Dr. Inonge Lewanika, Zambian Ambassador to the United States visits the Hands of Hope leadership committee for a holiday luncheon.

Who We Are
Hands of Hope is a community of women helping women and children in crisis, with a current focus on Africa. In the late 1990s, Vicky Wauterlek founded the organization believing, “If women in our local community hear about how women and children are suffering, they will respond and want to do something about it.” Today, that something is a highly motivated group of Chicago area women who have built their grassroots efforts into ongoing, sustainable systems in the African countries of Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and most recently, Zambia.

Each and every day, millions of African women and children struggle to find enough food to stave off malnutrition, enough clean water to survive and medical services necessary to sustain minimal health. Faced with limited vocational and educational opportunities and the realities of abuse and war, they long for lives of health, prosperity and security for their families, their villages and their nations, values important to all of us.

To address these issues, we partner with not-for-profit organizations that have proven track records of success and sustainability. In addition, we work with African leaders such as Mrs. Janet Museveni, First Lady of Uganda, Dr. Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika, Zambian Ambassador to the United States and many committed, local African leaders. Together, we envision, create, manage and sustain projects to improve agriculture, economic development, education, health care and water.