Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Giving it Back to Kids founder, Robert Kalatschan, and his wife Dorothea were unable to have children. In their desire to start a family, they began investigating fertility treatments and meeting with doctors. However, at the time, the cost for in vitro treatment was about $40,000 – with no guarantees.
They had just enough money for either in vitro treatment or adoption and decided to pray about the decision. In the meantime, they were invited to a charity event where they won the grand prize of two weeks in Costa Del Sol, Spain with round trip airfare. They decided to extend their trip by two more weeks and visit Italy and more of Spain.
On their return, they stayed two nights in London. At the hotel, Robert picked up the first English newspaper he had seen in a month with a headline that showed their fertility doctor had been arrested. Looking at the newspaper, Robert turned it around, showed Dorothea, and said, “Here’s our answer. I guess we’ll be going down the adoption road.”
After three years of meeting prospective birth parents, there had still been no movement in their adoption process. Late one night, they learned about a young birth mother who had decided to give up her eleven-day old baby. They met her the next day, and she agreed to let them adopt their son.
Their son was an exemplary child, and not long after, they yearned for a second child. They once again began the adoption journey. Lawyers had been looking for two and a half years with no movement. Just over two months before her birthday, Dorothea said, “If it doesn’t happen by my birthday, I will give up on another adoption.”
Five days later a phone number was put on her desk by a coworker who had adopted a child from Vietnam. She called the contact and learned that he had not only adopted a child from Vietnam, but also served on the board of an organization that facilitated adoptions.
The next thing they knew, they were getting off the plane in Saigon. On the first day of their trip, they met their daughter at a government-run orphanage with about 270 children – Go Vap Orphanage. They stayed in Vietnam for about two weeks and ended up visiting other orphanages and schools for children with special needs in that time. They flew home, and returned two weeks later when their daughter was ready to be released to them.
Upon returning to the U.S., they were haunted by the faces of the other children they had met in Vietnam. As Robert held his daughter and told her she had won the lottery going to a family and country where she would have every opportunity, he thought of the children he had left behind. Wondering, “What was their future? Surely, they won't have the opportunities my daughter would have.”
Robert said to Dorothea, “Honey, I think we’re supposed to do something in Vietnam.” That “something” became Giving it Back to Kids which has now been making a difference in Southeast Asia for more than twenty years.
The average heart surgery in Vietnam costs $2,500 USD. Surgeries of this stature require children to be hospitalized, which places a huge financial burden on their parents’ shoulders. In addition to covering the operation fee, GIBTK funds traveling expenses, food during their hospital stay, discharge expenses, and two post-op check-ups.
GIBTK has opened Dorothea Project Legacy in several places to provide tutoring classes for kids. Sponsorship program is set up to provide poor kids opportunities to obtain education through university or a career through vocational training. Advanced English classes or training sessions on leadership and emotional health are provided to help develop the skills needed for a specific trade, increasing their likelihood of gaining employment after graduation.
Dorothea's Project Legacy is a community program developed in memory of GIBTK president Robert Kalatschan’s late wife, Dorothea Kalatschan. Dorothea had a dream to create a safe place where disadvantaged children in the community could come to play, study, and reach their full potential.
Water pollution is one of the biggest problems in Vietnam. Without fresh water, people living in these areas are forced to use unsanitary water from streams, lakes, or rain. GIBTK has been working to combat this by organizing a large donation of water filters and distributing them across the country.
It is an amazing experience to help an individual who has spent several years lying in bed to be able to sit up in a wheelchair and be pushed from a dark room into the beautiful light and fresh air of the outdoors. LITA Foundation is honored to partner with GIBTK in supplying wheelchairs to those in need.
A primary mission of GIBTK is to provide children with opportunities to further their education. Many young children residing in small, countryside villages are faced with a long walk to and from school, hindering their ability and desire to attend school and therefore, the likelihood of receiving a full education. Bicycles are game changers, providing students with transportation to and from school.
Your contribution can help us provide food, shelter, and medical care to those in need. No donation is too small, and every dollar counts.
Help us raise awareness about our cause by sharing our mission with your friends and family. Follow us on social media and invite others to join our community.
Collaborate with us to make a greater impact. We welcome partnerships with businesses, organizations, and individuals who share our values and goals.
Join us for our upcoming events and help us raise funds and awareness for our cause.