Tiny Hands International
Encyclopedia
Tiny Hands International (THI) is a Christian nonprofit organization
dedicated to helping orphaned and abandoned children and fighting sex trafficking in South Asia. Tiny Hands operates through national non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
in Nepal
, Bangladesh
, and India
.
Tiny Hands was established in 2005 and is based in Lincoln, Nebraska
.
Child Helpline- THI seeks to identify street children who have recently come to Kathmandu from the villages of Nepal and aims to return them to their families.
to the brothels of India for the purpose of sexual exploitation. An estimated 10,000-15,000 women are trafficked annually. The following is a list of current THI programs:
efforts in northern Bangladesh.
. He returned in 2004 where, after having been overwhelmed by the contrast of street children
to those children who he saw in local children's homes, he began collaborating with future Tiny Hands Nepal president Bishnu Parajuli . Initial projects included the establishment of small, family-like children's homes for orphaned and abandoned children, and a program aimed at identifying and liberating new street children.
Tiny Hands International was established as an umbrella organization to provide support to daughter non-governmental organization
s in poor developing countries, the first of which was Tiny Hands Nepal, which also began in 2005. In 2007 Tiny Hands expanded to the countries of Bangladesh and India.
Motivated by the desire to find "the greatest injustices", the leadership of Tiny Hands began work at the India-Nepal border in 2007 in an attempt to prevent some of the 10,000 Nepali women trafficking to India for the purpose of sexual exploitation from crossing the border.
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
dedicated to helping orphaned and abandoned children and fighting sex trafficking in South Asia. Tiny Hands operates through national non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Tiny Hands was established in 2005 and is based in Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
.
Mission statement
Tiny Hands is a Christian non-profit organization dedicated to empowering the church in the developing world to help the poor overcome poverty and become lights of the world. We are committed to fighting the greatest injustices in the world, and working towards relieving them however possible. We are particularly called to orphans, street children, and the victims of the sex-trafficking industry. We want to find those who are already doing the work, who are called and faithful, and help them do it in greater ways and with more efficiency. We do it all in obedience to, and for the glory of Jesus Christ.Children
Children's Homes- THI currently operates 12 family-like homes for orphaned or abandoned children, eight in Nepal, three in Bangladesh, and one in India.Child Helpline- THI seeks to identify street children who have recently come to Kathmandu from the villages of Nepal and aims to return them to their families.
Sex-Trafficking
Nepal is a source country for girls traffickedHuman trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
to the brothels of India for the purpose of sexual exploitation. An estimated 10,000-15,000 women are trafficked annually. The following is a list of current THI programs:
- Border Monitoring - Tiny Hands hires employees at sites along the Nepal-India border in order to inhibit the unlawful trafficking of women and minors to India. Local volunteer subcommittees oversee operations and aid in the care of intercepted girls.
- Transit Homes - Girls stopped at the borders stay temporarily in homes while an incident investigation takes place.
- After care - Princess Home in Kathmandu is dedicated to the rehabilitation of former sex workers.
- Awareness - Border staff and subcommittee members seek to spread awareness about trafficking among border communities.
Microcredit
THI is currently helping fund small microcreditMicrocredit
Microcredit is the extension of very small loans to those in poverty designed to spur entrepreneurship. These individuals lack collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional credit...
efforts in northern Bangladesh.
History
Tiny Hands was founded in 2005 by John Molineux. Molineux first visited Nepal in 2002 to volunteer with recent graduates of Taylor UniversityTaylor University
Taylor University is a private, interdenominational, evangelical Christian college located in Upland, Indiana. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest evangelical Christian colleges in America....
. He returned in 2004 where, after having been overwhelmed by the contrast of street children
Street children
A street child is a child who lives on the streets of a city, deprived of family care and protection. Most children on the streets are between the ages of about 5 and 17 years old.Street children live in junk boxes, parks or on the street itself...
to those children who he saw in local children's homes, he began collaborating with future Tiny Hands Nepal president Bishnu Parajuli . Initial projects included the establishment of small, family-like children's homes for orphaned and abandoned children, and a program aimed at identifying and liberating new street children.
Tiny Hands International was established as an umbrella organization to provide support to daughter non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s in poor developing countries, the first of which was Tiny Hands Nepal, which also began in 2005. In 2007 Tiny Hands expanded to the countries of Bangladesh and India.
Motivated by the desire to find "the greatest injustices", the leadership of Tiny Hands began work at the India-Nepal border in 2007 in an attempt to prevent some of the 10,000 Nepali women trafficking to India for the purpose of sexual exploitation from crossing the border.