Is GiveLight Foundation a nonprofit organization?
Yes. GiveLight Foundation is a USA 501 (c)(3) organization with Tax ID: 562500794. Contributions to GiveLight Foundation are tax exempt.
If I want to send a check, what is your mailing address?
GiveLight Foundation
1879 Lundy Avenue, Suite 226
San Jose, CA 95131
How do I sponsor a child on a monthly basis?
You can sign up online by clicking here and choosing the amount and country.
How much money actually goes to the orphans directly?
Because we are primarily run by volunteers and pro-bono experts, we have been able to operate at a minimum cost since founded in 2005. We saved more than $500,000 in overhead and salary expenses, which allows us to maximize the amount of funds that directly benefit our children. We have reached a flex point where we need to hire paid staff this year (Management, Web Role, Office/Account Manager). Our goal is not to exceed 10% in administrative costs, which will still be far lower than the industry average.
What makes GiveLight different from other charitable organizations?
We focus only on helping orphans and we stay in their lives from the moment we take their small hands until they go to college. We invest in their education, social and spiritual development. We build personal connections with each child. Our founder regularly visits all of our children and they all call her “mother”. We also send volunteers to teach, which reinforces the personal touch and feeling of family for the children. Our connection with the kids is critical to their development and our passion for the cause. We emphasize the importance of education and good character. A few examples of what set us apart:
-
We provide private tutoring for our children. This gives them a competitive advantage. After school they study either English, Computer or Arabic/Quran.
-
They have banks accounts. Some have saved up to buy a motorbike and some have $500-800 in savings, which is unheard of for most orphans.
-
We buy them new clothes, shoes, and backpacks and don’t accept hand-me-downs. This affects their self esteem and confidence.
-
We run campaigns like “Soul to Sole” and we take them shopping to choose their very own pair of shoes.
-
We do regular competitions in math, story telling, Quranic memorization. This allows our kids to have more confidence and encourage a healthy competition.
-
We take them on special outings to water parks and picnics by a lake or ocean.
-
We send volunteers to teach and stay at our homes. Interactions with these volunteers are prized by our children.
How many orphanages have been built so far and how many orphans are under GiveLight’s care?
We have built six homes in the following locations:
-
Takengon, Central Aceh- Indonesia
-
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
-
Athulugama, Sri Lanka
-
Kampong Cham, Cambodia
-
Savar, Bangladesh
-
Oujda, Morocco
We are working to begin construction of our seventh home in Lahore, Pakistan. Apart from the children living in our homes we also support those living with poor relatives. Examples are Syrian orphans who came as refugees with their single moms to Turkey and Jordan. No one can provide better love and care than one’s own family so we don’t want to take them away from their homes. We provide the financial means for them to attend school and live a dignified life.
How old are the orphans and how are they doing?
When we started Givelight in 2005, our youngest child was two years old. She lost her father and older sister in the tsunami. Today, as we expand to other countries we bring in children aged 6-12 years. The kids love their homes and they feel a sense of security and warmth. They all go to school and some are extremely bright. We teach them to dream big, to work hard and get good grades. The children in the Aceh home are older, with some in High School and College and a few on scholarship. Three of our children have gotten married and two have kids of their own.
Who manages the orphanages?
One of the criteria for partnership is that our local partner must be willing to be our Management in the field. We rely on them to form a local Givelight team consisting of individuals who share our passion and philosophy. The team has to be able to execute our strategic planning with the well being and education of our children at the center of everything we do. Each home has a live-in mother and/or father, a cook, security and treasurer/secretary who work part time.
What are GL’s future goals?
Our long term goal is to care for 10,000 orphans around the world. Our goal is to get at least 80% of them to complete High School and 60% to College. We also plan to establish a Global Scholarship Fund and bring some of the brightest orphans to study in U.S. Universities.
How can I help?
There are many ways you can help. You can volunteer for different projects here in the U.S. or go to teach in one of our homes. Here’s the link to the volunteer page. You can sponsor a child for $1 a day or contribute to the cost of maintaining our homes. You can throw a tea party or a birthday party to benefit our children. You can suggest other ideas to help us raise awareness around the U.S. and around the world. We have been blessed to see our growth mainly through word of mouth. We believe in the power of many individuals doing small things and we look forward to spreading our light to every corner of the world, with God’s mercy and your help.
Thank you for your interest and support. We look forward to doing more beautiful work for humanity.
Email us at info@givelight.org for any additional questions you may have. We would love to hear from you!
