Dr. Prudy Barrett Nelson, Tom’s wife, talked about her and Tom’s 501 (c) (3) organization, “Helping Hands for Vulnerable Children (HHVC)” in Uganda. It is home to many refugees since countries at war surround it. Living situations are bleak, most houses are made of dirt and dung, AIDs is rampant, the average woman has five children, literacy is low, and malnutrition is high.
To initiate a positive change, Tom and Prudy opened an office in Kihiki in 2018, formed a Board of local leaders, and developed five social enterprises. With this start, they were able to send a few brilliant, but disadvantaged, children to boarding schools because public schools were of inferior quality.
They now have 34 kids at all levels of education. Because this is all very expensive, in 2022, they started their stateside, non-profit organization, HHVC, to support the work being done in Uganda.
Posted: August 28, 2025 by kiwanisjay
HHVC
Dr. Prudy Barrett Nelson, Tom’s wife, talked about her and Tom’s 501 (c) (3) organization, “Helping Hands for Vulnerable Children (HHVC)” in Uganda. It is home to many refugees since countries at war surround it. Living situations are bleak, most houses are made of dirt and dung, AIDs is rampant, the average woman has five children, literacy is low, and malnutrition is high.
To initiate a positive change, Tom and Prudy opened an office in Kihiki in 2018, formed a Board of local leaders, and developed five social enterprises. With this start, they were able to send a few brilliant, but disadvantaged, children to boarding schools because public schools were of inferior quality.
They now have 34 kids at all levels of education. Because this is all very expensive, in 2022, they started their stateside, non-profit organization, HHVC, to support the work being done in Uganda.
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Kiwanis Club of St. Joseph Benton Harbor
What is Kiwanis? We are an eclectic mix of ages, genders, occupations, backgrounds, and interests. We are all passionate about making our community and the world a better place for children so they can thrive.