About the Founder

Dian was born in Takengon Central Aceh and spent her first 15 years there until she finished Junior High School. Although she moved from Aceh at a young age to pursue better education, she returned home every year to visit her parents and extended family who are still living in Aceh.

Due to her consistent high marks she was able to enter one of the most prestigious Universities in Indonesia and graduated as an Engineer with a focus in Agriculture. She joined Procter & Gamble Indonesia in Brand Management right after graduation. After working for less than 2 years, she was offered an assignment in P&G USA where she handled many of its global brands. In the course of 7 years, she worked with some of the most brilliant minds in Marketing in the US and Indonesia and she hopes to apply what she learned in P&G to grow the Givelight Foundation into a world class institution.

Dian loves to read and travel. She’s fortunate to have traveled to 47 States, and visited 4 continents. She enjoys cooking, connecting with people and learning languages of the world.  

Dian lost 40 of her relatives in the December tsunami and she is determined to rebuild Aceh by saving as many of its orphans as possible.  When she is not busy building the Foundation, she is challenged by raising two young children of her own.

Letter From The President

The two weeks following the Asia Tsunami were the most depressing and horrifying moments of my life. Not only did I lose those closest to me, but I also witnessed my entire homeland being torn to pieces. My whole existence was shaken and the images of destruction and suffering haunted me night and day. I asked myself repeatedly, “What can I do? What should I do?”

This Foundation is a result of that hard and long re-examination of my life’s priorities. I am fortunate to have been born into privilege, but I feel that I have not done enough to share it with others in a meaningful way. I have always wanted to help orphans, but was never quite sure how to do it beyond giving to charity. Now, this tragic event has awakened in me a deep sense of humanity, and the realization that I must do my part to save those children. It is my goal to aid the people of Aceh and support the land that fed and raised me. In time, I hope those we help can one day give back to their own communities. So goes the circle of life.

The Give Light Foundation is a tribute to my mother, the most beautiful, kind, and patient person I know. Abraham Lincoln once said: “All that I am and all that I will ever be, I owe it to my mother.” I could not articulate that feeling any better. I am also inspired and moved by many women whose brilliant minds and selfless actions have enriched my life: Mother Theresa, Eleanor Roosevelt, Cut Nyak Deen (a heroin from Aceh who played a strong role in the independence movement against the Dutch colonial in the 1930s), Oprah Winfrey, and Jane Austen. I'm equally grateful to everyone on my team whom God sent into my life to complete it and to help me achieve a higher purpose.

Lastly, this is a tribute to Islam, my guiding light, for teaching me compassion, generosity, and to strive for a noble cause.

Dian Alyan

dian@givelight.org

Dian with Givelight’s most generous supporters to-date. These are first graders from Granada Islamic School, Santa Clara California, who created artwork and posters for the orphans of Aceh. The school, which consists of 400 students raised $11,000 in a three-week campaign and donated the total amount to Givelight.