About Andy Wilkinson

Bert Andrew Wilkinson, 67, is Chairman and President of Hand in Hand in Africa. He is a professional civil/petroleum engineer experienced in financial administration, human resources and geology. Now retired, Andy is living as a true "mountain man", engaged in hobbies such as fishing, woodworking, reading and traveling.

Wilkinson first traveled to Africa in 1995. In 2003, he left the oil and gas industry in the US to move to South Africa and join the fight against HIV/AIDS. As a missionary, he developed and implemented a project in under-developed, rural South Africa, where 30% of the population ages 14 and older are HIV positive. Wilkinson hired and trained Home Based Care Workers charged with identifying and assisting AIDS victims, arranged training for counselors of pre- and post-HIV/AIDS testing and taught abstinence-based education.

Upon registering the project with the South African government he received NPO (non-profit organization) status. He selected a staff and a South African board to govern them. Wilkinson returned to the US and began work with a new US board to assist HIV/AIDS related work in Africa.