Organized by Give Them a Hand foundation
Help 57 Kids Build a Sustainable Future
Help Build a Sustainable Future for 57 Children in Sierra Leone Orphanage
Today, 57 children call the Gary Schulze Orphanage in Bo District, Sierra Leone home.
Like children everywhere, they dream of learning, laughing, playing, and building bright futures.
But before many of those dreams can begin, they face challenges no child should have to overcome.
Clean drinking water is available only when generous donors are able to provide bottled water. For all of the orphanage's other daily water needs including cooking, bathing, cleaning, and washing, the children and caregivers walk 40 minutes round trip to a nearby stream, carrying heavy buckets of water on their heads. The children and staff go twice each day --once in the morning before school and again, after school.
Nutritious food is scarce. Basic sanitation consists of primitive latrines. There is no electricity and no running water.
Meals—often little more than white rice—are carefully prepared by devoted caregivers over an open wood fire between a few rocks.
The kids sleep in 2 rooms, the boys in one and the girls in the other. They sleep all together, one next to the other, like one big family. Challenging? Yes. But it works until we can build more space and provide soft, comfortable beds for every child's full rest.
Yet if you spend even a few minutes with these children, one thing becomes immediately clear.
They are resilient.
They are joyful.
They are full of curiosity, kindness, and dreams for the future.
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We see extraordinary potential.
Children with dreams.
Children with talent.
Children with unlimited possibilities.
And we believe every child deserves the opportunity to reach that potential.
Gary's Legacy Lives On
The Gary Schulze Orphanage was founded on a simple but powerful belief—that every child deserves to be loved, protected, and given the opportunity to thrive.
Although Gary is no longer with us, his vision continues every day through the dedication of the orphanage Director, professional social worker, Ms. Safiatu Farma, and her remarkable team: Allieu S.S.Koker, Elizabeth Fatmata Luseni, Kadie Janneh, Hawa Jalloh, and Mohamed Kallon, who all provide love, stability, and hope to every child in their care.
Registered with the Sierra Leone Ministry of Social Welfare, the orphanage continues to serve these children with extraordinary commitment despite limited resources.
Today, Gordon Tapper of Give Them a Hand Foundation and Bethann Carbone of World Citizens Network Foundation are working together with Safiatu Farma and her team and trusted local partners in Sierra Leone to continue Gary's vision. Together, we strive to meet the children's current needs, while helping build healthier futures for them in the long run.
Building More Than a Well
This project is about far more than drilling a well to access water.
We believe that access to clean water, safe sanitation, and nutritious food forms the foundation for healthy childhood development—supporting children's health, education, well-being, and future opportunities.
Clean water is only the beginning.
A reliable solar-powered water system will provide safe drinking water, improve hygiene, supply a new kitchen with running water, support healthier bathroom facilities, and create the foundation for an irrigated garden that will help grow nutritious food for the children.
Because the rainy season has already begun, we also have an immediate opportunity to begin planting vegetables and fruit on the orphanage's half-acre of land. As the project grows, irrigation will allow food production to continue year-round while creating surplus crops that can be sold in local markets to help support the orphanage.
Every improvement strengthens the next.
Clean water leads to better health.
Better health supports education.
Food security creates stability.
And stability creates opportunity.
How Your Gift Will Help
Our goal is to raise $39,000 to transform the orphanage into a healthier home for the children.
Here's the breakdown of the development budget:
Water System – $7,500
A solar-powered water system will provide:
- Borehole well drilling
- Solar-powered pump system
- Elevated water storage
- Installation and commissioning
This system will provide clean water for drinking, cooking, bathing, the kitchen, improved hygiene, and future irrigation.
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Healthy Living Improvements – $12,700
-A Safe Kitchen:
Enclosed kitchen
Stove
Refrigerator
Plumbing and sinks
Safe food preparation and food storage
-Bathroom & Hygiene Improvements:
Upgraded bathroom facilities
Improved plumbing
Hygienic handwashing stations
Better sanitation and drainage
❤️ Daily Care for the Children $18,800
This portion of the campaign will provide one year of essential operating support, helping ensure the orphanage can continue meeting the children's everyday needs while long-term sustainability initiatives are developed.
This support for operating costs covers:
-Nutritious food for 57 kids
-Healthcare
-School supplies and clothing
-Modest stipends for the dedicated volunteer caregivers who provide daily care, guidance, and stability for the children.
Looking Toward the Future
This campaign is only the beginning.
Our long-term vision is to help the orphanage become increasingly self-sustaining through expanded agriculture, renewable energy, and community partnerships that create ongoing sources of support for the children:
As resources grow, we plan to expand irrigation to support larger gardens and additional farmland, allowing surplus fruits and vegetables to be sold in local markets to help support the orphanage.
We also envision developing a solar-powered charging station that will provide a valuable service to nearby residents, who currently travel to another town to charge their mobile phones, while generating modest income to help sustain the orphanage.
In addition, a computer, and 1 or 2 bicycles would make a world of difference in helping the staff to do their work efficiently.
We'll continue sharing updates so you can see the progress you're helping make and the children's lives you're helping change!
Please Join Us
These children have dreams, just like children everywhere.
Together, we can help create the opportunities they deserve.
Join us.
Be the Opportunity.
Your donation will help these children to one day emerge from poverty and to live productive lives. Just $20 can provide food and care for a child for an entire month, and our collective generosity will build permanent solutions that protect their health and welfare as they grow.
1. Donate: No amount is too small.
2. Share: Please post this link on Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
To view our foundation's registered credentials and history of global impact, please visit GTAH.org. Thank you for stepping up to be the village these 57 children so desperately need.
Thank you to Safi and the caring volunteer staff onsite at the Gary Shultz Orphanage, as well as to our partners in the USA, Gordon Tapper, and Bethann Carbone. ❤️
Also a thank you to Liz Cisse and Stephanie Evans for their support! ❤️
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