Our History
Edith and I have spent most of our lives involved in missions. Part of our mission experience was spending a year in rural Haiti. Through our years of mission experience, we have become committed to indigenous principles and have seen the long-term effects of mission aid pro- grams which create a debilitating dependency.
We realized that a church where 50% or more of the congregation is unemployed would never be a self-supporting indigenous church. It will always be dependent on outside funds. We recognized the need for economic development as well as theological teaching.
The vision for a Savings Group program started in 2007. We started with a small program in Haiti with about 12 savings groups which now has become more widespread and larger than what we had originally envisioned. This is a result of God’s blessing and guidance, a faithful staff team who have committed themselves to the work, and financial and prayer supporters who have made it possible to carry on the work.
Now Open Hands stands on the verge of new growth and possibilities. With a full-time administrator and a solid, experienced leadership team, the organization is poised to respond to more of the opportunities that exist. The Open Hands story is not finished; it is moving on to an exciting new chapter.
– Merle Burkholder, founder, staff pastor
Open Hands Timeline
2007
Merle Burkholder, then on the board of Anabaptist Financial, began sensing a call for Anabaptists in North America to extend support beyond their borders. His growing burden for the global Anabaptist community led him to explore sustainable development approaches for the developing world.
2009
With a valuable partnership through HOPE International, Open Hands launched its first program in Haiti. Lyndon Swarey relocated to Cadiac, Haiti to support the work. Walcus Vital and Johnson Jeudy became the first facilitators of the program.
2011
Open Hands expanded to Asia, marking the beginning of what would become hundreds of savings groups across the region. Meanwhile, the Haiti program continued to grow in both scope and impact.
2013
The first African program was launched in Kenya, in partnership with Amish Mennonite Aid. Amata Thomas and Ken Goli served as the initial facilitators. Both have since risen into key leadership roles—Amata now serves as Africa Regional Director, and Ken continues in a pivotal role within the Kenya program.
2014
Open Hands officially registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, becoming independent from Anabaptist Financial. The Joe Kuepfer family joined the organization, with Joe taking a short-term assignment as liaison in Haiti.
2015
Programs began in Latin America through partnerships with Mennonite Air Missions (Guatemala) and Amish Mennonite Aid (El Salvador). Darin Hershberger initially oversaw the work remotely before moving to El Salvador. Joe Kuepfer and his family moved to Kenya to help expand the East Africa program.
2017
Open Hands partnered with EQUIP to launch a new program in Nepal. That same year, Delvin Zimmerman joined the team to lead the Asia programs and serve as East Africa liaison. He was first based in Kenya and later relocated to Thailand.
2021
A new program launched in Thailand through a partnership with the Institute for Global Opportunities (Igo).
2022
Following a leadership transition, Merle Burkholder retired from his role as founder and leader of the organization. Joe Kuepfer stepped into the role of Executive Director, continuing the vision Merle had laid out. This year also saw the launch of a program in Colombia, which soon expanded into neighboring Venezuela.
2024
Open Hands crossed a major milestone: 2,000 savings groups and 40,000 members. We also cast a 10-year vision—to grow to 20,000 savings groups, expand into 6 new developing countries, and measurably deepen our spiritual, relational, and financial impact.
This year also saw the launch of a new program in Ghana, marking our fifth country in Africa.
At the same time, Open Hands expanded its head office team and strengthened its organizational capacity to support continued growth.
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