Vicky Wauterlek has transformed several African villages with her “green thumb.”
On June 17 and 18, Hands of Hope will host its 11th Annual Barrington Country Garden and Antique Faire:
- Tour the Gardens: 3 outstanding Barrington Hills Estates
- Shop the French Market: featuring 18 area merchants
- Insider Gardening Tips: from landscape artists and horticulturalists
- Find Bargains at the Avant Garden Shop: an upscale flea market
- Enjoy Fine Food: pastries by Ambrosia Euro American Patisserie, lunch by Egg Harbor Café
You can purchase tickets online. Hands of Hope uses 100% of its net proceeds to help women and children in Africa.
Vicky fully credits the 300 volunteers with the success of this annual fundraiser. “Compassion bridges division,” she explains. “Ultimately, it’s about a community reaching out to help another community in need.”
During a trip to Nigeria in 1999, Vicky turned her shock into action after meeting women and young girls physically impaired by early childhood marriages (as early as age 11) and subsequent pregnancies. Many of these child brides die during childbirth or face a lifetime of severe medical conditions since their bodies are not yet fully developed to deliver a baby. Vicky contacted friends and neighbors in the Barrington area, and together they formed Hands of Hope to help women and children in Africa. Proceeds from the first Barrington Country Garden and Antique Faire funded a hospital addition in Nigeria to provide the necessary surgery and medical care for these afflicted women.
This annual fund-raiser has enabled Hands of Hope to plant seeds of change throughout Africa. A few of the life-changing projects funded include:
- Digging wells for school children and communities in Uganda and Zambia,
- Building schools in Zambia and Uganda
- Supplementing emergency refugee support in Southern Sudan
- Providing microfinance loans to women in Zambia, Rwanda, and Burundi
Vicky has been amazed to see poverty-stricken communities in Africa transformed by empowering women with $50 microfinance loans to either start or expand viable businesses.
Here’s how YOU can help change lives in Africa:
Donate household items on the wish list.
Purchase Chicken and Goat Cards. $15 provides 12 chickens, and $40 buys a goat. These beautiful cards make perfect gifts to honor “the dad who has everything” on Father’s Day.
Join the Wildflower Society.
Encourage a local school to participate in Wells for Schools. Hands of Hope is trying to build 50 wells for 50 schools in Uganda. One well costs $12,000.
