About
The Global Orphan Assistance Foundation (GOAF) is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2006 to provide education and enrichment opportunities for orphans and vulnerable children around the world in developing countries. To meet this goal, GOAF has established a fund to support the primary and secondary education, as well as clothing and enrichment needs for orphans and vulnerable children. Specifically, the fund provides for the cost of school fees, tuition (secondary private school), lunch, uniform and scholastic materials.The fund also provides a supply of shoes, clothing and toys for needy orphans, including non-students.
In Uganda, the first country GOAF has focused on, a children’s center has been established to provide learning enrichment materials. Other countries that have received clothing, shoes and toys donations from GOAF are Mexico, Pakistan, Haiti, Chili, Jamaica, Brazil and Nigeria. The Bottom Line: There are many worthy organizations doing excellent work in this arena. Why one more? The answer is simple: The need is staggering. GOAF operates without overhead and with a completely professional volunteer network and Board oversite. Every penny goes directly to the children.
The Story of GOAF
How it all started
GOAF began not as an organization, but as an act of love.
It started with one couple who believed that every child deserves a chance. Throughout their lives, Virginia and Jerry Ladd looked for ways to help children in need, believing that even small acts of kindness could change the course of a life.
One day, during a trip to Indonesia, they met a young boy selling postcards on the street. He had little formal education and few opportunities, but he possessed something remarkable: determination. He understood that learning English could open doors that would otherwise remain closed, and he was eager to learn.
After meeting him and his family, Virginia and Jerry stayed in touch. The young man began writing letters, asking for help with his English. What started as a simple exchange of letters became a mentorship, and eventually an opportunity.
Together, Virginia and Jerry invited him to the United States to study English. At first, the plan was modest - just a chance for him to learn the language and expand his horizons. But he excelled. He enrolled at Wayne State University, continued on to community college, and eventually earned a bachelor's degree.
Watching his transformation reinforced something Virginia and Jerry already believed: education can change a life.
When he returned home, the money that had once supported his education became available. Rather than turning their attention elsewhere, Virginia and Jerry asked a simple question: Who else can this help?
That question would eventually change the lives of hundreds of children around the world.
Meeting Regina
The answer came through Regina Mariam Namata Kamoga, a community leader in Uganda.
At the time, the AIDS epidemic had left countless children without the support of a parent or breadwinner. Many were living in deep poverty, with little more than hope between them and a life without education. Virginia and Jerry saw an opportunity to help. Their vision was simple: to make sure children who might otherwise be left behind had the chance to attend school and build a better future.
One child became several. Several became many. Friends heard the story and wanted to help. Family members joined. Sponsors appeared - not because there was a large campaign, but because the need was real and the mission was clear.
Becoming GOAF
The Global Orphan Assistance Foundation (GOAF) was founded in 2006 to expand and formalize its growing impact and was recognized as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in 2010.
From the beginning, GOAF's work was rooted in trust and was supported by a community of people who shared Virginia and Jerry's belief that every child deserves opportunity and hope. Family members, friends, patient advocates, and leaders from the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, including many who continue to support GOAF today, joined the effort, helping transform a small act of generosity into a growing movement.
Regina and her organization in Uganda became the hands and heart of the effort on the ground. School fees were paid. Shoes and clothing were provided. Children received supplies, encouragement, and opportunities that would otherwise have been out of reach. Those who excelled were given the chance to attend better schools, boarding schools, and, in some cases, university.
But GOAF's mission extended far beyond tuition assistance.
The organization supported holiday enrichment programs, vocational training for young women, preschool initiatives, AIDS education, children's libraries, clothing drives, and small livelihood projects - even pigs and rabbits for families struggling to survive. Whatever the need, GOAF sought practical ways to create opportunity and hope.
The LADD Children's Center
When Regina's rented space became too expensive, Virginia and Jerry began asking how the work could continue and grow. What started as a practical question became a lasting solution.
With support from donors and a deep personal commitment from Virginia and Jerry, the LADD Children's Center was built. The center provided office space, activity rooms, a kitchen area, and a gathering place for children and families.
More than a building, it became a symbol of stability, community, and possibility - a place where GOAF's mission could continue to flourish for years to come.
JERRYLAND
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While visiting Uganda, Virginia and Jerry learned that many children could not simply visit a playground unless they could pay. For children living in poverty, even the opportunity to play was often out of reach.
As plans for a playground took shape, Jerry was battling leukemia. Despite his illness, he remained deeply committed to the project. The playground became one of the final dreams he and Virginia helped bring to life.
It opened on the very day Jerry passed away - a place of joy born alongside grief, and a lasting tribute to a man who spent his life believing that children deserved not only education and opportunity, but also happiness.
Today, that playground continues to bring laughter and joy to children who otherwise might never have experienced it.
Beyond Uganda
Over the years, GOAF's compassion reached far beyond Uganda. The organization helped children in the United States, Zimbabwe, and other communities where trusted partners could carry aid directly to those in need.
Coats, clothing, books, stuffed animals, school support, disaster relief - the form of assistance changed, but the spirit remained the same.
Wherever children faced hardship, GOAF looked for ways to help.
The Legacy
GOAF's story is not the story of a large institution built by strategy alone. It is the story of ordinary people choosing, again and again, to respond to suffering with action.
It is the story of one couple whose belief in the power of education changed countless lives. It is the story of one child's education becoming a pathway for many. It is the story of trust across continents, of small donations becoming meaningful programs, and of children stepping into futures that once seemed impossible.
