ABOUT US: Our Mission
Compassionate Helping Hands is an organization based in Arusha, Tanzania.
Prior to its registration, its founders, who are lawyers by profession worked at aiding women and girls who could not afford a lawyer. They became aware of the regrettable state of affairs in which a majority of women and girls find themselves in due to having little or no access to legal representation, lack of knowledge of their own rights, community inflicted inferiority complex about women and economic limitations. They observed increasing human rights violations against women and girls across the country.Such violations included, but were not limited to: denial of women inheritance, female genital mutilation, desertion and abandonment of family by husbands, denial of girls’ access to education, rape, killings, and selection of suitors. We noticed a lack of women’s voice in the family and society, a lack of awareness of women and girls’ rights and lack of strong government policies and legal framework geared at empowering women and girls.
The founders decided to do something about this – they decided to set up an organization to curb these human rights violations by affording legal aid to disadvantaged women and girls – Compassionate Helping Hand was born!
Compassionate Helping Hands aims to empower women and children and as well as promote, reinforce and safeguard their rights.It is based on values of integrity and transparency – being true to one’s authentic self.
Compassionate Helping Hands advocates and works towards achieving the protection of women and children’s rights by striving to educate, influence, and challenge stereotypes and discrimination in order to help women and girls assert their rights.
Since inception the organization has thought big and responded boldly to a range of gender based issues. It has articulated and given visibility to issues concerning women and girls’ rights across Tanzania.
To achieve its mission Compassionate Helping Hands does not only work within communities but also works with a diverse number of stakeholders who serve as boundary partners in trying to accomplish its mission and programs in Tanzania. These include: government ministries, departments and agencies. Others are development partners, United Nations Agencies, Civil Society Organizations; Faith based organizations, research and training institutions. Another important group include: the media houses, networks, paralegals, human rights monitors, trade unions and the private sector.
Compassionate Helping Hands works across Tanzania, including in some remote areas of the country, raising awareness and providing resources to enable the citizens to re-imagine their communities and increase their ability to solve some of their problems amicably, without necessarily engaging in protracted legalities. Many have realized that they are custodians of their values and indeed are building more inclusive and caring communities.
Compassionate Helping Hands is growing as a leading human rights organization, human rights watch dog, pace setter, bold and serious organization as well as flag bearer of human rights in Tanzania. Its operations are focused all across the Tanzania mainland, but retains its principal base in Arusha.
