In the capital city of Croatia, there is a nunnery that opens its doors to children who have been displaced. Ranging in age from infant to adolescent, these children have been given a family despite the Croatian War of Independence that left many individuals in destitute circumstances in the 90’s. Though the war is over, its effects still breed joblessness and poverty for many Croatian citizens. For those parents who are unable to provide for their children, the sisters at St. Theresa’s (ages 0-7) and St. Joseph’s (ages 8-18) Orphanages in Zagreb gladly open their arms to welcome any child in need of a home. Here, these children are looked after, provided for, and most importantly, loved.

Sonja Brown, the International Program Director for MLJ Adoptions Inc., visited St. Theresa’s Orphanage in 2008. There, she met an 18-year-old young woman who had resided at the orphanage with her siblings for years after her mother was tragically struck by a car. Because this young woman and her siblings had no family or connections in Croatia after escaping the war in Bosnia, they were taken in at the orphanage. Despite the pain and suffering this young woman experienced due to the passing of her mother, she declared that she was well taken care of and was given love and guidance in addition to food and shelter. Sonja remembers this young woman saying, “I believe that all children deserve a home and a loving family.”

Clearly, this safe haven is filled with angels. Sister Kristina Piskovic, the director of the orphanage, shares several thoughts about the nature of the sisters who act as caretakers of the children to the Croatian World Network.

“There is a lot of love here in our house, and a lot of happiness,” she wrote. “The sisters are all young and we have the energy to love the children like they were our own. We wish to make their childhood as nice and carefree as possible.”

Although the sisters have copious amounts of love to give, they experience a shortage of money offered by the Croatian government. Unfortunately, this lack of support makes it extremely difficult for the orphanage to run a successful program for the many children they house. St. Theresa’s Orphanage benefits almost solely from the donations of benefactors.

Don Wolf, the creator of the St. Theresa’s and St. Joseph’s Orphanages GoFundMe fundraiser, recently shared that donations made will help to build a new kitchen, common dining room, and chapel. Furthermore, the funds given will help to provide a safe and healthy environment for all children and help the sisters prepare them for life in a country with a 20% unemployment rate.

If you’re interested in lending a helping hand to this cause and making a difference in the lives of these orphans, please visit the GoFundMe fundraising page at https://www.gofundme.com/stjosephscroatia.

The future of providing aid to impoverished populations is now bright with Solight Design, a company that makes sustainable home lighting products. Their most popular product, the SolarPuff, is reshaping people’s mindsets about the future of providing light to those in need.

Alice Min Soo Chun, the founder and CEO of Solight Design, invented the SolarPuff after being inspired by the designs of origami. The SolarPuff is a foldable solar-powered light that lies flat when compact. Inside, there is a solar panel, a lithium ion battery, LED bulbs, and a polyethylene terephthalate material that helps to inflate the cube. This material, called PET material for short, is recyclable and non-toxic.

The SolarPuff is ideal for anyone in need of light around the world due to the fact that it can provide up to 8 hours of light on the high setting after being charged in sunlight for 5 hours. It is able to provide enough light – 90 lumens, to be exact – to help people accomplish small tasks such as chores and reading a book.

On Solight Design’s website, their mission statement is to “provide lights to those who need them most. There are over 1.6 billion people who have no access to electricity and clean sustainable lighting, something most of us take for granted.” They donate 10% of online sales to supply lights around the world through NGO partners. Some of these partners include organizations that provide light to orphans in Haiti, refugees in Syria, and villagers in the Cameroon rainforest.

Another country that received the gift of light from SolarPuffs in 2016 was Greece. In a mostly Muslim refugee camp near Mt. Olympus, numerous families live in tents after escaping genocide in Iraq. In August of 2014, an Isis-led massacre left 5,000 men dead and 3,000 women captured as sex slaves.

Although the people living in this camp have dark stories, they now have physical light by which to see in a place without electricity. The SoLight team delivered 1,000 SolarPuffs to excited refugees.

As the SoLight Design Company continues to spread love around the world with the gift of light, they welcome any help they can get in distributing SolarPuffs to those in need. Donating is made easy on the SoLight Design website where you can choose to help send light to Nepal, Haiti, Syria, Ghana, Senegal, Ecuador, Cameroon, Liberia, or a new place that is special to you. All tax-deductible donations are made to FAARM, a 501(c)(3) organization.