Hand in Hand International is part of the Hand in Hand Network: 8 CEOs and 8 independent boards in 8 countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
Their international office, based in London, fundraises, measures impact and shares knowledge so community based network members can focus on supporting locally every day. The international office lead the programmes; they provide the tools.
They envision a world where everyone has the means and power to shape the future they want. They equip under-served women to earn more money, ignite local economies and lift nations out of poverty– proving that when women win, everyone wins.
The women who partner with them have the energy and ideas to shape the future they want. But often they lack the tools to make it happen.
Their role is simple: equip under-served women with the skills and resources to earn more money. The Hand in Hand model does just that.
The Hand-in-Hand Model: Developed over twenty-years, their step-by-step model equips women long-term. With 10 million women earning more already, its proven success is ready to scale even further.
Hand In Hand was founded on this knowledge. Women have the energy and ideas to shape their future. They just need the skills and resources to make it happen.
Starting as a local movement in Tamil Nadu, India, founded by Dr Kalpana Sankar and Percy Barnevik, they're now 8 CEOs and 8 independent boards in 8 countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
First developed in India, this step-by-step model equips women long-term. Business training, credit access and market connections – like entering national or international value chains – mean people can earn more money. Self-help groups and savings circles mean communities can withstand shocks like medical bills or housing repairs. Gender equity training helps husbands see their wives as money-makers and decision makers – equal partners contributing to their families’ prosperity.
They work with communities to challenge social attitudes that hold women back
The tools that ignite economies
VISION: A world where everyone has the means and the power to shape the future they want
MISSION: Every day they equip under-served women with skills and resources to earn more money, ignite local economies and lift nations out of poverty
CHALLENGE: The global poverty problem. Worldwide, around 10% of women – 400 million – live trapped below the poverty line of just $2.15 a day. In East Africa, India, Afghanistan and many other regions, women dream of shaping the future they want but cultural norms and systemic barriers hold them back. Many live in cultures with all domestic labour and childcare, while others yearn to start small businesses but lack access to the training, loans and resources needed to begin.
When women lose, everyone loses
When households are held back like this, a bad harvest, accident or illness can be catastrophic.
Families struggle to put food on the table or pay school travel, uniform or lesson costs. Urgent housing repairs go unfixed. Illnesses go untreated. Without enough money, they can’t afford the basics they need – basics many take for granted.
When women lose, everyone loses. Families, communities and even nations become trapped in cycles of poverty. But given the opportunity, women can break those cycles and shape the future they want.
Children stay in school as finances stabilise, readying the next generation. Attitudes evolve, accelerating social progress. Local expertise blossoms, creating more businesses, more jobs, more independence.
Hand in Hand’s impact continues to grow. With three people benefitting from every single woman that partners with them, our approach has equipped 10 million women so far. They want to reach 10 million by 2026. Then they want to collaborate with major funders and governments to multiply their impact beyond communities, beyond regions – proving that when women win, everyone wins.
