HATW was started following the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. This mass of water destroyed communities, villages, homes and families. Peter, the founder of HATW, worked in Forensics during the aftermath and saw with his own eyes hundreds of children left on the streets, some having lost their entire family. He realized he couldn’t change the past, but he could change what happened next, so he set out to give these children a home and started HATW.
Although HATW initially cared for children devastated by the tsunami, today it cares for children struggling for different reasons. Some children have parents with HIV (or some have HIV themselves), some are working on the streets at the age of five, other kids simply don’t have a home or family. HATW’s mission is to give these children a safe loving home.

For 3 weeks in 2014, my mum, brother, meg and I were lucky enough to stay at one of the many homes Hands has set up for children across Thailand. We saw first-hand the ability of these homes to now provide so much love and support to children who came from nothing. The homes give these children/teenagers of all ages a family and an incredible support network of people. This means they can live a life of choice, no longer worrying about whether they have a roof over their head or food to eat.
Hands Across the Water currently care for 400+ children and have at least 7 projects (including five homes across Thailand, a nursery and a craft shop) and provide work to over 60 Thai people.

I cannot wait to fundraise for Hands Across the Water this year and am very excited to ride the 800k! We are/were hoping to ride across Thailand and into one of the homes to greet and children. Due to covid-19 this may look different, but we will still be riding the 800km none the less.

If you have read this far, thank you so much!
Hannah <3

Hannah Lewis