Who We Are

Hands at Work in Africa (US) was born out of a desire to be a “prophetic voice” to the Church in the U.S., to challenge and encourage the Church to participate in God’s transforming work in Africa and to be transformed in this process.

In 2007 Lauren Lee, a stay-at-home mom, visited South Africa with her husband and three young children as part of a short-term team with her church in California.  She saw firsthand the devastation caused by poverty and HIV/AIDS and the compassionate response of local Christians who were following Jesus’ example—laying down their lives to care for the orphaned, the sick and the dying.  Lauren felt overwhelmed and unqualified to help, but in time, Lauren and others from her church not only helped register Hands at Work as a legal 501(c)(3) charity in the U.S., but also mobilized people to pray, send short-term missions teams and long-term volunteers, and raised funds to support more than 100 of the poorest children in the world.

Now Lauren and a small team of volunteers who have returned to the U.S. from Africa are working to build friendships with other churches in the U.S. who want to be a part of God’s transforming work in Africa.  Do you feel overwhelmed and unqualified?  Is God calling you to step out in faith to impact in the lives of the poor?  God can use you, too!

If you are interested in partnering with Hands at Work, we want to invite you to experience God’s love in a new way.  Come serve in the communities where we work in Africa.  Meet the local, ordinary heroes who are laying down their lives daily to care for the poor and the vulnerable.  But be forewarned—you will never be the same!

We would love to hear from you! 

What We Do

• We encourage a growing community of volunteers who have returned from Africa and want to live out God’s call to righteousness and justice in their homes and neighborhoods and raise awareness about what God is doing in Africa.

• We support the work in Africa by developing strong friendships with like-minded churches, individuals, and organizations.

• We empower churches and others to send teams and long-term volunteers to serve in Africa and be changed.

• We ensure good stewardship of financial resources.

Our Team

We are regular folks who have returned from Africa changed.  Many of us have given up paying jobs to serve the Church, the bride of Christ.  Our goals are to love each other and to love the people we serve.