Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Introducing Dreamfly

A few months ago, I'd written about my search for volunteer organizations or NGOs doing work in Afghanistan which would provide a way for me to get involved.  Not long after that, I got in touch with the founders of Dreamfly, a group founded in 2007 that is dedicated to empowering children and building sustainable communities in areas of conflict.  Dreamfly has already founded a school in rural Pakistan and is currently working on setting up a school in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.  There are plans underway to expand to India next.

It didn't take me too long to be immensely impressed by what Dreamfly had been able to achieve in such a short amount of time, as well as realize that I wanted to help out.  Since initially discussing Dreamfly's use of social media and offering fundraising suggestions, I have gradually taken on a bigger role over the past few months.  Currently, I am leading marketing and outreach efforts for Dreamfly, and am offering my input on strategic decisions related to business, technology, and communications.

Among my early outreach efforts has been an attempt to get Dreamfly covered by a major news media outlet.  A month ago, I reached out to Nick Eaton, a reporter at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, explaining Dreamfly and its mission.  I asked him whether he would be interested in covering us.  After some email correspondence, we were able to set up a meeting between him and Dreamfly's co-founders, the amazing duo of Umaimah Mendhro and Mona Akmal.  The resulting article was published Monday night, and I am thrilled!  Read about Dreamfly, our mission, and blending non-profit assistance with social enterprise.

If you are interested in finding out more about Dreamfly, I urge you to get in touch with me.  You can also take a look at our website, Facebook page (become a "fan"!), and blog.  We are still a nascent organization run by a handful of volunteers, all of whom have other, full-time lives--hopefully this is an indicator of the passion we have for Dreamfly and how much we believe in its mission.  If you would like to help, get in touch with me, and I'd be happy to talk with you about how you could get involved in a way you find meaningful.

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