Hand of Hope Outreach

In my experience, as I have sought donations of physical items from people, I have found that most people have a lot of things in their possession that could help the poor, but they just do not think about it, are busy, or do not recognize how valuable what they take for granted could be to someone else. However, most are willing to donate what they have when asked.

My goal is to encourage people to minimize, declutter more, and give more as a result! 

Unfortunately, we are living in a very fast-paced, self-focused, and materialistic society where very few people, including Christians, consciously consider the needs of the poor as their responsibility anymore, which is sad.

As a Christian, I am concerned about the extent to which materialism has so consumed the church that Christians have adopted an attitude of covetousness, luxury, individuality, and worldliness that was not known in the early church.

The book of Acts in the Bible tells us this of the early Christians: "Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all, as anyone had need (Acts 2:45)," and "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common (Acts 4:32)."

Apostle Paul also set an example with his life, saying, "I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35

In one of the longest parables in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus revealed his displeasure with Christians who do not help others and identified himself with the forgotten and forsaken sick, poor, needy, and naked:

"Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me." Matthew 25:44-46

When we realize that the little (even a cup of cold water) we give could mean the world to a poor person, we would go out of our way to give. I have seen what the littlest gesture, which for the normal person means nothing, like 17 dollars, could mean to the poor slum woman because it could be the rent she needs not to sleep out in the cold that night with her 6 children (true story).

“And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." James 1:27

All this is not meant to condemn you or make you feel bad, but to show you that you too, with your seeming little, can make a difference!

There are many opportunities to give, even when we do not have money. We can share a coat with someone when we have two (Luke 3:11).

Below are ways you can partner with us and be a hand of hope to your neighbor.

1. Physical Donations: Clothes, shoes, blankets, utensils, and any household items

Most families have a lot of clothes, shoes, books, and other household items they do not use. Some have even kept these things for decades. One of the best ways to train oneself to give is by living simply and also making a regular habit of giving out the things you do not need. If you have anything you have not used in more than a month, then it is not useful to you. To break free of materialism and the habit of hoarding, it is good to train ourselves to buy less and also give out what is in excess.

Some of the clothes I have gotten from donations have been sold by the very poor to make some extra income to feed their families.

Imagine what would happen if everyone decluttered their homes and gave out everything they sincerely know they do not need, including utensils, blankets, electronics, and so forth. Not only would these things help someone who cannot afford them, but they can also be sold by the poor cheaply to make some money to meet their basic needs.

Selling used clothes is one way the poor can support themselves with a little help from our closets. Others can then thrift by buying cheap clothes from them.

Such seemingly small gestures can change a poor person's tomorrow. I interact with people who cannot even afford the next meal of 2 dollars or rent worth only 17 dollars (2,500 Kenyan shillings) or so, which is what most people spend on coffee or pizza on a weekend.

Let us be our brothers' keepers and ask the Lord to open our eyes to the needs around us.

Consider donating what you do not need. I am available to arrange pickup if within Nairobi, and all you have to do is get the things together ready for pickup.  Contact me here.

2. Donate Bibles

Unfortunately, Bibles have become very expensive, which is unfortunate. In my search for cheap Bibles, I have found that the cheapest Bible I could find in Nairobi goes for between 800 and 1000 Kenya shillings, which is about $6-9.

Sadly, the common person cannot easily afford this, especially with the high poverty and unemployment rates in Kenya. Bibles have become a luxury. Most poor people also cannot afford smartphones or internet access (these are luxuries), and so they have no access to online Bibles either.

It is also next to impossible to find any church or organization giving out free bibles these days. But I know that many homes and individuals have spare bibles lying around.

Please consider donating used Bibles to this ministry, and we can use them to help new converts grow in their faith. Every Christian needs to have a Bible. Without the word of God, we cannot properly grow in our faith.

If you have bibles you can donate, please contact me for pickup.

3. Support a needy child with school fees.

If God has blessed you in a way that you can afford or commit yourself to pay the school fees for one needy child, this would be amazing. Most poor children do not finish their education because they cannot raise the school fees.

School fees in the government primary and secondary schools in Kenya are not expensive to the average man but are quite expensive to a poor person who is struggling to even put food on the table.

The annual cheapest school fee for one child in primary or high school in Kenya is approximately 600 USD.

Education is the way out for many of these poor kids who end up getting into drugs, crime, and early pregnancy and even become street children because they are not able to get a stable education.

Contact me if you can assist with this.

4. Donate Money

You can also donate money, which will be used for the above purposes of spreading the gospel and supporting the poor, orphans, widows, sick, prisoners, and needy through the provision of food, clothing, shelter, school fees, and other basic necessities.

You can use the secure PayPal donate button below! It allows you to give a one-time donation or a monthly donation.  Consider becoming a monthly partner.

You do not need a PayPal account to donate. The link allows you to donate using a debit or credit card too.

If you're a Kenyan or East African and would like to donate via MPESA, you can send your donation to +254720543384 and mention the purpose of the donation.

May God bless you for your generosity!