Location:  Takengon, Aceh

A vision to rebuild a future emerged just a few weeks after the December 26, 2004 Asia Tsunami, one of the deadliest natural disaster in recorded history, devastated Aceh, Indonesia.

Launch of Project Noordeen

Just two weeks after the Asia Tsunami disaster, on January 8th, 2005, Noordeen Project was conceived focusing its initial efforts on the disaster-stricken area of Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

Aside from being the most shattered area, Banda Aceh was also the indigenous home of founder Dian Alyan. This event served to be the most depressing and horrifying moment of Dian's live. Dian's whole existence was shaken and the images of destruction and suffering haunted her with the nagging responsibility to take action. Not only did she lose family members and friends, but she also witnessed her entire homeland become flattened to pieces.

The first action was the conception of the Noordeen project named after Dian's great grandfather, (full name) Noordeen. He was a well-respected man in Aceh, a strong participant in the effort to free Indonesia from Dutch colonization in 1930-1934. He was not only an activist, but also a successful businessperson, a spiritual intellect achieving the "Al-Hafiz" status, one who had memorized the entire Quran, and was the first man from his village to have performed the Hajj, the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.

Amongst his community and family, he was remembered as a stern yet loving and fun man that taught his children compassion with more actions than words. Amongst his many actions was a mosque he built for his village that to this day is still standing. The Noordeen orphanage was built on his land, a legacy to him and his admired actions. A fitting contribution as he was born in Meulaboh which is the hardest hit area by the tsunami, less than 100 miles from the quake's epicenter.

The Asia Tsunami claimed the lives of almost a quarter of million individuals, over a 166,000 were in Banda Aceh, leaving behind many orphaned children. Our goal was to provide a hopeful future to these orphans one at a time. We set out to build a permanent orphanage to house 50 orphans by late 2005. The orphanage would provide a living residence, a medical facility, and a learning and activity center for the children staying there. In the short-term the foundation worked to provide monetary support to families affected by the tsunami.

Project Noordeen: A success story

Project Noordeen was indeed a dream come true; a grand success by the grace of the Almighty. Dian Alyan's family donated 3,000 square feet of land to build the orphanage. The land, located on a hilltop overlooking a lake and surrounded by lush greenery was like a gift from heaven. In February of 2005, the final draft of the building plan was completed. By April 2005, final architectural plans were completed by an architectural firm. The working drawings were completed and submitted to the local government for permits. The Indonesian authority approved the permit to begin the construction in May 2005.

Funds began to pour in from generous donors. Dian and her husband along with their two toddler sons travelled to Indonesia to finalize the plans, witness the groundbreaking and oversee the initial construction. Dian extended her stay for three months with her sons while her husband had to return to the US. The orphanage became her life?s priority.

Within seven months from the ground-breaking ceremony, GiveLight?s very first orphanage became a grand reality. The dream was realized through the hard work of many selfless volunteers, by the generosity of all who donated trusting that this project was about action not talk, and by the unwavering dedication of Dian Alyan and her family.

On December 26, 2005, on the one year anniversary of the Tsunami, the Noordeen Orphanage opened its doors to fifty children that now have a ?haven? that they call home.

Today the Noordeen project evolved into the GiveLight Foundation, a world recognized crisis relief organization that seeks to create durable orphanages in response to natural disasters and extreme conditions (poverty and war).

GiveLight today maintains well run and well funded orphanages across the globe. In the last five years we have helped build thriving orphanages in Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh with 530 orphans sponsored in those countries. We also have 40 orphans sponsored in Sudan, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan. GiveLight has also added Haiti to our list of projects after the January 12, 2010, 7.0 earthquake that devastated their land by partnering with other relief organizations and existing orphanages. In the coming years, we plan to continue to scale our model globally and bring our orphan sponsorship from 580 orphans today to 1,000 by 2012.

Please take a look at our first newsletter here

For a heart-warming video glimpse into the beautiful new life of the GiveLight children click here

We are grateful for our several accomplishments in the last five years, however there is still so much more action to take on behalf of the orphaned children. GiveLight needs consistent donations for operational costs to sustain our orphanages today and to continue to increase our efforts globally.

Please give your support. If you have taken the time to read our story, then by now you should be convinced that a group of committed people can in fact change the world, but we have to take action. We are a 100% volunteer-based organization, every penny of your kind donation goes directly towards the benefit of the orphans.

Today we support over 500 orphans in 7 countries. Help us reach 1,000 lives in the next few years.

Please donate now!
And may you be blessed for your generosity.

The GiveLight Family.