HANDS INTERNATIONAL

What HANDS INTERNATIONAL does

HANDS International is a UK-registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Charity No. 1156471), headquartered at 483 Green Lanes, London N13 4BS, that functions as the international fundraising and coordination arm of the broader HANDS network, which originated with HANDS Pakistan in 1979. HANDS International UK was established in January 2014 and operates without a parent company, employing 48 staff in the UK to support a network of 6,300+ community-based organisation (CBO) partners across nine countries.

The organisation delivers integrated humanitarian and community-development programmes spanning healthcare (including a documented Ghana cataract-surgery camp delivered with Ashanti Development), education, water/sanitation (WASH), disaster management, shelter, and livelihood support. Documented reach includes 122,000+ shelter beneficiaries and 1.29 million livelihoods beneficiaries, with operational responses in displacement and conflict contexts including the Rohingya/Burma crisis and a 2025 Gaza emergency programme. Programme delivery is conducted through local CBO partners rather than large in-country staff, with the London HQ providing coordination, fundraising, and technical oversight.

Revenue (which is more accurately characterised as gross charitable income) is generated through institutional grants from donors including UKAID, Medico International, and Qatar Charity, foundation and corporate support including MCEC, and a substantial long tail of individual donations augmented by community-fundraising events tied to mosque networks and diaspora giving. Pricing/contract mechanics are donor-driven rather than commercial — institutional grants are project-funded, while individual giving is voluntary. The principal customer base is therefore donor and grant-maker constituencies rather than programme beneficiaries, who are the recipients rather than payers of services.

Name

HANDS INTERNATIONAL

Legal name

Health And Nutrition Development Society International

Website

https://handsinternational.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HANDS International is a UK-registered charity (CIO, established 2014) that runs integrated humanitarian and community-development programmes — healthcare, education, WASH, disaster relief, shelter, and livelihood support — across nine countries, delivered through 6,300+ CBO partners and reaching millions of beneficiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Humanitarian Aid and Community Development

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Emergency Livelihood Support (BPAGAAAJ), Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Emergency Shelter, NFIs & Winterization for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAG)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• Disaster relief programs
• Community development
• Refugee support services
• WASH water sanitation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations (Individual): Individual donors contribute funds through online donation platforms (NowDonate, PayPal, TotalGiving), bank transfers, and cheque donations. The charity advertises a 100% donation policy and accepts Zakat and Sadaqah contributions. One-off food baskets (£40), tube wells (£270), and general fund donations are offered.
2. Institutional Grants and Corporate/Foundation Funding: Grants from institutional donors including UK Aid (UKAID), UN Muslim Welfare, Life USA, Baitul Maal USA, Children In Need, Al Khair Foundation, and Medico International (€20,000 donated for Nepal earthquake). HANDS International also receives support from mosque congregations and community organisations.
3. Fundraising Events: Community fundraising events such as the Gaza Food Fair (raised £12,000+) and volunteer-led soup kitchens. The charity also facilitates corporate-matched giving and volunteer-driven campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HANDS International is a UK-registered humanitarian charity that delivers integrated community development programs across Healthcare, Education, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), Disaster Management, and Shelter & Livelihood, serving refugees, internally displaced people and under-served communities. Programs are implemented directly and through a network of more than 6,300 grassroots CBO partner organisations across nine countries/regions, funded primarily through individual donations, grants and sponsorships.

Product overview

HANDS International is a humanitarian charity organization offering an integrated development model comprising five core service areas: Healthcare, Education, WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene), Disaster Management, and Shelter & Livelihood. These services are delivered through grassroots partnerships with 6,300 organizations globally. The organization also runs specific project programs including HANDS 4 Rohingya refugee support, Gaza relief, Yemen Hope & Relief, UK-based homeless outreach, and education in emergencies initiatives in Nepal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HANDS 4 Rohingya (#H4R): A project of HANDS International focused on providing aid to Rohingya refugees, including education, water access (tube wells), fire emergency response, orphan support, and livelihood programs.
• Yemen Hope & Relief
• Support 4 Gaza

Products and services

• Healthcare programme Healthcare programs delivered to refugees, internally displaced persons and under-served communities across 9 countries/regions, delivered directly and through 6,300+ CBO partners.
• Education programme Education in emergencies and longer-term schooling delivered through Temporary Learning Centres and partner schools for displaced and refugee children across 9 countries/regions.
• WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) programme Provision of clean water, sanitation and hygiene services to communities in need through household filters (PAUL), community hand pumps and reverse osmosis plants across 9 countries/regions.
• Disaster Management programme Emergency disaster response operations delivering modular aid kits — food packs, hygiene kits, tarpaulins, tents and shelter materials — to affected populations.
• Shelter & Livelihood programme Shelter construction and livelihood support for refugees, internally displaced persons and under-served communities, combining emergency shelter with longer-term income-generation activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 122,953 low-cost flood-resistant shelters built; 6,887 villages/settlements rebuilt; livelihood programmes benefiting 1.29 million people
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• MCEC (Muslim Community & Education Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCEC (Palmers Green Mosque) is HANDS International's longest-standing and most significant strategic partner. MCEC co-funds and co-delivers projects across multiple countries including Calais vaccination clinics, Gaza food basket distributions, Greece refugee support, and UK homeless feeding programmes. MCEC trustees and congregation members provide volunteers, funding, and community reach.
• Hands Pakistan (Health And Nutrition Development Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHANDS Pakistan, founded in 1979, is the sister organisation and predecessor of HANDS International. It brings 45+ years of development experience and a network of local expertise. HANDS International builds on the 45-year experience of HANDS Pakistan. The two organisations collaborate on disaster responses (e.g., Nepal earthquake medical team sent by HANDS Pakistan under HANDS International coordination).
• Ashanti DevelopmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for free cataract surgery camp in Gyetiase, Ghana. Ashanti Development collaborated with HANDS International and MCEC to provide 501 free cataract surgeries, providing local community connections and operational support for the medical camp.
• ECCA (Environmental Conservation and Adaptation — Nepal)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECCA is the Nepalese implementing partner for HANDS International's education in emergencies response to the 2015 Nepal earthquake. Signed MoU with District Education Department Sindhupalchowk to establish 15 TLCs for 600 earthquake-affected children. ECCA receives TLC-related technical skills and training modules from HANDS International.
• Kathmandu Teaching Hospital / Rehabilitation Response / Ministry of Health (Nepal)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Nepalese government and institutional partners coordinating HANDS International's medical response team (including orthopaedic surgeons, doctors, anaesthetists, and paramedics) for the 2015 Nepal earthquake emergency surgical camps.
• ACS Egham International School (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK school partnered with HANDS International Nepal in 2016 on Project Nepal to address malnutrition in the Jana Bhawana community, providing funding for Nepalese staff, solar lamps, and winterisation kits for students.
• LSE (London School of Economics) — GIVE SocietymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLSE student Islamic society 'GIVE' partnered with HANDS International and MCEC to run soup kitchens for London's homeless, reaching 150+ beneficiaries per session. This partnership won the FOSIS Best Community Outreach Initiative Award 2018-19.
• Homeless Action in Barnet (HAB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK charity receiving donations of hundreds of good quality clothes from HANDS International. HAB provides day centre services, tenancy support, and health services to homeless individuals in Barnet.
• HART (Hazardous Area Response Team) — London Ambulance Service, IsleworthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour paramedics from HART volunteered with HANDS International for a humanitarian mission to Thessaloniki, Greece (January 2022), providing first aid training, safeguarding awareness, and major incident training to charity workers in refugee camps.
• Yemen Hope and Relief (YHR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYHR, founded by Ahmad Algohbary, is HANDS International's key partner for Yemen operations. YHR provides deep local knowledge and on-ground presence for identifying the most vulnerable families and distributing food baskets and winter blankets in Hajjah governorate, Yemen.
• Rohingya Christian Community in IndiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Rohingya Christian community in India to bring education to Rohingya children in a remote area of Rakhine State, Burma. Jointly constructed and operated the Taung Chaung Literacy Centre (TCLC) serving 65 students in 2022.
• Palmers Green MosquecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-organiser with HANDS International of the Gaza Food Fair which raised £12,000+ from the local community. Provides venue, volunteer network, and fundraising infrastructure for UK-based humanitarian campaigns.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Islamic Relief Worldwide: UK-headquartered Muslim humanitarian charity operating across emergency relief, WASH, healthcare, and livelihood programmes globally. Directly comparable in donor base, faith-based positioning, Zakat/Sadaqah focus, and multi-country operating model.
• Al-Khair Foundation: UK-based Muslim charity providing humanitarian relief, food aid, education, and healthcare internationally. Closely comparable faith-based positioning and UK Muslim donor base; also a listed financial partner of HANDS International.
• HANDS Pakistan: Sister organisation and predecessor of HANDS International, founded in 1979. Operates the same integrated community development model (healthcare, education, WASH, disaster management, shelter/livelihood) at much larger scale in Pakistan.
• Human Appeal: UK-based Muslim humanitarian charity with programmes in food security, WASH, healthcare, and emergency response across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Closely comparable in faith-based positioning, integrated service model, and country footprint.
• Penny Appeal: UK-headquartered Muslim charity delivering emergency relief, water projects, orphan sponsorship, and livelihood programmes. Comparable in small-ticket UK Muslim donor base, Zakat-driven fundraising, and emphasis on tangible unit-cost interventions (e.g., water wells, food packs).
• Muslim Aid: UK-registered Muslim humanitarian NGO delivering emergency relief, food security, and development programmes in crisis-affected countries. Overlaps directly with HANDS on donor base, charity positioning, refugee/displaced persons support, and UK Muslim community fundraising.

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children UK: UK-registered humanitarian NGO focused on children's rights, education in emergencies, healthcare, and disaster response. Comparable on Nepal EiE/Temporary Learning Centres work and on refugee/displaced children programming, though at significantly larger institutional scale.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): Global medical humanitarian organisation delivering emergency healthcare in conflict and disaster zones. Comparable in healthcare delivery to refugees and crisis-affected populations (e.g., Calais vaccination work), though at vastly larger scale and without faith-based positioning.
• Oxfam GB: Major UK-registered humanitarian and development NGO operating integrated programmes in WASH, livelihoods, education, and emergency response. Comparable integrated service model but at much larger scale and with a secular, mainstream donor base.
• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency): Mandated UN agency for refugee protection and assistance worldwide. Overlaps with HANDS on Rohingya, Gaza, Yemen, and Greek refugee operations; serves as both a potential coordination partner and a much larger incumbent in the same aid category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HANDSIntUK
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HANDSIntUK/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/handsinternationaluk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/health-and-nutrition-development-society-hands-international

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HANDS INTERNATIONAL