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Our holiday fundraising campaign begins now!Help us make a
difference in the lives of orphans in Accra, Ghana
There are over 53 million orphans inSub-Sahara Africa, with more
than 1.1million in Ghana alone.
Dreams for Orphans is a Seattle-based501(c)(3) and a Ghana NGO
that worksyear round to provide safe environmentsand educational
opportunities for those
that need them most.
With your help we've helped hundreds oforphans live a better
life. Our goal is tocontinue supporting infants and childrenwho
have been abandoned, abused,
whose mothers are incarcerated, requirelong-term hospitalization
or are sufferingfrom HIV/AIDS.
We are working with Osu Children'sHome to improve living
conditions andbring a warm, nurturing environment tothe children
who live there.
Today, we're more than half way to ourgoal of building a new
nursery full offresh, clean supplies and healthyopportunities.
Every donation made to this
campaignwill be matched!Thanks to a generous donor, your
dollarwill go further than ever before. Yousupport has a direct
impact on the infantand children we help - please considedonating
today. Every size donationcounts!
You can make a onetime, tax deductibledonation, or a recurring
monthly gift a
www.dreamsfororphans.org or by
mailing directly to our office.
Autumn2
012
Donate Online!
Visit our updated website atwww.dreamsfororphans.org
$50 provides construction supplies for the new nursery
$100 provides a crib and bedding for the new nursery
$250 provides books, uniforms or tutoring for school
$500 provides one year of vocational training
Secure your VIP invitation to the holiday thank you partat the
home of co-founder Kary Doerfler with a donationof $250 per
person.
Providing safe environments
and educational opportunities
http://www.dreamsfororphans.org/http://www.dreamsfororphans.org/
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The board of directors of DFO unanimously agrees to
sponsor Moses to attend Seattle Central Community
College beginning Fall 2012.
How do I describe where this whole journey began? I wouldsay it
started with a smile. Moses has the most amazing smileand has an
outgoing positive look on life. In spite of all he hasbeen through,
he continues to be kind, loving and carefree.
Moses came to the home when he was four years old. He waswith
his twin brother, Daniel, and his cousin Joseph. Themidwife who
assisted in their birth saved them from adesperate, impoverished
situation in hopes of them having abetter life. Moses prefers to be
like any other teen and wouldprefer not to talk about the past but
is very curious about lifeand his future.
His future changed when a staff member told me that the
onlyrequest for Moses on his Christmas list was to be sponsored
togo to a better school. I was new to the home, but knew Iwanted to
help him and his brother receive a better education.
I naively took him to a private school that had sponsored
otherOsu children thinking they would include the twin
brothers.This was not the case, and I became the new sponsor.
Moses
graduated from high school this year and I have very highhopes
for his future.
I began to work on applications to get a student visa for
MosesHe helped fill out the applications and was involved in
theentire process. Before we knew it we were at the US Embassy
inGhana at the student visa interview. It was one of the
mosexciting, yet nerve wracking days of my life. Moses seemedcool
and controlled. I kept preparing him for the possibility imay not
happen yet didnt want him to be to disappointed. Althe advice I had
been given by the US embassy employees Ihad met over the years on
my flights had told me that for an
orphan it was out of reach.
Moses beat all the odds. He was interviewed alone and then Iwas
called forward to verify numbers on the application. Theinterviewer
then told us to come back to pick up the visa in theafternoon.
Often in Ghana there is plenty to cry about and Idecided this was
not one of them. We controlled ourselveuntil we walked out the door
and Moses let out a scream.
On the ground in Ghana there are many
disappointmentsandstruggles and you often feel helpless. When a
success storycomes along it is wonderful to relish in it. Thanks to
all of youand your support that this was financially possible as
well. Weall dared to DREAM.
Founders NoteIt Started With a SmileBy Kary Doerfler
Orphans are in need of advocates. Like all
children, they must live and grow in a safe
environment, and have a right to education.
What we have set out to do is provide the
most basic needs for the worlds most
vulnerable children.
Paola Womac, Founder
DREAMSFORORPHA
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Dreams for Orphans is proud to announce our affiliation
with United Way, Ghana. We have been working on this for
many months and we are certain that with their support the
Nursery project will swiftly move forward.
UWGs mission is to build community capacity for sustainable
development in the areas of health, education and income
generation
through collaborative efforts of all stakeholders. We are
excited to
work side by side with such a reputable organization in
order
to execute our mission of improving the lives of orphans
through
building a safe environment and education.
United Way will help to find partners among the local
businesses in Ghana to assist with the remaining phases of
the Nursery. United Way Executive Director, Jonathon
Akuamoah stated Through our work in communities over
the past years, United Way has learned that fundamental
change cannot happen unless individuals and institutions
alike, from businesses, to NGOs, to government, come
together and are willing to consider not only
programmaticresponses, but also changes in community
conditions,
systems and policies that may stand in the way of
opportunity This is a unique situation where an important
piece is that Dreams for Orphans (an NGO in Ghana) has a
significant amount of funding already, that alone will
surely
attract new partners in the Nursery Project
Dr. Juliette Tuakli, President of UWG and a prominent
pediatrician in Ghana, was pivotal in bringing United Way
and Dreams for Orphans together. Kary Doerfler, co-
founder, had met Dr. Juliette on many flights to and from
Ghana.
In discussing the needs of the infants Kary realized Dr.
Juliette had worked directly with the children in the home
and has first hand experience of the necessity and hope a
new Nursery would bring to OSU. They both quickly
realized the future benefit of a connection between United
Way and DFO.
DFO has chosen to delay the ground breaking phase in
order to allow additional time for forthcoming partners to
participate. We look forward in the coming months to
working with UWG and hope to share news of the
developments, along with potential partners that may evolve
I first met Joseph while I was studying abroad at Ashes
University. I walked by Osu Childrens Home every day on
my walk to and from school. Our program offered to help us
find volunteer opportunities, and they connected me with
Lauren and Kary.
I began volunteering at Osu, helping set up the After-Schoo
tutoring program using Ashesi students as tutors. I ended
upspending most days at the orphanage, and got to know many
of the kids really well. Because Joseph was new to the
orphanage he was not in school, and I got to know him
during the day when almost all of the other kids were away
He was a good reader and always eager to learn more.
One day, he told me that he really wanted to go to school. I
asked around, and found out that you cant start in a public
school mid-term. So I asked him which private school he
wanted to go to (Soul Clinic), and we studied for the
entrance test together and he got in and almost two years
later is still there and doing well!
I receive his report card every term and have visited him
twice since moving back to America. We talk regularly and I
have my Ghanaian friends check on him for me. I love him
so much!
Safe EnvironmentsUnited Way Ghana Affiliation
DREAMSFORORPHA
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Autumn2012
Left
Juliet Tuakli with aUnited Way Ghanarepresentative
Right
Sara Jacobs andJoseph
Educational OpportunitiesSara Jacobs Experience in Ghana
