Our Mission

“Hand & Heart is a Non-Profit Organization dedicated to mobilizing resources and support for individuals and communities that are unable to fully prosper due to illness, disability, inequality, injustice and the violation of their human rights.  We do this by empowering and supporting individuals in these communities who have dreams for making change in their communities.  H&H believes in always taking a proactive, rather than a reactive approach towards minimizing our world’s problems.  Proactive in that we believe in taking a bottom-up approach, where both the research and action plan creation has to originate and be driven by the people experiencing the problems. We realize however, that the infrastructure needed to support changemakers is very weak and almost non-existent in certain parts of the world.  H&H wishes to strengthen this global infrastructure for changemaking.  We want to address the correlation that exists between poverty and dependency by enabling individuals and communities to stand on their own feet and take charge of their own well-being. Our hope is that all individuals, regardless of their geographic location, socio-economic class and background, can someday be equality free to dream and pursue that which they wish to be in life. And lastly, to always, throughout our existence and mission, stay in touch with our underlying vision of compassionately empowering hands, and in the process touching hearts.”

-Nandie Oosthuizen, Founder & Executive Director

Founding Quotations

“Give a man to fish and you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

-Chinese Proverb

“If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come here because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”

-Lilla Watson, Aboriginal educator, Brisbane, Australia

A Song of Thanks by the Kids at Botshabelo AIDS Orphanage, South Africa!