• Karin, born in Sweden is the Founder and Executive Director of A Reaching Hand. She provides valuable insight into the scope and depth of the organization and is a passionate advocate for the work and its impact on the community. She ensures transparency and accountibility, including communicating oversight of its achievements and sustainable outcomes.  She fundraises in Sweden and in the USA where she lives.

  • Beverley joined A Reaching Hand in 2014. Her background and experience in Health Public Relations, Communication & Event Planning is a valuable asset to us. Her understanding of qualitative/quantitative research as well as facilitating of focus groups, helps us to manage a rather diverse and complex beneficiary base. Beverley’s community engagement experience covers urban and rural to deep rural and has worked across the race sector with both adults and learners.

    "I believe that all my past work and life experience has prepared me for this work. This is my purpose".

  • Nathalie has a Master of Science in Accounting and over five years of experience working with financial processes and auditing companies in various industries. She has been a member of the ARH Board of Directors since 2023.

  • Charlene is a qualified Social Worker with vast experience in community and rural development. She is the former Director of Development and Programme of A Reaching Hand i.e. from December 2011 to August 2021 and from 1979 to 2007 worked for the United Nation in Vienna.

  • Victoria is a community leader at heart. Her first thought is always for the welfare and wellbeing of children and women in need in her community. She has over the years taken care of many abandoned children, from babies to teenagers, including mentally and physically challenged persons. For her this work has always been a labor of love, caring for the needy and making sure that they attend school. In addition, she has raised four children of her own. She is a highly respected member of her community who is good at problem solving and mediation. She has been a great resource to A Reaching Hand over the many years, and is a remarkable and fearless woman who is still deeply and actively involved in youth upliftment and leadership through her church, encouraging them with perseverance to do more with their lives.

  • Louise has been involved with A Reaching Hand since the very beginning. She is one of our ambassadors who resides in Sweden but whose heart thrives every year when she visits South Africa, especially when she spends time with the children, taking them on outings to places they have never been due to poverty. She she is a very passionate and energetic fundraiser who gets all her friends and family involved, and does not take “no” for an answer her beautiful and radiant personality is appreciated by all who meet her.

  • Gabrielle, an industrial psychologist, is a founder member i.e. since its inception in 2010. As an avid supporter of the organization, she provides valuable insight where the aim is to improve organizational productivity by improving the lives of employees, and reducing work stress to avoid burnout. Ms Scott is a Change and Transformation Specialist with experience across a number of industries including retail, e-commerce, energy, financial services, professional services and public health care. Her primary focus is on change management and process design, communication and training for system implementations and performance improvement initiatives.

  • Håkan is a prominent retired wine and food writer/author in Sweden, His first encounter with A Reaching Hand was in 2007 when he met the founder, Karin Hoole, on a wine journey from Sweden to Cape Town, which he had organized. He immediately decided to sponsor the university education of a bright young man, Luxolo Ngundze. Through his work he passionately arranged over 200 fundraising events for the benefit of A Reaching Hand and now, as a retiree, i sa committed unofficial ambassador who avails of his time assisting with, interalia, translating newsletters and content into Swedish for the benefit of the hundreds of friends and sponsors of A Reaching Hand in Sweden.

  • Jesper is Danish and worked in the travel and airline industry for over 30 years. He loves problem­ solving and engaging with people from all walks of life. In Denmark he works as a volunteer at a shelter for the homeless, offering counseling and support where needed. Through his many visits to friends in Cape Town he got to know about the work of A Reaching Hand and immediately wanted to be involved. He loves what we do and is now an ambassador and enthusiastic fundraiser for A Reaching Hand in Denmark. He visits South Africa often "I am so happy to be a part of ARH who takes care of the kids, so they are safe while their parents are looking for work and prepare them for school and give them a better start in life. That is why I want to help out. My heart is here. It is very touching to see the work of ARH."

  • Katharina is a volunteer for A Reaching Hand, helping with technical support, website design, and strategy. When she is not volunteering for A Reaching Hand, she works as a Director of Engineering in the technology industry and together with her husband, raises their two kids, who also volunteer for A Reaching Hand. She can often be found running, biking, playing tennis, and/or traveling with family and friends.