Orphanage for Newborns in Peru Receives Assistance Through Fundraising from Sayé Org
In Spring of 2019, award-winning actress and global humanitarian Sayé Yabandeh traveled to Cusco, Peru with her fiance. While en route to their destination, she had lost her vision completely and without reason. The couple connected with some physicians in the area who were able to assist her in restoring her vision. The doctors were working at a local orphanage, the Josephine House (Casa Josefina) which was founded in 1999 by Keith and Ruth Powlison.
The Josephine House provides care and shelter for abandoned children and newborns in the area. The orphanage was granted official accreditation from the Peruvian government in November 2008. Operated through a non-profit 501c3, the orphanage relies heavily on charitable donations in order to stay open.
The Josephine House staff lovingly cares for orphaned children until they can be placed in adoption with stable, nurturing families. The home places more children in families than any other home in the region, and is also the only home in the area that accepts abandoned newborn children. This is primarily because newborns are so expensive to care for, requiring more caregivers per child, as well as expensive formula and diapers.
The founder of Sayé Org, Miss Sayé learned that The Josephine House was facing the possibility of having to shut down and close its doors and decided to make raising funds for this organization a top priority for the non-profit. In fall of 2019, Miss Sayé launched the “Miss Sayé’s Lawn Mower,” a cold-pressed green juice that she produced in partnership with local Abingdon, Virginia vendor White Birch Food and Juice. A portion of every juice purchase was donated to the mission to help keep The Josephine House open.
Additionally, following their public engagement, both Miss Sayé and her fiance and Sayé Org Board Member Dr. Jeffrey Neal decided to host a fundraising event for their engagement, asking for donations to help support the cause in lieu of gifts for the couple. Despite the event being canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic, Sayé Org was able to raise $6,000.00 USD to send to The Josephine House. Although short of the orphanage’s $25K total fundraising goal, Sayé Org is still accepting donations in an effort to continue support and keep the doors open to the Josephine House, which is currently on a government enforced domestic lockdown.
For more information on donating to the cause, please visit www.sayeorg.com