Open Hand’s work makes a sustainable impact on three fronts, all of which are keys to stopping disproportionate loss of cultural heritage. First, we build partnerships that engage communities to protect and share their culture. Second, by assisting with immediate necessities such as clean water we ensure that community members can focus on their cultural resources. Third, by focusing on education and communication we create an environment of awareness that helps restrict cultural heritage destruction from continuing.

Our collaborative efforts serve thousands of people in each partner community. For example, in the Bolivian village of Chipaya, our water project will permanently sustain more than 2,000 people with clean water, where none exists. Every dollar donated supplies one community member with clean water for a full year. At Umm el-Jimal, Jordan, completing heritage center will bring a positive economic impact of over 500 visitors annually to the modern community, while restoring the town's ancient water system will provide supplementary water for 6,000 people and 15,000 animals. Moreover, our online virtual museum projects will educate thousands of visitors each year—from around the world.

We're also measuring our impact directly in the lives of individuals. As one project volunteer wrote in a survey about our recent work at Umm el-Jimal, "I want to live in Jordan! I can't wait to come back. I think I have been challenged majorly on my views of the Middle East....There is nothing I can say to explain how wonderful of an experience this has been." Or, as local resident Muaffaq Hazza put it, restoring water to his area means that "life will again return to Umm el-Jimal." In short, our projects aren’t just about empowering host communities, opening financial channels that improve economic stability, and increasing cultural literacy: They improve quality of life.