THE STORY BEHIND H4ZP

My name is Billy Cedeno. In March 2016, I spent a few days working as a volunteer teaching basic subjects such as math and English to the children in the slums of New Delhi, India. Although India has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, this fact can hardly be noticed in the streets of its slums. The prosperity of gaining business from companies around the world is not fairly distributed among its population of nearly 1.3 billion people. The people I had the opportunity to meet and help are people who live in a country where promises have been made but not kept. 

During my experience in India, I learned that help beyond the government’s reach is necessary, and the help is needed fast. India’s population is increasing at an alarming rate. The United Nations predicts that India will surpass China in 2022 as the most populous country in the world. As the population continues to grow and the issues with wealth distribution are not addressed, more and more families will join the population living below the poverty line as defined by the World Bank. To fight poverty in India, a sustainable solution is required. Through my experience I have learned that education is an essential tool necessary to build a sustainable society. Unfortunately, a large amount of children in India around and the world do not have access to education. 

My experience in India was very impactful, it changed my life. I decided to dedicate myself to build an organization with the goal of eradicating poverty. An organization known today as Hands 4 Zero Poverty. 

Ironically Hands 4 Zero Poverty was a concept which started many years prior to my experience in India. Hands 4 Zero Poverty was a concept my brother and I created in Bangkok, Thailand in 2013. We could not bear to see people doing what ever was possible to survive and still manage to have a smile on their faces. We thought, what can we do to bring opportunities to these people?

Hands 4 Zero Poverty continues to be a concept however, it is now a team of people who care, people who want to join a fight against poverty. To make this concept greater we need people like you. American author, political activist, and lecturer Helen Adams Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” 

One major thing I learned during my experience in India is that everything counts, not matter how small.  Sometimes helping simply means being there, listening to the people, and giving them the attention they deserve. Join in the fight against poverty. 

In April of 2018 Hands 4 Zero Poverty became an official registered nonprofit organization in the state of Washington, United States. This is a major step towards our goal of expending our reach and service to the people in need.

Although Hands 4 Zero Poverty started as a one person team, today it is a team of dedicated people with the focus of helping those in need. We are a team who continues to grow. Please join us in our flight against poverty.

Imagine living in a world where everyone has easy access to health care and education. Imagine living in a world where everyone is equal. Where poverty does not exist. Where there is more food than hungry people. Where wealth is distributed fairly among the population. We can have this world if we all contribute to it. Small things are big when we all come together, join the H4ZP team in the fight against poverty.