About
Who we are:
Global Outreach Foundation (GOF) is comprised of development-minded individuals from around the world. Our mission is to empower children by providing opportunities and tools for education, coupled with mentoring services. Through education and mentoring, we are able to improve their overall quality of life and help to instill self-reliance and confidence deep into each child’s sense of self. By taking this human development approach, true sustainable growth can be realized. Moreover, we empower children not by giving them handouts, but rather by helping them focus on reaching long term goals through collaboration with the community leaders and locals citizens where we operate.
How are we different?
THE POWER OF 100% – We give 100% of what we receive from fundraising and donations to our cause. Period.
Are you ever concerned about where your charitable donation actually ends up? Yeah, we are too! That’s why we vow to give every penny of the donations we receive to meet project goals and serve children. Yes, that’s right—100% of your donation goes directly to the children we serve. No donation monies are used to pay salaries, office expenditures or any other costs. We are unique in that all personnel work is entirely voluntary.
We’re doing what we do simply because it’s our passion. There are thousands of compassionate organizations engaged in extraordinary work, but not very many that can promise that 100% of all donations received go directly to the people they serve.
Projects
We are always striving to find new, worthwhile projects to engage in! Seneca long ago expressed this sentiment: “Wherever there is a human being there is an opportunity for kindness.”
At the Global Outreach Foundation, our focus is to ignite meaningful, locally-driven projects on a global scale. Currently, we have projects in Bamei, Tibet; Battambang, Cambodia; and Mumias, Kenya. We’re in the process of opening projects in the Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda, and Vietnam, as well as in other locations. In these areas, we work with local community leaders and organizations to become aware of schools and villages that are in need of basic educational opportunities for their children:
- Construction of schools and classrooms.
- Funding for children to attend school.
- Enhanced educational needs (i.e., cleaner and safer facilities or educational tools and resources, such as desks, computers, school supplies, etc.).
Tibet
Project Sprouts: Bamei, Tibet
Nestled high in the mountains of Tibet is a poverty-stricken area called Bamei. In this area there are several small village schools that are in grave need of your support.
For the 2009 and 2010 school year, The Global Outreach Foundation is teaming up with Mondoro Charities to embark on Project Sprouts in Bamei in an effort to help the children in these schools. [...]
For the Project Sprouts: Bamei Project, the children are in need of the following:
Classroom repair—Many of the classrooms are in very bad shape. We will aim to earn money to improve the school’s facilities and carry out various repairs.
Winter Clothes for the Children—Many of the children and their families cannot afford to buy a good winter coat. Due to the harsh, cold temperatures of the Tibetan region, this is an extremely important necessity for the children!
Quilts – Many of the children cannot afford to travel to and from school—nor can their families afford to house or feed them. Therefore, many of the children stay in school dormitories. The schools are in need of new quilts, bedding, and various items to make the children’s stay more comfortable.
![100_7261[1]](http://www.theglobaloutreach.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/100_726111.JPG "100_7261[1]")
Sports Equipment – The schools cannot afford basic sports equipment. Therefore, we hope to supply the children with various balls to play with, and equipment to support them in their physical education.
Desks-The desks are in very bad condition. Our goal is to provide new desks and chairs for the students, as well as new desks for the teachers.
Our total goal is to raise 15,000 USD for this project. Your support in this project not only helps makes a difference in the lives of these children, but will help and inspire many children in this region for years to come!
(Do you wish to help fund this project? If so, please click here.)
Kenya
Mumias Greenhouse Project
Empowering locals and children by building a green house…employing locals…feeding the children…selling produce… and saving up for the construction of a school.
Problem:
In the western Kenyan village of Mumias, the people have been faced with a huge orphan problem due to a widespread HIV/AIDS epidemic. In addition, malnutrition is a big problem. Hundreds of children are now without parents, and they’re roaming the streets with no access to food or education. Naturally, before we could even think about getting these children an education, we needed to take a step back in hopes of solving a variety of problems and supporting the community for the long haul. Therefore, Global Outreach Foundation is teaming up with local community leaders in Mumias, Kenya to help provide for the needs of these children. [...]
Solution:
Along with special collaboration efforts with Pastor Lucas Obanda from the New Hope Fellowship Church, and the Global Outreach Foundation-Kenya team led by Jastus Suchi Obadiah (GOF’s Director of Operations in Africa), Global Outreach Foundation is working to improve the situation for these children by building a greenhouse. Therefore, the Mumias Greenhouse Project has been orchestrated in order to meet the children’s most immediate needs (basic nutrition); while still keeping in mind the ultimate goal (education). By building a green house for this community, the locals will be able to feed the children, employ locals to farm the green house, as well as potentially make an estimated $500/month off additional profits from selling produce (mainly tomatoes, peppers, and egg plant). This money will be monitored closely by GOF-K and GOF team members and will be saved in order to fund the building of their first school. It will only take a little over a year and a half to earn enough money to begin construction. In contrast to just funding the building of their school ourselves, it is far better for us to help them by giving them ownership of income generating projects which will promote long-term self reliance and sustainability. Ultimately, this project will save the lives of hundreds of children by providing nutrition and give way to learning and development opportunities through an organized school.
Cost:
$4,800 USD for the construction/materials of a 18m by 16m greenhouse. The cost includes a water storage tank, pipes for drip irrigation, all seeds, fertilizers and soil, and initial labor and managing costs.
(Do you wish to help fund this project? If so, please click here.)
Cambodia
School Building in Kompong Thom
1,200 children will be off the streets and in to their first school!
Problem:
In the rural area of Kompong Thom, Cambodia there are four neighboring villages (Srey Rongit Village, Sa Poa Village, Trach Chreoum Village, and the La Village). These four villages currently share one small class room for the education of their children—the classroom is made of tin with dirt floors, and is approximately 5 meters by 6 meters in size. It serves all local children from the ages 5 to 13. Currently, they have not been able to afford to educate all of their children, so they randomly picked 165 of the total 1,200 children to come to school. Half of the 165 children come in the morning, and the other half come in the afternoon. There is only one teacher for all the students and all are forced to study at the same level (Grade 2). Needless to say, this is not conducive to learning. Therefore, Global Outreach Foundation is partnering with Tabitha Cambodia to fund the building of a school for these children.[...]
Solution:
Working with the locals to meet their needs and help them solve their own problems, the local governing district made up of a commune and village chiefs have agreed to grant a piece of land for the school, adjacent to the local Wat (considered a sacred and holy area). The parents of the four villages are committed to filling in the land with top soil. They are suggesting building six rooms so that each age group would have their own classroom. This would allow all of the 1,200 children at all grade levels to register and attend school! The agreement between us and the locals is that once the school is built the district chiefs will supply teachers, administrative support, as well as textbooks. In time, they would like a second set of 6 classrooms so that children between the ages of 13-18 would also be able to go to school. Currently, there is no schooling at all for them.
Cost:
GOF has agreed to fund $15,000 worth of school building materials and labor.
(Do you wish to help fund this project? If so, please click here.)
Philippines
More details to come…
Vietnam
More details to come…
Israel
More details to come…
We are all about allowing local authorities to have ownership of projects and assist in generating ideas. They know their individual situations and needs best. Once a sound plan is in place, we can empower them with the funds and expertise to meet their own goals, doing so in a cooperative way that safeguards donated funds. In the areas where we operate, we establish Global Outreach Foundation (GOF) satellites and local Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to support ongoing improvements. This keeps our presence readily available to support the local children by funding projects and providing opportunities for education and mentoring to their intended positive, long-term results. Lastly, we send volunteer mentors to our projects abroad to encourage worthwhile, sustainable development in the communities where we operate. It is vital that we don’t just give “stuff” to others, and then walk away, rather, that we work closely with them for years to come to provide encouragement, build confidence, and help them to find solutions to solve their own problems. To learn more about our Mentoring Program, please click here.
Get Involved
“Whatever I want in this world, I have to put into the world. If I want to be happy, I have to make those around me happy. If I want to witness a miracle, I have to give a miracle to someone else…empowering children by helping them get out of their limiting situations will only make us realize our own limitless potential. ” – Diana (Friend of GOF)
There are a variety of ways you can get involved with Global Outreach Foundation – and in some cases – right from the comfort of your home. Here’s how:
- Are you excited about our cause and want to do anything you can to help out? Please click here, complete the short assessment and we will be sure to line you up with an opportunity to help out.
- Be a mentor abroad: Looking to live and work as a volunteer mentor in a beautiful, exotic place like Kenya? Learn more about our Mentoring Program by clicking here.
- Be a Project Manager: These leaders will have direct say in GOF’s projects, event planning & fundraising methods. This is an important role that would demand hard work, dedication, organization, and leadership skills. Work directly with GOF volunteers to engage in creative & innovate ways to fulfill our mission while pushing forth efforts to empower children.
- Stay in the loop: Txt globaloutreach to 41411 to receive updates and news on upcoming events and fundraisers.
- Spread awareness through social networking: Invite all of your friends and family to join our Facebook fan page. To learn how to invite all your friends in one, easy step: click here. With Facebook you will be able to meet other like-minded people, upload videos, and share news and ideas that can have a positive impact on our mission.
- Use GoodSearch: Powered by Yahoo, this search engine donates money to your charity of choice every time you surf the internet or shop online. The more you search & shop – the more GOF earns.
- Direct Donations: We are in constant need of donations to further efforts with our charity projects. You can simply donate by visiting the “Donate” tab of this site. We can sign you up for a one-time donation, or a small, automatic monthly deposit ($5 dollars a month is simply skipping out on one mocha frappuccino to support a great cause)
- Tell us your idea: We greatly appreciate your creative ideas in regards to our cause. Share those ideas! We would love to hear them. Send your ideas to steve@theglobaloutreach.org
Mentoring
We are not only focused on empowering children through education, but we are also dedicated to providing meaningful, life-enriching opportunities for growth and service to mentors and volunteers alike.
Our mentoring program is established to provide worthwhile sustainable development in the global communities where we operate. It is an important aspect that makes Global Outreach Foundation unique, and corresponds with our aim as an organization to orchestrate long term, sustainable projects.
It is vital that we don’t just give “stuff” to others, and then walk away, rather, that we work closely with them for years to come to provide encouragement, build confidence, and help them to find solutions to solve their own problems.
Moreover, mentors benefit greatly from living and working among the locals in our global, host communities and villages. Growth and personal development is realized through the combination of unique cultural experience, along with the opportunity to make a lasting difference in the lives of others.
Why mentoring?
Our mentoring program is designed to help sustain and support children in their education, while promoting opportunities to learn valuable life skills, build confidence, and learn added self-reliance. Moreover, we cannot simply give a child a book and expect him or her to read it and apply its lessons. Mentoring helps to inspire the desire to learn and be great!
Have you been itching for a unique experience abroad that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg?
We are all involved in this cause to fight poverty because serving down-right feels amazing! We have all cherished our chances to serve others locally and abroad. The only problem is that it can become quite expensive to travel to unique areas in the world and serve. At the Global Outreach Foundation, we believe that service should not cost a volunteer “an arm and a leg,” so to speak. Service should be available to a greater population—the rich should not be the only ones that can afford to travel to diverse destinations to serve and benefit from culture and geographical beauty.
In essence, our mentoring program will be a win-win situation—helping local children in communities by developing a curriculum to teach, inspire, and mentor in regards to the specific needs and goals of the community; and, by providing a fun, safe, cultural-enriching experience through living and working abroad as a mentor.
Important for mentors to gain the most from their experience, we train them to become life-long social entrepreneurs, using innovation to solve social problems. Before departure, mentors will receive over 15 hours of training, helping them become aware of the culture and the needs of the area. We are also working with universities in the U.S. to provide opportunities for students to receive course credit while they’re abroad. The collaboration with universities is instrumental in that they assist in providing course enrollment (to stay on top of curriculum for graduation), pre-departure cultural preparation, international health insurance, university support and backing, and extensive safety briefings and alerts.
Facts about the mentoring program:
What exactly is a mentor? In the areas where we work, children encounter countless disadvantages and obstacles due to extreme poverty. The role of the mentor will be to lighten the children’s load by providing teaching, encouragement, friendship, support, and confidence-building. The mentor will work on behalf of the community leaders, parents, guardians, and teachers to provide enhanced educational opportunities. In certain areas, mentors will also work in collaboration with NGO and local leaders on community development projects.- How long is it? The mentors will choose to serve a 3 week to 4 month period of service.
- How much will it cost? There is a $500 dollar program fee required for each mentor. Compare this to other NGO’s international volunteer program fees…you will see what we mean by “inexpensive.” This program fee goes toward the program operation costs. Please keep in mind that this is separate from fundraising and donation money—100% of our donations and fundraising monies go directly to the children. The program fee does not include airfare, daily living expenses, spending money, pre-departure background check, and visa/passports.
- Where will the mentor live? The mentor will live with a host-family in the local community, or in one of Global Outreach Foundation’s guest homes. While living with host families and among the local people, mentors have a great opportunity to learn local culture, costumes, and language while assisting in family and village duties. It also helps keep costs down for the mentor, in addition to assisting the local families and economy.
- What are the requirements to be a mentor? We are seeking the following qualities for our mentors: ambitious, hard-working, proactive, flexible, positive, and loving. Applicants must be individuals who want to make their influential mark on the world by helping children in need. Please send a current resume to steve@theglobaloutreach.org for consideration and to set up an interview.
For more information, or to be considered as a potential volunteer mentor, please contact steve@theglobaloutreach.org
The Team
Steven Dee Wrigley | Founder / Director of Development
Steve is passionate about economic and human development. He has a vision of sharing his love through education and mentoring to millions of impoverished children. From working, serving, and traveling abroad, Steve has had many experiences which have greatly shaped his course in life. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a bachelors in international studies with a focus on Asia. “Wherever you go, go with all your heart!” – Confucius
Jastus Suchi Obadiah | Director of Operations, Kenya
Jastus resides in Nairobi, Kenya with his wife Millicent and their three beautiful children. He has worked with Reach the Children in Kenya, and engages in private NGO consulting on the side. He has a degree in community development and rural development from Daystar University in Kenya. Jastus is hopeful, confident, and courageous about the future
Margret Ellwanger | Director of Operations, Cambodia & Israel
Margret is President and co-founder of Pillows for Peace. The organization contributes to grass roots integrated community development and peace building projects in Cambodia, the Phillipines, Israel and Palestine with focus on strengthening families. She resides in the Monterey Bay area of California as well as Caesarea , Israel since her husband Russell was appointed CEO of Tower Semiconductor in 2005. They are the parents of four children who have experienced international schools, home school and independent schools in Singapore, Japan, New Mexico, California, The Netherlands and Israel. Margret grew up in Germany and holds an M.S. in physics. She is Alumni Speaker for the Technische Universität München (TUM) and serves on the Board of Directors for the Walworth Barbour American School in Israel (WBAIS) and the Tabitha USA Foundation. She was a founding board member of the International School of Monterey. One of her favorite sayings is “everyone has to be good at something but sometimes we need to be good for nothing!”
Mike Wynn | Director of Operations, USA
Mike is currently a student at Utah Valley University seeking a degree in finance with an emphasis in international business. His love for service grew immensely while living and serving among the great people of Guatemala. Mike is fluent in spanish and very passionate about helping others.
Dustin Taylor | Technology Director
Dustin is passionate about using his talents and energy to serve and help those around him reach up and grab hold of their dreams. To Dustin, a day is not complete without doing something for someone else who will never be able to repay him. Dustin is also passionate about education, and is currently pursuing a degree in information systems.
Stan Varner | Project Director
Stan is currently a student at George Wythe University where he is seeking to build virtue, wisdom, diplomacy and courage to inspire greatness in others and move the cause of liberty. “The need is great, friends. The fight is on. May we join together in aiding the children of our world.” One Love!
Travis Taggart | Communications Director
Travis is a social entrepreneur at heart and believes in seeking sustainable solutions to meet the most pressing social needs. He is driven by principles of personal growth and has found his deepest fulfillment in life while helping others achieve their potential for success. Through living and traveling internationally in South America and Asia, Travis has come to love connecting with people in their culture. He is pursuing a degree in Global Sudies at BYU.
Sayra Moran | Fundraising Manager
Sayra is currently a Business Administration student and is very experienced in humanitarian work through local groups and organizations. She is very passionate about serving, helping those in need and traveling abroad. Many experiences have factored into giving life to her passion, especially from traveling abroad to her parents countries and seeing poverty and lack of education firsthand. She hopes to bring her best attributes to help GOF realize their goals and make a difference. “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mother Teresa
Ashlee Brown | Fundraising Coordinator
Ashlee is currently a student at Utah Valley University pursuing a nursing degree. She also works full time as a hair stylist. She has had wonderful mentors throughout her life that have inspired her to serve others and bring peace into their lives. She believes in the true happiness that is generated from a service-driven life–there is nothing that brings more joy than to aid and uplift another!
Heather Wynn | Fundraising Coordinator
Heather is currently a student at LDS Business College and is pursuing a degree in Interior Design. Heather has grown up doing service for those in her local community and has an enormous love of service and helping others in need.
Melissa Watts | Fundraising Coordinator
Melissa has always had a desire to help children throughout the world and experience various cultures. Her love was intensified after traveling, which included China, Spain, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Haiti. She most recently returned from orphanages in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Melissa currently attends the University of Utah, where she is studying Exercise Physiology and plans to travel as a doctor after medical school. She wants to save the world one nino at a time…
Brandon Gauchay | Graphic Designer
Brandon has always wanted to do something greater with his life, especially helping those who haven’t had the same opportunities that he has been blessed with. He committed to helping all those who can benefit from what he has to offer and is proud to be a part of the Global Outreach Foundation.
Donate
How will you choose to reach out?
“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden
As just one person you may feel helpless in changing the world, but you can most surely begin by changing the world of one person. Focus on what you can do today and what you can do month after month by donating to the Global Outreach Foundation. You will be surprised how far your money goes when 100% of the donation actually goes to empowering children.
For instance, just $13 dollars a month can pay for the monthly educational expenses for a child in rural Kenya. Or just $5,000 dollars can build a school house for village children in Cambodia.
| One-Time Donation You give what you want when you want. |
Month-to-Month Donation Choose an amount you can give each month. |
Get Inspired
“The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.” ~William James
In 
addition to working to empower children, we at the Global Outreach Foundation are determined to be a source of inspiration to our volunteers, partners, and supporters. We cannot get to work unless we feel moved to do so. Therefore, our BLOG is an attempt to inspire, as well as to share stories, news, and experiences from around the globe to uplift one another.
Life is not merely about finding yourself, but rather it is about creating yourself. Our hope is that our BLOG will function as an inspired forum to visit regularly in helping to create the service-driven, happy, loving person we are all striving to be.
God bless you on your journey to love and serve.
