Hands of Freedom seeks to be the light of Christ to those living in the darkness of poverty and guide them towards a spiritual, economic and social transformation.
Hands of Freedom is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization headquartered in Minnesota. Within India, Hands of Freedom employs a small and committed local staff that directs the community programs. The roles they fill include loan officers, community program directors and country directors. Hands of Freedom governs its operations through a U.S.-based board of directors.
Spiritual Transformation
We intentionally live out our faith in action meeting people at their point of need and demonstrating Christ’s love in a very practical way. We work with local Christian churches mobilizing members to work with the poor. We are setting up Hope Centers in the city slums in the western part of India. The Hope Centers will be a place where slum kids can play and learn and will also have a house of prayer and weekend worship services. A micro finance training center will be available where women, living below the poverty line, are taught business skills and helped to start their own businesses.
Economic Transformation
We are intentional about building the capacity of the poor to face life and lift themselves out of poverty. We believe economic transformation does not come by providing credit facilities alone. There also needs to be capacity building through training opportunities. The poor need to be able to help themselves get out of poverty. We believe in empowering them to achieve this through our mentoring program which includes a business curriculum where they are taught how to start and operate businesses.
Social Transformation
Our goal is to work the groups relegated to the bottom rung of society and help them transform their lives. The “Untouchables” or Dalit of India – are 160 million people suffering a form of racist, economic bondage. Comprising one-sixth the population of the largest nation on the planet, the Dalit are barred from equal access to schools, hospitals, courts, and the police. The Dalit cannot use common village wells or places of worship, cannot own land without restriction, or cannot even drink from cups used by other castes at corner tea stands. Millions live as slaves and thousands of Dalit girls are forced into prostitution each year. We intend to build up this community by providing educational opportunities especially to young women and providing them with training and mentoring to enable them to become an integral part of society.
