“We cannot keep ignoring other people's suffering!” This is what several members of the Church of the Nazarene in Germany decided after visits in India and Mozambique, Haiti, Eastern Europe and the Cape Verde Islands. “We don't want to be talking only. What we have seen in these places has touched us deeply.”
They began to look for practical solutions. First they organized a few aid transports to Eastern Europe. But soon they had understood the main thing: a bag of food and a pair of shoes is not enough. Prompt help in emergency situations is necessary, but the mere distribution of relief items forces people into dependency. Long-term sustainable assistance is needed in order to really transform lives and give people a reason to hope.
As a result, Helping Hands as "Initiative for Development and Disaster Response" was established. Our mission: To practise Christ-like compassion by serving the poorest of the poor with integrity and professionalism and seeking long-term solutions; concentrating on those whom nobody else helps.
From the beginning there has been a strong emphasis on cooperation with local staff and local organizations. Thanks to the partnership with NCM International, the disaster relief and development organization affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene International, a network with thousands of local leaders and volunteers in more than 150 countries is available to Helping Hands. These local staff members are occasionally supported by foreign experts on site. Besides NCM International, Helping Hands cooperates with some well-known aid organizations such as World Vision, the Kindernothilfe and Bread for the World, as well as the German, Canadian and US government (see "partners").
Helping Hands continues to specialize in development and disaster response with long-term transformation. A strong emphasis is laid on holistic development for children, as for example through the sponsorship program. Helping Hands also organizes events and activities in Germany, such as the annual Christmas transport and aid transports, and engages in awareness raising through press releases and adult education in Germany, Europe and North America.
Helping Hands e.V. was registered as a charitable society with the Amtsgericht Gelnhausen on 27th February 1992 (VR 782); the registration was later transferred to the Amtsgericht Hanau (VR 3782).