What Makes Us Distinct – Hand In Hand
About Hand in Hand

Who We Are, Why We Serve,and what we believe.

Faith-driven. Donor-accountable. Built on a decade of quiet service — not campaigns, but presence. Here is what makes Hand in Hand different.

A sponsored child at Miriam School — Hand in Hand
Josh Komanapalli and his family arriving in India, 2011
The Person Behind It

Hand in Hand didn't start with a strategy. It started with a calling.

Our founder gave up a comfortable life to move to India and serve those everyone else walked past. That decision — quiet, costly, and faithful — is still the heartbeat of everything we do today.

Meet Our Founder →
15+ Years of Showing Up

One yes became thousands of lives.

Children sponsored
1,500+
free education & care
Eye surgeries performed
6,000+
sight restored free of charge
Leprosy patients
300+
receiving full-time free care
Your dollar reaching the field
80%
of every dollar donated

Not a Program. A Presence.

We Stayed

15+ years on the ground in India — not flying in for a project or funding from a distance. Our founder and his family were neighbors to the people they served, sharing meals and knowing people by name.

Always Free

Every service Hand in Hand provides — medical care, leprosy treatment, education, eye surgeries — is completely free. No sliding scale. No eligibility criteria. No one turned away.

Faith, Not Formula

Every decision is guided by one question: what does love require here? Not what's scalable or fundable — but what does this person in front of us actually need?

We Serve the Forgotten

Leprosy patients. HIV-positive orphans. Tribal children with no school. We go where stigma keeps others away — because that's exactly where Christ went.


"Her parents had died of HIV. She was HIV-positive herself, and had nowhere to go. A grandfather walked a long way carrying one question: Is there anyone who will take care of my granddaughter? Josh said yes. Pallavi later completed her bachelor's degree, moved to the city, found work, and built a life. She didn't just survive the cycle she was born into. She stepped out of it entirely."

Josh with Pallavi and her grandparents — where it all began
Josh with Pallavi and her grandparents — the moment that started everything.
Then
Pallavi — When She First Came to Us
Now
Pallavi — Her Story Today

Pallavi was the first. She was a young girl, HIV-positive and orphaned, brought to Hand in Hand by a grandfather who had walked a long way with nowhere left to turn. Josh said yes. A home opened. Then fifteen more HIV-positive children came to live alongside her — fed, loved, educated, and given something most of them had never had: a future.

Years later, Pallavi holds a bachelor's degree. She lives in the city, works, and has built her own life. What began with one man's obedience and one grandfather's desperate hope became proof of what this organization stands for — not charity, but transformation. Not aid, but presence that stays until something permanent takes root.

Pallavi's story is why we exist. Every child we sponsor, every eye surgery we fund, every leprosy patient we care for — it all traces back to that first yes. Your gift continues this chain of faithfulness.


At Hand in Hand, our purpose is not built on programs — it is built on presence. We believe service begins by seeing people not through the lens of their poverty or pain, but through the truth that every life carries God-given worth.
— Josh Komanapalli, Founder

Our Purpose, Our Promise

Our Mission

To extend Christ's love by providing care, education, and dignity to those in need — empowering them to live with hope and purpose.

Our Vision

To break the cycle of poverty through Christian education and love that doesn't judge but stays — for as long as it takes.

Child Centered. Future Focused.

At Hand in Hand, we believe lasting change begins with one child. When you sponsor a child, you are not just giving financial support — you are becoming part of their story, helping unlock hidden potential and restore a sense of worth.

We take a holistic approach, blending education, nutrition, healthcare, emotional guidance, and life skills into one continuous, nurturing path. Because a child's challenges are never one-dimensional, neither is our support. Every child is seen, heard, and supported so they do not just survive another day — they thrive and begin to dream again.

Happy children walking through the corridors of Miriam School

The Challenges Without Support

  • Children forced to drop out of school to work or care for their families.
  • Malnutrition and poor health that hinder cognitive development and attendance.
  • Stigma around leprosy and HIV that excludes entire families from community life.
  • No access to healthcare, leaving preventable conditions like cataracts unchecked.
  • Dreams stifled as the cycle of poverty continues from one generation to the next.

Your Questions, Answered with Heart

We provide Christian education, long-term care for leprosy and HIV-affected individuals, daily meals, shelter, and medical aid to the underserved across India. Our programs are tailored to bring dignity and stability — free of charge, always.
Yes. 80 cents of every dollar goes directly to fieldwork and beneficiaries. We share regular updates and real stories — like Pallavi's — so you see the difference you're making, not just a number on a report.
You can sponsor through our website. Once you begin, you will receive updates, letters, and photos. It is a personal, ongoing connection — not just a one-time gift. You become part of their story.
Yes. Services such as education, eye surgeries, and care for leprosy patients are provided completely free to beneficiaries, funded entirely through donations and sponsorships from people like you.
Yes. We are a Christ-centered nonprofit. Our faith shapes how we serve — with dignity, without condition, and with a commitment to stay. We serve all people regardless of their background or belief.

Walk With Us. Change a Life.

Whether you sponsor a child, fund an eye surgery, or support a leprosy patient — your gift is not a transaction. It is a relationship. And it changes everything for someone who has been waiting to be seen.