A predictable budget will help us focus on our work and minimize the time we are pulled away to fundraise

Giving

Thank you for spending some time exploring our site, reading our thoughts, and praying with us. As volunteers our expenses are met by God through generous partners like you and from our own savings in preparation for this trip.

Your contributions to our budget through the Hands at Work organization are tax deductible, and go toward meeting our needs while we are serving in Africa. If God has already impressed upon you how much to give, you can use the link here to make that contribution at any time. If not, we invite you to consider a monthly partnership. A predictable budget will help us focus on our work and minimize the time we are pulled away to fundraise.

If you are not sure how much you want to give at this time, please consider sponsoring one of our needs listed below. Most of the giving is set up for a one time gift, but the option to commit to monthly giving is just a checked box above the amount you choose.

If the processing fee on the fundraise site makes you hesitate from giving this route, you're welcome to write a check to the following address and put our names (McKinley Family) in the memo line. The check will not be subject to a processing fee.

Hands at Work in Africa

12935 Alcosta Blvd, #1066

San Ramon, CA 94583

Where the Giving Goes

We love pie, so here's the pie chart of what expenses we are expecting to have when in South Africa. Give the gift of one month's expenses covered for our family here

Transportation

An item overlooked during our initial planning, transportation is a considerable expense. Fuel is as expensive or more than back home, and it's 40 kilometers round trip, twice a day to get the kids to and from school. Help us with our monthly fuel and maintenance costs here or for a year here.

Computers

Hands at Work does an excellent job of directing the most funds to actually meeting the physical needs of the children and caregivers in each community. As such, they ask all volunteers (that's us) to provide their own computers. We added this to our budget in case one of us needs to replace a computer (Eric's is from 2015) or purchase a peripheral device (Ashley often is balancing budgets on three spreadsheets on her tiny 13" screen). You can help us monthly or give a one-time gift.

Plane tickets GOAL MET!

One of our biggest expenses will be the airfare to and from South Africa. We've budgeted $920 per month with the idea that multiplying that number by 12 (months) and then dividing it by 5 (members of our family) would be the cost over the course of one year for us to travel both ways to and from South Africa. This expenditure is not projected to cover the cost of a vehicle once we are in South Africa nor the fuel or insurance to operate one when we arrive. This expense is solely for the cost of plane tickets. Give the gift of airfare for the entire family to and from here. Give the gift of one roundtrip ticket here.

Phones

While we have found a more affordable carrier in South Africa, we recognize the need for high quality communication with you across the globe and with each other within Africa. As I'm sure you are also accustomed to, our phones will continue to be our main resource for communicating, navigating, creating sharable content, and as our backup mini-computers for managing numerous other aspects of our lives. Thank you for considering giving us the gift of cell phone coverage monthly or annually.

Tuition for school GOAL MET!

If you look at our chart you may wonder why this expenses is so large compared to the others. Where we live, this is the only school which uses English as the primary instruction language. While the kids have classes on Afrikaans and Zulu, they're not at the place where they can learn math in another language. We are blessed with the provision of tuition funds from our church, Grace Alameda. We still appreciate assistance with all the additional expenses such as uniforms, pencils, Afrikaans tutoring, and school trips. You can support these expenses monthly.

Housing GOAL MET!

We are living in a house within the compound of the Hands at Work Hub in South Africa. While the rent for this dwelling is not expensive compared to many American prices, it is still one of the most important expenses for our family while we are giving our time to serve communities throughout Africa. This number includes maintenance expenses like cleaning and laundry supplies and minor repairs to the home while we are here. Give the gift of one month's housing expenses here. Give rent for an entire year here.

Food GOAL MET!

Our little model Zac here is showcasing some of our favorite veggies from back in Alameda. We have discovered that these staples are also regularly available at our local grocery store here in Mpumalanga, South Africa. We're aiming to meet our grocery needs within the $500 listed above each month. Give the gift of one month of groceries here or the gift of a week of groceries here.

Insurance GOAL MET!

This is a non-glamourous expense that we hope to not need, but we are counting the cost and trying to be wise with the resources that are available to us. Please consider giving to our insurance needs by giving the gift of insurance coverage for one month for our entire family here or for a year here.

Treats, Day Trips, and Unexpected Pot Holes

We have labelled our miscellaneous budget for those unplanned moments that we have not yet come across. We always hope they will be sweet treats like this, but in reality this budget also turns into fixing flat tires, expanding our grocery budget, or fueling up the car for a weekend of exploration. We are so grateful for your help in making our trip possible and we thank you for your contribution of any amount here.