organisation (CBO) in this rural community cares for 125 vulnerable children.

Once off the tar road and onto the dirt track going towards the Life Centre, you can really see the positive impact of the recent rains. After such a long period of drought, plants and trees are now green and tall, harvests are looking healthy, and there are birds and butterflies everywhere – everything feels so alive. We really give thanks for this, as it has been a tough time for the community.

Turning onto the track where the Life Centre is situated, the first thing you see is the crumbled remains of the Roman Catholic church. A severe storm hit Chilabula on Christmas Day 2024 and caused huge damage. The church is just one of several buildings affected. The congregation had only just left when the building collapsed. Fortunately no one was hurt, and miraculously – despite the storm's severity – no one in the entire community was injured.

The Life Centre building was also badly damaged. While initial temporary repairs were made, full renovations were underway when I visited. The summer rains were making the work challenging – it was either scorching hot or pouring with rain – but great progress was being made, which was showing the whole community just how important these children are.

Whilst this work was happening, Care Workers continued to cook and serve meals from the old pig shed at the back of the property.

Since my return to the UK we have received the wonderful news that work on the Life Centre has now been completed. Meals are being cooked in the renovated structure and children can use the seating area to eat and find shelter from the elements. A new storage room keeps dry food safe. We give thanks that this work was able to happen so quickly, providing the children, Care Workers, Primary Caregivers and the wider community with a space that is safe, welcoming and full of life.

The Service Centre and Care Worker teams are phenomenal. They know every child by name, where they live and their individual circumstances. The love and care that emanates from the Life Centre is tangible, and you can see that the children feel truly at home — able to bring their full selves.

Of course, the community continues to face challenges. Many children are struggling with health issues such as malaria and anaemia, and home situations can be unstable. We can continue to keep these children and their families in our prayers, asking that the love of God brings healing, hope and light to all.”

Legacy Giving

Talking about money can be awkward. Pair it with the topic of death, and you’ve got a conversation most of us would rather avoid altogether! But this is a conversation worth having. So hold onto your hats, because we’re about to delve into the world of Legacy Giving!

Legacy Giving – leaving a gift to charity in your Will – might not be something you’ve ever thought about but it's becoming increasingly common. According to Remember A Charity, more than one in five charity donors aged 40 and over (21%) say they’ve included a charitable gift in their Will. That’s up from just 14% in 2010. Meanwhile, fewer people are ruling it out – just 9%, down from 13% in 2010.

And it’s not just something to consider later in life. The average age of those writing a Will in the UK is 51. People are thinking about these things earlier than we might assume. The coming years are also set to see what economists are calling the Great Wealth Transfer – an unprecedented passing down of trillions of pounds from one generation to the next. This changing financial landscape opens the door for deeper conversations about what we leave behind.

That’s where Hands at Work in Africa comes in. For small charities like ours, legacy gifts aren’t just helpful – they can make a vital difference to the vulnerable communities we serve. They can be the reason a Care Worker continues to visit children each week, assessing their home situation and safety. They can mean the three essential services – food, access to education and basic health care – continue uninterrupted, alongside belonging and dignity for a child who might otherwise be forgotten.

If you know Hands at Work well, you already know the power of this model. You’ve seen communities transformed through the faithful, day-in, day-out love of local volunteer Care Workers. For those of you who are newer to our work, we invite you to find out more and become a part of something bigger – of God’s Kingdom on Earth.

In a world of plenty, no child should go hungry. We defy the voices that say the problem is too big and there’s nothing we can do. What we do with what we have – big or small – can have a lasting impact. So, we invite you: will you consider leaving a legacy gift to Hands at Work and, in doing so, continue to be a part of re-writing the story for good?

Bringing hope to the world starts with us.

Link for Life team in South Africa

The Link for Life Project is a church and community initiative which was established in 2010 by local churches in Great Wyrley and Cheslyn Hay. Now working across the Lichfield Diocese, the Project connects schools, churches and the wider community to support the work of three Christian, non-profit organisations in Southern Africa – including Hands at Work.

From 15th February–1st March a team of seven students from Wolgarston High School in Staffordshire (Eve, Jessica, Stella, Erin, Eleanor, Isabelle and Isabelle) and five adult leaders (Mike (Wolgarston Teacher), Tony & Richard (both from St Anne’s Church, Chasetown), Paula (Chasetown Community School) and Molly (Link for Life leader)) visited the community of Mafambisa in South Africa. The school has partnered with the community for several years.

Mafambisa is a small town where Khetiwe and a team of six Care Workers currently care for 70 children. Many of these children are refugees from neighbouring countries and do not have identity documents, which limits their access to government support, grants and schooling. Amidst these and other challenges the Care Point provides a place of safety, love and dignity – reminding each child that they matter.

During their visit, the team wrote daily blog posts reflecting on their experiences at the Care Points and during Holy Home Visits. You can read their reflections here.

Introducing Chilando

On Tuesday 1st April, Hands at Work began serving in a new community called Chilando, which is situated in a rural, farming area in Kabwe, Zambia. This community will be supported by Hands at Work UK.

Seven brand new Care Workers from the local church, supported by the Hands at Work Regional Support and Service Centre teams, gathered to collect water and prepare a meal, the first provision of the 3 Essential Services of food, education and health care.

By midday, children were arriving and, in total, 36 out of the 50 registered joined, alongside the Care Workers and several Primary Caregivers, who came to witness the launch of the feeding programme.

It was a joyful sight to see the children enjoying a nutritious plate of kapenta (small dried fish), vegetables and nshima. After the meal the Care Workers took part in a Relationship Group and reflected on the day’s activities.

Relationship Groups are safe and trustworthy spaces where the Care Workers can share their struggles and joys. They offer profound healing, understanding and support to the Care Workers, who are often dealing with their own brokenness and trauma, so that they can themselves become catalysts of change, sharing what they have learned with the children they serve.

In the coming days, more children are expected to attend Chilando, and Xolani, member of the Zambia Regional Support Team, shared that the sense of ownership from the local community and church has been incredibly encouraging.

Over the coming months, Hands at Work is looking to establish the infrastructure that will provide a consistent and safe centre in which to care for the children. This begins with obtaining a piece of land to establish a new Care Point, and then building structures such as the main building, a cooking shelter, toilets and storage.

We give thanks to God for this opportunity to bring essential care to vulnerable children in Chilando. Please join us in praying for this new community!

You can read more about the Hands at Work in Africa model of care here.

The rains have arrived!

Last year, Helen Cullen and Sheila Bott from the UK travelled to Malawi to support the local Hands at Work teams in conducting health assessments for children in the communities we serve. These assessments are a crucial tool for Care Workers and Service Centre teams, helping them gather essential health data on each child. With this information, they can provide more tailored support and care.

Carrying out these assessments is a huge undertaking. Each one involves visiting a child at home with their Primary Caregiver, completing a detailed questionnaire about their health history and personal circumstances, and recording their height and weight. Helen, a nurse, and Sheila, a retired nurse, came alongside the local teams, offering their time and expertise to support this vital work.

While Helen and Sheila were in Malawi, the country was experiencing severe drought. Helen recalls, “We arrived in Malawi last year just after the first rain of the season and people were busy hoeing and planting maize in every available patch of ground, praying for more rain to come. No rain came during our visit, meanwhile we experienced daily the lack of running water. Sheila and I agreed how humbling it was for us to have 2 weeks using water as sparingly as we could. We were very aware that this is how so many live every day where climate change is felt most by the poorest of the poor.”

Since then, the rains have finally arrived in Malawi and in other sub-Saharan African countries, bringing relief after a long season of drought. Gideon, from the Regional Support Team in Malawi, shares more in the video below:

Helen reflects, “What a joy to hear the rains came in abundance!”

We give thanks to God for the rains and pray they continue, bringing healthy harvests and food security for the most vulnerable families.

Watchword Reflections from Women’s Prayer

I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers. (Isaiah 65:24 NLT)

Hands at Work begins each year with a Watchword; a guiding scripture that our leadership team shares with the Hands at Work family. This scripture is a promise, a challenge, an inspiration, an encouragement and an opportunity to invite God to lead us throughout the year, expectant for what God will do in and through us.

Our monthly Women’s Prayer group recently spent some time together reflecting on and sharing what this year’s Watchword is saying to them.

Linda

“It may seem difficult to think of examples from our own lives when God has answered our prayers before we have even put them into words. Sometimes when things fall into place in our lives, we realise that God has been preparing the ground for that to happen. We have to be in touch with God to be receptive to His plans for us.

It is clear that God knows our needs before we ask him, so why then pray at all? We are urged to pray without ceasing, to stay alert and be persistent. However, in Matthew 6:7-8, Jesus says, ‘Don’t heap up empty phrases like the Gentiles, who imagine that they will be heard because they use a lot of words.’ Of course, what you need may be very different from what you want. Jesus then says, ‘Pray like this’ and introduces what we now know as the Lord’s prayer. ‘Your will be done’ should be the start of all our prayers.

Prayer is about being in a developing relationship with God. His aim is that our prayer will be increasingly in tune with His will because we are open to His spirit and so learn to see things as He sees them and to pray what He wants.”

Judith

“From this verse I love the glimpse we get of the God to whom we pray. He is so close and personal and knows what we need before we even get to asking! Our God sees us, hears us, knows us. His heart is to answer… His heart is to care... His heart is to go ahead of us. He responds to our prayers before we fully articulate them… He knows us that well. Our God actively listens to the cries of our heart as well as the words of our prayers. What a God we serve!”

Rosanne

“Reflecting on this year's Watchword, I have to admit I found it difficult to think of times when I was aware of God having answered prayers before I had spoken them. But then I realised that many times when God answers my prayers, in hindsight I can see God's hand days, weeks, months before, preparing the way, putting all the pieces in place for that prayer to be answered. Way before the prayer was in my mouth, God was already on it!”

Lesley

“Our Watchword this year comes from a chapter at the end of the book of Isaiah, where the prophet describes the Kingdom of God, pointing in different ways to God's love and generosity. The verse points to God's care for His people. He doesn't wait for us to petition Him, like a politician seeking to curry favour with the electorate, but is already there with us, knowing what is happening to us and reaching out to us in love.”

What does this Watchword say to you?

We have monthly Women’s and Men’s Prayer meetings online. If you’d like to find out more, please email info@uk.handsatwork.org.

St Andrew's Biggleswade Team Visit

St Andrew’s, Biggleswade, has been partnered with the community of Mafambisa since 2016, and as a church we aim to send a team regularly to support and walk alongside the brilliant Care Workers and children. 

As well as spending several days with our partner community we were also privileged to be able to visit one or two other Care Points over the two weeks that we were in Africa.

This year’s team consisted of six adults and five young people. We visited Care Points in the Clau-Clau region, mainly Mafambisa but also Mluti, and then, during our second week, travelled north and visited Care Points in the Bushbuckridge region, staying at the Wits University Rural Facility.

We were struck, particularly this year, by the importance of teams and of maintaining a close relationship with the places that we have visited previously. At Mafambisa one of the Care Workers confided in Alice because she recognized the support that had been given to that community over the last few years, and the inter-relationship between the young people in the team and those in each of the Care Points that we visited also stood out.

In Mluti the use of a Bluetooth speaker in a worship session at the Care Point attracted the local school children who were on their way home. It turned into quite the community event!

In Pfunani a bond was built between our young people and two of the older teenagers from the community. Engaging together over the two days, the young people put on a dance show to honour the relationships that had been created. 

In Seville B the group spent over an hour by the roadside in discussion with the local chief, who shared the challenges that he faced as leader of that community. He challenged the group to come up with solutions to many very difficult questions. 

It was a team visit based upon both renewing relationships and building new ones. We came away realising the value and importance of team visits and, at the same time, humbled by the great people we had met, all combined with an increasing desire to serve the communities that Hands at Work supports!

Chris and Alice Parker and the Biggleswade Team

Hands at Work in Africa UK Gathering

It is always a pleasure and a privilege to gather as Hands at Work family in the UK. This year our day was held at Hollywood Christian Life Centre near Birmingham and hosted by Peter and Deborah Steele. Thanks to them both for their hard work in catering for the day and arranging a time of shared worship. Also, to their pastor, Steve Crossthwaite, for opening the day in prayer.

The first session was led by Wedzerai Chiyoka, a familiar face to the Hands at Work UK women’s prayer group as she often joins them from her home in Uganda. She had been visiting the UK and delayed her return home to join the Gathering. This was so appreciated as she was able to pass on greetings from Hands at Work founders and leaders in Africa, George and Carolyn and Levy and Prag. She also provided an update on the Hands at Work news from Africa.

Catherine (Cat) Clarkson was our next speaker. Following thirteen years as an International Volunteer in Africa, Cat has recently taken a sabbatical back in the UK. She shared how Hands at Work has changed over the last thirteen years “in every possible way, although the model and prophetic call to the church has not”.  She also talked very movingly about how her life has been changed by her time with Hands. She shared inspiring stories of children who had grown into becoming young African Hands at Work leaders. She talked about her future plans – sharing how God has called her back to her home city of Southampton, where she will be working with the vulnerable from a community base called, ironically, ‘The Hub’! She finished by reminding us of verses from Isaiah 58, including from verse 10: ‘Feed the hungry and help those in trouble’.

Our next session was spent listening to reports from those who were part of two visiting teams to communities in South Africa in 2024. The first was a party of ten ladies from one of the Woodlands Churches in Bristol, led by Hazel Askew. The second was a mixed group from St Andrew’s in Biggleswade, led by Chris Parker. One of this group, a young man called Adam, talked about the sense of ‘community and family’ he discovered in Africa and how he had felt a ‘touch from God’ for the very first time during the trip. Time was taken to pray for Helen and Sheila, both nurses, who were departing on a child health visit to Malawi two days after the Gathering.

After a light lunch, including delicious local samosas – apparently a ‘must’ when visiting the Midlands – we reconvened to listen to Becky Warnock from Suffolk and Lesley Bentley from the West Midlands. They shared what partnership meant to their churches, and the words ‘mutuality in ministry’ seemed to capture the relationship between UK churches and Africa. We then watched a video from Jackie Okindah, updating us on the recent gathering of Hands at Work African leaders in Zambia. She also shared a fresh perspective on how much team visits mean to the children and Care Workers in our communities. She reminded us that God is ‘El Roi’ – the God who sees – and whenever we visit Africa we are helping people to feel seen.

After a small group discussion around the previous session, we went into a question-and-answer session led by Dan Waspe, also visiting the UK from Africa, and Oliver Westmancott, chair of the Hands UK board. Amongst other topics they discussed the transition of Hands UK with the impending retirement of David and Jane Newsome. Time had been put aside to thank David and Jane for their amazing leadership, which included a touching video of thanks from Hands leaders worldwide – such has been their impact. They were presented with gifts and prayers of thanks said. It was good to hear from David and Jane that they will still be involved with Hands UK as they serve as Advocates for their home church. They also shared their plans to support refugees from their Midland’s base. Thanks were also given to Becci Leung and Oliver for their hard work navigating Hands UK through this time of transition.

George Green reflects on his sponsored walk to support the community of Malakota in Zambia

26th to 30th August

 I did it!

In warm, sunny weather I started from beside the Kyle Rhea ferry and walked up the Elg Valley and over the steep, winding mountain pass to Ratagan Hostel on the shores of Loch Duich. Using the hostel's wifi, I began to search for a local weather forecast. The headline appeared: 'Scotland, 10 days’ rain to fall in 24 hours'. I was not greatly perturbed, having prepared well and armed with suitable clothing and equipment.

The following morning, Suzanne the warden tried to persuade me not to go on my intended route to the remote hostel at Alltbeith. I went to speak with the Kintail Ranger at Morvich Outdoor Centre and he also strongly advised that it was too dangerous, as there are a number of streams to be waded across the trail. He radioed the hostel to not expect me.

To go as planned, alone, would have been risky for me and would have possibly put others at risk. I returned to Ratagan. I did some jobs to help Suzanne and she found me a bunk for the night. I walked that day, along the shoreline of Loch Duich, but even here the extreme weather had caused landslides. I messaged my vehicle support team, asking them to transfer me to the highest point of Glen Affric – as close as possible to where my high-level Alltbeith section would have taken me. I wild-camped there. The rain fell heavily in the night. I stayed dry and warm but the tent was so heavy with water. I set off down Glen Affric.

The forest of Glen Affric is preserved and allowed to grow like the ancient Caledonian forest used to be before farming, loss of predators, large numbers of deer, grazing sheep and commercial exploitation reduced its biodiversity. The UK is so bio-depleted.

In this 'Celtic Rainforest' the sun appeared briefly. A young woman stopped to remove her waterproofs and revealed a T-shirt featuring a portrait of a highland cow – like my logo. I remarked on the horns being slightly wrong, and showed her my An Turas flyer. She thought for a while and said, "This is a sign. I was conceived in Zambia. I have a Zambian name; today is my birthday. Can I take this leaflet?" She said she would look up Malakota and Hands at Work.

Friday was my final and longest day's walk, along the beautiful, broad flat valley (strath) of the River Glass. I was accompanied and encouraged by Jane and Alan from the Hands at Work Partnership of Turning Point Church in Forres, near Inverness. Our conversations and views of this gentler landscape kept me going. When we reached the fish & chip shop in Beauly – the 'Friary' near the Priory – there was a small crowd of Hands at Work UK family. I went to the tidal estuary of the River Beauly but couldn't dip my feet in.

I thank all who have donated, my support team, members of the Hands at Work family who have advised and encouraged me, and any of you who have spoken to others about Malakota and the work of Hands at Work.

I am also so thankful for the great, free gift of God's wonderful, dangerous Creation, and for the luxury in the freedom, the privilege and the means I have to choose to explore and enjoy it. As I walked, I reflected on those I pray will benefit from the donations, who have very little choice or opportunity to enjoy the beauty that surrounds them.

George Green.

The justgiving page will stay open for a while for those who like to see the challenge completed before they donate. Please read the story and the updates on the page.

justgiving.com/page/george-green1

www.handsatwork.org

Fundraising for Hands at Work in Africa in The Netherlands

Gerrit den Hartog, from a Hands at Work partnership in the Netherlands, shares about a great annual fundraising activity:

“Throughout the year we collected used books, sorted through them and ensured that they were in good condition. Then, at the beginning of the summer, we organised a book sale in Leerdam, continuing an annual tradition that has become a highlight in our community.

Each book is priced at 1 Euro. With the summer holidays approaching, many people are keen to stock up on affordable reading material for their upcoming trips, so the timing works really well.

Over two weeks, we sold an incredible 5,000 books, raising an equal amount in Euros for our foundation, Stichting African Hands. This initiative directly supports the work of Hands at Work in Africa. It is great to know that through this effort we are contributing to the support of vulnerable communities in Africa.”

The Bentleys in Zambia

Lesley and John Bentley share about their recent visit to communities in Zambia:

“We stayed at Kachele for the first week, where we visited the communities of Chilabula, Maposa, Mount Moriah and Amlew. In the second week we were based in Kabwe and went to Malakota A, B and C, where no team from a Partner has visited for three years. The joy was all the greater for us as visitors and for the Care Workers, Primary Caregivers and children. As with all who visit, we came back with a kaleidoscope of images, memories, sights and sounds, but there are three images we would like to share.

The first picture is two old fellas, separated by culture, hemisphere and experiences, but united in Christ and talking and praying with a single voice. Stephen has been involved with the Care Points at Malakota from the beginning, first in local work to feed orphans and vulnerable children and then in forming the partnership with Hands at Work. 

The second image is the Sergio Leone classic spaghetti western. Blue sky, flat brown landscape, wind blowing the dust as we finally arrive at the distant Care Point. These Care Points are indeed a long way from the tar road; the country is in drought and crops are failing but the persistence and determination of the Care Workers shines out in the darkness. We were able to worship together, to sit in the Care Point under a tree and to share words of truth and encouragement.

The third image is that of graduation. Pertinent in view of Lesley’s PhD graduation in October, but also a healthy image of growth and maturity. Malakota A and B are expected to graduate in two years’ time and, like a child leaving home, the community will be able to stand alone, supported by links built up with local churches and communities. That is right and proper, and creates capacity to go further from the tar road and begin to work with other communities, bringing God’s love and hope wrapped up in the three essential services of food, education and health care.

We were fortunate to visit a small church near Malakota A and B, where links are being made to foster support. We will leave you with this image. Clint Eastwood riding out of town, old generator rattling away, big loud speakers, mixer amp with all the overdrive warning lights flashing, a young vocalist with the presence of a young Smokey Robinson. This was no tears of a clown but a powerful praising of a powerful God.”

John and Lesley also celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary whilst in Zambia – many congratulations to them!

An Turas - A Trek for Malakota

George Green shares,

“I am walking for the children and Care Workers of Malakota, a rural community in Zambia.

I have been an advocate and volunteer for Hands at Work in Africa for twenty years. Hands at Work has Community Based Organisations in eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa, ensuring three essential services for orphaned and vulnerable children: food, education and basic health care.

Unforeseen crises have increasingly affected our communities - drought, cyclone, armed conflict (in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and threaten to take funds which are needed for our regular feeding programmes.

I have been interested in the historic cattle drovers; routes through the Highlands and intend to walk from Calf Rock, (where cattle would swim across Kylerhea, Isle of Skye) to Beauly near Inverness, via river valleys which cut through the highlands. My logo, An Turas; the Journey, reflects this.

I enjoy walking, and don’t really like asking people to pay me to enjoy myself, but this five-day walk really is a challenge to me. I am 78 - on the outside. Please donate generously for the children of Malakota, and for a secure and resilient community.”

You can donate on George’s JustGiving page.

A Piece of Cake

A bake sale is a great way to raise funds and awareness for Hands at Work, as shown here by the team from Woodlands Church in Bristol, who will be heading out to visit their partner community, Houtbos (which aptly translates to Wood Forest) in South Africa, later this month.

With delicious treats-a-plenty, the team set up their stall between two Sunday services. By the end, every cake had been sold, raising over £2,000!

The team has also been holding Home Group chilli nights, an Easter egg hunt and a quiz night. Not only have these been great opportunities to fundraise and have a lot of fun, but they’ve also been places to spread the word of Hands at Work and advocate for the children supported through the partnership.

If you have a fundraising story to share, please email info@uk.handsatwork.org.

Pumpkin Fundraising

We wanted to let you know about a creative fundraising idea our friends over in Hands at Work Germany have had.

This year they are running a Pumpkin Challenge in the city of Winsen in Germany, where there are many Hands at Work supporters.

For 10 Euros, participants will buy a pack of Gem Squash seeds – a variety eaten at some of the Care Points – and plant them on the same day, 25th May.

All the proceeds from the sale of the seeds will go towards supporting the children at the partnered Care Points for the three essential services of food, access to healthcare and schooling.

Seeds can be purchased from a stall at a flower market or at the church parish office. The pumpkins take around four months to harvest and have a dark green shell and nutty taste.

The challenge will culminate with an event at a community market on the 6th October where participants are invited to bring their produce and the five biggest, five heaviest and five prettiest pumpkins will be announced!

Not only is it a fun activity but it’s also a great opportunity to start conversations about Hands at Work and to tell the stories of the children and families supported by the partnership.

We wish all the participants good luck with their pumpkin growing!

You can follow along with the challenge on the Hands at Work Germany Instagram page @handsatwork_germany

We’d love to hear about your Hands at Work fundraising activities: info@uk.handsatwork.org