Hope for the Hopeless raising funds for orphanage

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Daniel Gayetaye was born and raised in Liberia before moving to Sioux Falls in 2004.

When Gayetaye returned to his home for a visit 10 years later he saw firsthand what the ebola virus had done to Liberia and decided something needed to be done for children throughout the country.

”I saw it and it brought tears to my eyes, kids were running around on the streets with nobody helping them, I talked to the kids and their mom and dad both died of disease and sickness and nobody cared for them,” Hope for the Hopeless Founder and CEO Daniel Gayetaye said.

Gayetaye quickly got to work recruiting friends like Tony Kalacinski and his family to help him build an orphanage in Liberia.

”I saw these images of these kids in raggedy clothes and sleeping on stumps and I just couldn’t sleep. You can’t get that kind of image out of your head without doing something about it,” Hope for the Hopeless VP Tony Kalacinski said.

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Gayetaye alongside several others started the nonprofit hope for the hopeless to build orphanages and take care of the many orphans in Liberia.

”There are an estimated 100,000 orphans in Liberia so there is a great need for people to reach out and take care of these kids,” Kalacinski said.

The group is holding a fundraiser to help finish their new orphanage set to house the 89 children currently in their care.

”Hope for the hopeless has a very big huge plan for helping, it will help not only with the orphanage but it will also go into helping all those who are in need,” Gayetaye said.

Hope for the Hopeless is holding an ice cream social fundraiser on Sunday, August 14 from 4-6 p.m. at the FCA building on East 69th Street.

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