Hands Across the Water

Our history
In 2004, countless Thai children were left alone and homeless by the Boxing Day tsunami.
 
Hands founder, former police forensic specialist Peter Baines, working with the tsunami disaster victim identification team, was deeply touched by the number of children left homeless and alone by the natural disaster. He was inspired to establish an organisation that could make a difference.
 
In late 2005, a team of committed individuals with the desire to help others formed Hands Across The Water.
 
Who we are
Hands Across the Water is a boutique Australian charity that gives at-risk Thai children and their communities a helping hand.
 
Our projects are tailored to meet local communities’ needs – for the long term. The work we do is focused on improving the lives of the kids and their communities today and in the future.
 
In our first 6 years, we’ve raised more than $7 million without spending a cent of donors’ money on administration or marketing.
 
What we do
Building our first orphanage, Baan Tharn Namchai In 2004, we initially supported 32 kids who had lost their parents and were
living in a tent at Baan Tharn Namchai (BTN) in Phang-Nga, a town on Thailand’s northern Andaman coast. The kids were left without food, shelter or support.
 
Hands, along with a number of equally committed supporters pooled their resources to build the first orphanage at Barn Tharn Namchai.
Our director, Khun Rotjana, led the centre. Baan Tharn Namchai was opened in August 2006. We added a girls-only building, in
January 2009.
 
Today, Baan Tharn Namchai is home to 74 children and 12 bouncing babies.
 
Hands today
We support hundreds of children in multiple locations across Thailand:
  • Baan Tharn Namchai
  • Home Hug Yasothon Centre
  • The New Life Project at Kanchanaburi
  • The New Life Project at Chumpon
  • Baan Nam Khem community centre and tsunami refuge
  • Chanthaburi Centre (PAMA House)
  • Chiang Mai Centre (coming soon)
  • We have centres and projects in northern Thailand outside Chiang Mai, in the west at Kanchanaburi, Yasothon in the north-east, outside of Surat Thani at Chumpon, several hundred kilometres south of Thailand’s capital, Bangkok and at Chanthaburi near the Cambodian border.
 
 

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OTHER WAYS TO HELP

Our history
In 2004, countless Thai children were left alone and homeless by the Boxing Day tsunami.
 
Hands founder, former police forensic specialist Peter Baines, working with the tsunami disaster victim identification team, was deeply touched by the number of children left homeless and alone by the natural disaster. He was inspired to establish an organisation that could make a difference.
 
In late 2005, a team of committed individuals with the desire to help others formed Hands Across The Water.
 
Who we are
Hands Across the Water is a boutique Australian charity that gives at-risk Thai children and their communities a helping hand.
 
Our projects are tailored to meet local communities’ needs – for the long term. The work we do is focused on improving the lives of the kids and their communities today and in the future.
 
In our first 6 years, we’ve raised more than $7 million without spending a cent of donors’ money on administration or marketing.
 
What we do
Building our first orphanage, Baan Tharn Namchai In 2004, we initially supported 32 kids who had lost their parents and were
living in a tent at Baan Tharn Namchai (BTN) in Phang-Nga, a town on Thailand’s northern Andaman coast. The kids were left without food, shelter or support.
 
Hands, along with a number of equally committed supporters pooled their resources to build the first orphanage at Barn Tharn Namchai.
Our director, Khun Rotjana, led the centre. Baan Tharn Namchai was opened in August 2006. We added a girls-only building, in
January 2009.
 
Today, Baan Tharn Namchai is home to 74 children and 12 bouncing babies.
 
Hands today
We support hundreds of children in multiple locations across Thailand:
  • Baan Tharn Namchai
  • Home Hug Yasothon Centre
  • The New Life Project at Kanchanaburi
  • The New Life Project at Chumpon
  • Baan Nam Khem community centre and tsunami refuge
  • Chanthaburi Centre (PAMA House)
  • Chiang Mai Centre (coming soon)
  • We have centres and projects in northern Thailand outside Chiang Mai, in the west at Kanchanaburi, Yasothon in the north-east, outside of Surat Thani at Chumpon, several hundred kilometres south of Thailand’s capital, Bangkok and at Chanthaburi near the Cambodian border.

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