GIVING BACK
Future of Leadership is a social movement to bring about meaningful change in the lives of the children that we support through Hands Across the Water.
Hands Across the Water (Hands) is an Australian charity founded in 2005 by Peter Baines OAM following the Boxing Day Tsunami. Initially tasked with building a home for a local group of children left homeless and orphaned by the disaster, Hands has grown to now support seven operations and 350+ children throughout Thailand.
Education is at the core of the work that we do at Hands to ensure each and every child in our care lives a life of choice, rather than chance.
The right to education is one of the key principles underpinning the Education 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 4 adopted by the international community. Education is required to empower people with the knowledge, skills and values to live in dignity, build their lives and contribute to their societies.
At Hands our goal is to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all of our children because:
We believe that all children should have access to education.
We believe that all children deserve the chance to build a future full of possibilities, opportunities and dreams.
We believe that by providing the right support and guidance, that our kids can flourish regardless of the cards that life has dealt them.
Hands provides safe homes, employment, skills training and educational pathways, to help the children in our care rewrite their own story. We open the door for individual growth and healing for the broader communities and future generations.
Our kids can pursue alternative pathways to a better future once they have completed school, including traineeships in our homes or sewing facility or attending university.
We pride ourselves on the fact that 100%* of donations goes directly to support the children with not one cent spent on administration or marketing. This is made possible through our social enterprise – Hands Group – through the delivery of leadership, education and travel experiences. Profits from events such as Future of Leadership fund the running of Hands Group including all marketing and administration for the charity.
Future of Leadership is about educating our business leaders of today and tomorrow. Hands Across the Water is about educating our children to be the leaders of tomorrow. Together, we can bring about meaningful change.
You can find out more about the work we do at www.handsacrossthewater.org.au
*In 2021, the Board of Hands Across the Water resolved that as a direct result of the impact of Covid 19 that a small percentage of charity funds will temporarily be used to support Hands Group, therein ensuring the survival of the charity during these challenging times that have been forced upon us. Arriving at this decision the Board considered all alternatives and consulted with external stakeholders prior to arriving at our position. The agreed position is that 10% of income generated by the Charity for 2021 and 2022, will be used to sustain Hands Group. We do not propose this to be indefinite with a desire to return to Hands Group being self-sufficient once again by 2024.