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More and More of Paraguay’s Children Are Finding Families!

Imagine, if you can, being a child who has lost both parents. Instead of finding a family, you are placed in an institution simply because the system in your country is broken and unable to connect you to family. In many countries, children remain in orphanages for years—not because families aren’t available, but because laws, agencies and courts are not aligned on processes to keep children in families.

In Paraguay, that reality is beginning to change, thanks to your prayers, dedicated partners and to For Every Orphan’s Family-First Framework. For years our in-country partner — alongside national and international organizations — has been building a system that is committed to children being in families.

Last summer we asked you to pray that Paraguay's efforts in helping children find families would continue — and the efforts are moving forward! In recent years, leaders across Paraguay’s child-protection system have been working together in new ways, with the support of For Every Orphan’s in-country partner—Anja, Carlos, and team—and the Family-First Framework. This framework helped them identify gaps in the system and unite around one shared commitment: children belong in families.

Rather than adding new bureaucracy, the Family-First Framework brought clarity. It translated best practices into a practical, easy-to-use tool that supports real decision-making—prioritizing family preservation, strengthening foster care, and accelerating safe reunification and permanency, so every child grows up in a safe, loving family.

As a result, Paraguay is seeing progress. Programs to recruit foster families and expand early childhood services are now being implemented using Family-First principles. Through cross-country learning, Paraguay has also joined global efforts to reduce unnecessary separation and expand family-based care.

Thank you for praying for Paraguay; as the programs there expand, institutions are giving way to families, and children’s futures are being shaped not by broken processes, but by coordinated action, shared values, and hope. We thank God for such progress, and for your part in it! Please continue to pray that these changes will become the norm in all of Paraguay. 

Because of your prayers, change is possible!

Paul Zhdan

Advisor

Paul has been passionately engaged in student development, special needs care, and orphan ministry. After graduating from Wheaton College with majors in Philosophy and Business/Economics, Paul spent time volunteering with summer camps and orphan care organizations in Ukraine. This international trip solidified Paul’s desire and commitment to make a difference in the lives of orphans in Ukraine and around the world, both on a personal and systemic level.  

Currently, Paul leads operations at a small financial planning firm in the Chicagoland area. Hiking in the mountains, playing frisbee, and reading are among Paul’s favorite things to do! 

Wire or ACH Transfer Donation Instructions:

Thank you for considering a gift to A Family for Every Orphan! Donations made through wire or ACH transfers have a 0% processing fee.

Please email info@afamilyforeveryorphan.org for account information.

Stock & Securities Donation Instructions:

Thank you for considering a gift to A Family for Every Orphan (DBA For Every Orphan).

The details for transferring stock are below; it typically takes several business days after a transfer request is made for the transfer to occur.

Account Name: A Family for Every Orphan
Account Number: Z40-293848

Broker: Fidelity
DTC Number: 0226
Broker Phone Number: 800-544-6666

Broker Address:
Regular mail
Fidelity Investments
P.O. Box 770001
Cincinnati, OH 45277-000

Non-profit EIN Number: 26-4015124

To provide our team with your gift designation and tax receipt information, please email info@foreveryorphan.org.

How to Create a Facebook Fundraiser for For Every Orphan

Thank you for raising awareness and support for For Every Orphan!

Instructions for creating a Facebook fundraiser:
On your computer, login to Facebook.
On the left, click fundraiser heart coin Fundraisers.
Tip: If you don’t see Fundraisers on the left, then click See more.
On the left, click Raise money.
Click Nonprofit.

You can either:
Scroll to find For Every Orphan
Type For Every Orphan into the search bar
Select “For Every Orphan”

On the left, enter:
The goal amount of money you want to raise
The currency you want the funds to be in
Click Create.

You’ll see a screen pop up where you can invite your friends to donate to your fundraiser, share your fundraiser in your news feed, or donate to the fundraiser yourself. If you’re not ready to do any of those things, click Not now.

Zelle Donation Instructions:

Thank you for considering a gift to For Every Orphan. Donations made through Zelle Pay have a 0% processing fee.

The details for via Zelle are below.

Account Name: A Family for Every Orphan

Email address: info@foreveryorphan.org

To provide our team with your gift designation and tax receipt information, please email info@foreveryorphan.org.

Karl Scheuerman

Karl Scheuerman has been involved with For Every Orphan since its inception.  He currently an Advisory Council member after having served as both the board’s Secretary and board Chair.

As a child, Karl’s family was involved in foster care. He spent a year during his college studies to serve students and orphans as a missionary in Russia, which further developed his heart for the fatherless.

Karl is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy whose military service included tours in Turkey and Afghanistan. He later earned a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Maryland and now works as a principal analyst for a global cyber security company. Karl also serves as Squadron Commander for an Air National Guard squadron.

He lives with his wife and three daughters in Richland, WA.

Allison Pinkham

After serving on the Board of Directors for two years, Allison is now a valued member of the Advisory Council. Allison Pinkham has over 20 years experience in business and HR and is currently the CHRO for a dermatology company headquartered in Europe. Before that she was a Chief People Officer for a Consumer Products company in the US and also previously Vice President of Human Resources for a large multinational pharmaceutical company based in Germany. She provides a broad range of business and HR experience which includes her previous work as an IT systems consultant at Accenture and as an Organizational Development and Change Management consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton. She has also worked previously in Marketing and the majority of her experience is comprised of HR leadership roles at MasterCard, Darden Business School at the University of Virginia.

Allison has always had a passion for helping children, especially children in vulnerable situations, which includes her previous volunteer work with the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Charlottesville, VA; as a Counselor for at-risk youth in Annapolis, MD; a summer camp counselor in NJ; and a Sunday School Children’s teacher in Wilton, CT. While on an expat assignment in Germany, Allison was seeking out opportunities to help specifically support orphans and learned about For Every Orphan. Upon learning about the amazing work the organization was doing, Allison wanted to volunteer where she could and was eventually led to join the board to contribute her business and HR experience where needed to further realize the goal of finding a home for every orphan. In 2020, she transitioned to serving on the advisory council to continue providing business and HR support. Allison feels strongly that every child deserves a loving home and she will work to use the gifts that God has given her to try to make that passion a reality.

Allison currently resides in Switzerland with her husband and two children. She enjoys various travel adventures with her family including hiking, biking, boating, swimming, experiencing different countries and cultures and seeing the beauty of the world that God created.

Richard T. Moore, Esq.

Richard is an attorney with a background in health technology and consulting, and is currently the Lead Consultant in the Strategy and Innovation division at Premera Blue Cross, a not-for-profit healthcare organization. He was previously the SVP of Operations and In-House Counsel at Array Health, a health IT software company. Richard served as a founding director of For Every Orphan and is active with the Washington Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He holds a Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law and an MBA from the Seattle University Albers School of Business and Economics.

Karmen Friesen

Karmen has led CoMission for Children since 2001, networking, resourcing and equipping Christian leaders, organizations and churches globally to minister more effectively to orphaned and vulnerable children. In 2007, CoMission began equipping Russians and Ukrainians for adoption and foster care, and later helped to develop the Russia Without Orphans Alliance and to support Ukraine Without Orphans. Both of these movements are engaging the church in their own countries for family-based care as part of the World Without Orphans (WWO) movement. Currently, Karmen serves as the Principal Coordinator for the WWO Executive Team. He lives with his family in Pennsylvania.

Raya Shelashska

Raya started her journey serving vulnerable children in 2006 when she and her husband became foster parents right after she got a Bachelor’s degree in Management. Being a foster parent for a dozen of children who spent most of their lives on the streets made a drastic shift in her career. Later she became a director of Family Care Center, an NGO which provided children left without parental care with an opportunity to live in a family environment. 

Being a foster and adoptive parent Raya was wondering why children from hard places have behavioral, social, and many other issues and how to help them to thrive, which led her to further education: she got her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in Ukraine and in 2018 her Masters in Developmental Trauma in TCU, USA. Raya is a director of Ukrainian NGO focused on post-placement support and education of caregivers and professionals in child welfare field. Her passion is to see children thriving in loving families and see a church playing active role in supporting at-risk children and families.  

Raya is a proud mom of four children and lives in Ukraine with her husband Oleg who is also a national leader in Orphan Care ministry.

Taylor Brudos

Voting Board Member

Taylor works as a cybersecurity professional at a technology company in Silicon Valley. He holds a degree in political science and has formal training in security engineering, software development, and finance. He has extensive international and domestic experience serving vulnerable children, the unhoused community, incarcerated men, and trafficking victims.

Taylor and his wife reside in the San Francisco Bay Area with their young son. He enjoys intentionally building relationships, traveling with his family, making music, and exploring nature. Taylor’s heart is to know Jesus more intimately and help others do the same. He believes God cares deeply about orphans and vulnerable children, and that we all have the duty to seek justice for them as Christ’s hands and feet in the world.

Anthony Ritchie

Voting Board Member

Anthony serves as a voting member on the board. He graduated from Grove City College in Pennsylvania in 2014 and now resides in Big Rock, Illinois.  Anthony works as a project manager at Fox River Foundation where he is involved in a myriad of projects including many that support orphans and vulnerable children in the U.S. and abroad, primarily with the strategy of mobilizing government, the faith community, and the business sector around the goal of permanency and belonging for every child.

He is passionate about helping vulnerable children and believes that a permanent family is the most effective way of solving the world orphan crisis, making him a perfect match for the team. The youngest of ten children, Anthony’s upbringing and core values are based strongly on the idea of family, and that every child needs a loving home to help them truly reach their full potential.

Anthony and his wife Kelsey (the eldest of ten children, 7 of whom are adopted) welcomed their first child, Amos, into the world in 2017.

Sarah Wolfe

Advisor & Special Projects

Sarah Wolfe currently serves on the board of For Every Orphan as an advisor and over special projects.

Prior to serving on the board, Sarah worked on staff at For Every Orphan as Chief Operations Officer for nine years. In addition to financial and operations management, Sarah provided experience in program development, grant writing, social services, and building international relationships. She has been involved with the organization since 2010.

Her journey towards serving orphans and vulnerable children began after college when she spent several years as a case manager working with high-risk children and families. During that time, became firmly convinced that every child grows best in a loving family.

Sarah holds a BA in Psychology from Huntington University and an MA in Russian and East European Cultures and Societies from the University of Manchester.

She and her husband currently live in Tri Cities, WA with their two young daughters. She enjoys hiking, reading, yoga, knitting and baking.

Richard Scheuerman

Emeritus Board Member

Dr. Richard Scheuerman served for thirty-six years in public and private education and as a foundation and non-profit board member for organizations promoting indigenous adoption and orphan care in Europe and Asia. He and his wife have three children and are natives of the Endicott, Washington area where he recently co-founded Palouse Colony Farm. The business produces and markets sustainably-grown heritage grains.

After coming to Seattle Pacific University in 2004, Dr. Scheuerman chaired the Master of Arts in Teaching program for seven years. His teaching and research focused on comparative educational systems with special emphasis on Russia and Eastern Europe, and on environmental sustainability education involving perspectives from Northwest Native Americans and U.S. and Canadian Anabaptist groups. He is co-author with Dr. Arthur Ellis of the Journeys of Discovery interdisciplinary curriculum series for middle level and high school students and has recently worked with students and faculty on curriculum development at Seattle Urban Academy, a private alternative school. He is also co-founder and executive director of The Joseph Fund, a foundation devoted to orphan care education and placement in Eastern Europe that is affiliated with the global Home for Every Orphan movement.

Melinda Mandell

Vice Chair

Melinda is the owner of Melinda Mandell Interior Design, a residential design firm located in Palo Alto, California. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interior Design from Seattle Pacific University, and an associate’s degree in Interior Design from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Melinda lends a creative and market savvy edge to the For Every Orphan team.

Melinda is passionate about orphans and how families can play a role in the healing of children with broken pasts. She is specifically interested in how the physical home can support foster/adoptive families as they care for their children. Her three siblings, who were adopted from Russia, who were instrumental in making her aware of the plight of orphans in Eastern Europe and the issues surrounding orphan care.

David Melilli, J.D., LL.M.

Board Chair

David is an attorney located in Boerne, Texas. His areas of practice include estate, tax and philanthropic planning. One of the major priorities in his practice is helping his clients invest significantly, wisely and strategically in Kingdom work. David enables his clients to accomplish their estate, tax and charitable objectives efficiently. He understands the need for business and legal professionals to lead the way in promoting Kingdom Investment and growth.

David and his wife Julie are blessed with six children – ages 1 to 14. They are both strong proponents and supporters of adoption and orphan care. David was adopted and it has impacted his journey greatly. Their care for orphans and heart for adoption has helped form and grow their family. Three of their children are adopted from China and each adoption story has been an amazing journey of faith; watching God provide for their family in truly awesome ways. David and his family continue to have a heart for the orphans and are continually looking for ways to be involved in this arena. He is thrilled to be involved with For Every Orphan as a board member. 

Anita Deyneka

Emeritus Board Member

Anita has been involved as a leader in non-profit work in Russia and Ukraine for many years. In 2010 she retired as President of Russian Ministries (now Mission Eurasia)—a non-profit organization that she co-founded with her late husband, Peter. She continues to serve as an emeritus board member with Mission Eurasia. Anita has devoted her life to advocating for orphans through strategic partnerships. She holds a B.A. from Seattle Pacific University, an M.A. from Mundelein College in Chicago and an honorary PhD from Seattle Pacific University. Anita is the mother of two adopted children from Colombia and grandmother to five grandchildren and lives in Wheaton IL.

 

Anja Goertzen

Global Child Protection and Welfare Advisor

Anja Goertzen is a lawyer specializing in children’s rights, with over 20 years of experience in child protection, care, and adoption in Paraguay, South America and internationally in human rights and system reform. Her journey has included serving as a volunteer caregiver, fieldwork professional, and consultant in children’s homes, foster care, and family reunification efforts, deepening her understanding of the practical needs of vulnerable children and reinforcing her commitment to advocating for safe, loving families.

Called to this work as a child and further inspired by her grandmother—an orphan who fostered indigenous children—she has been devoted to advocating for vulnerable children from an early age. Anja’s experience includes serving in Paraguay’s central adoption offices, the national Adoptions Council, and internationally as a legal consultant with the IACHR and a regional ambassador for the World Without Orphans movement.

Since 2016, as co-leader of the national movement Paraguay Protects Families (PPF), she’s helped develop cross-sector collaborations led by grassroots faith-based NGOs to drive awareness, training, and systemic reform in family-based care in Paraguay. Globally, she partners with organizations like For Every Orphan to support transitions to family-based care in other countries. Above all, she is grateful for her faith, her husband René, and their three young children, striving to make God’s love known in tangible and transformative ways.

Ruth Sharon

Global Child Protection and Welfare Advisor

Ruth is from the UK, where she has worked as a lawyer specializing in cases of child protection, adoption, and domestic violence for over 20 years. During 2019 she travelled extensively in South America and Africa, where she was moved by stories of thousands of vulnerable and orphan children being harmed by the legal process that was supposed to protect them. She found the laws were not being implemented properly in many cases. In partnership with For Every Orphan, Ruth founded International Justice for Children, which works to support governments and the judiciary legal systems that ensure each child’s right to live in a safe, loving, permanent home.

Ruth also acts as our program liaison for Ghana, where she has enjoyed training judges and lawyers.

Ruth currently lives in Oxford and enjoys authentic connections, the outdoors, and creative projects, but nothing captures her heart more than her children and grandson!

Elaine Springer

Volunteer Coordinator of Pray for Every Orphan

Support Elaine

Elaine Springer has a BS in nursing and works as a registered nurse in community health. She spent 25 years as a missionary with Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) and Peter Deyneka Russian Ministries (PDRM) in several capacities including publications manager and editor/writer for a variety of radio programs and publications to English-speaking prayer partners and financial donors. She also taught English and practiced “friendship evangelism” for Soviet émigrés near Rome, Italy. In addition, she served as a liaison for exchanges between Soviet and American universities in the early ’90’s.

She has traveled to the former Soviet Union numerous times (twice with a music team!) and has written the biography of one of SGA’s entrepreneurial missionaries. One of Elaine’s favorite responsibilities was advocating prayer for The CoMission and its missionaries from the early through late ’90s as contributing editor for The Chariot, a quarterly newsletter for CoMission supporters. (The CoMission was a collaborative effort of more than 80 Christian organizations to take the love of Christ to those living in the former Soviet Union.)

Elaine is passionate about prayer and is thrilled to encourage prayer for the World Without Orphans movement.

 

Angelique Gettis

Administrative Coordinator

 

Angelique Gettis is a dedicated professional with over 15 years of administrative experience, holding a BA in Communications and an MBA in Operational Management. 

A committed follower of Christ, she is passionate about serving others and witnessing God’s miracles in everyday life. With a deep love for children, she thrives in roles where she can empower young minds and support families, reflecting her devotion to God’s work. Driven by a mission to make a positive impact, she combines resourcefulness and accountability to lead with compassion and faith.

Heather Dyer

President

 

Heather’s journey and passion to see children in stable and loving families began when she first accompanied her father on a work trip to Central America as a young girl. Heather’s eyes were opened to the impact of poverty and the vast and deep needs of children and families who care for them. After attending graduate school, Heather began volunteering with vulnerable youth in West Dallas and as a youth ministry group leader at her church for eight years. During that time, she helped lead mission trips ministering to impoverished children alongside a local church in Guatemala. These experiences deepened Heather’s empathy and love for vulnerable children and their families, and her passion to see every child in a stable and loving home.

Heather has over 15 years experience in finance, accounting, NGO work, leadership, and strategic planning. She most recently served as the CFO of a 110-year-old Chicago based non-profit which provides early childhood education and camps for children with special needs. Prior to that, Heather worked in multiple senior financial management roles at Southwest Airlines. Heather obtained a Master’s in Accounting from Southern Methodist University, her Bachelor’s in Accounting and Finance from Texas Christian University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

In an effort to provide the best care possible to vulnerable children she cared for and ministered to, she received further education in Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), a holistic model in trauma-informed intervention. Heather is an active member of Park Community Church in Chicago, where she currently leads the Foster and Adoption Ministry.

Heather and her husband, Graham, recently completed a four-and-a-half-year international adoption journey and are so thankful to be the parents of a beautiful daughter. Through this adoption journey, the Lord opened Heather’s eyes to the complex plight facing orphans today. Heather sees the vital role the church plays in supporting family-based care and the great impact a supportive community can have in the lives of children. As a passionate adoptive mother, Heather is committed to helping children find loving families and understands the importance of taking a holistic approach to orphan care.

 

Stefanie Thornberg

Managing Director

 

Stefanie Thornberg has always had a passion for serving. Her journey to care for at-risk children began when she spent a summer serving at an orphanage in Juarez, Mexico. It was there that she first recognized the complexities of caring for orphans. This complexity challenged her preconceived notions about what caring for orphans should look like. When she returned to the United States, she spent the next three years working alongside a nonprofit and living with low-income families and at-risk children. God taught her how much His love could impact a family, and how instrumental a strong family is for the lives of children.

Stefanie has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of New Mexico and comes to For Every Orphan with an extensive background in operations management, communications, and human resources.

In her free time, Stefanie enjoys reading, hand lettering, and mountain biking with her husband. She and her husband Benjamen currently live in Tacoma, WA with their adventurous baby boy!

 

Shalini Gordon

Project Coordinator: South Asia and West Africa

 

Shalini Gordon is deeply passionate about serving children and seeing them feel accepted, loved, and filled with joy and hope. She is especially moved by the realities faced by children around her who are abandoned, abused, or hurting, and is committed to ensuring they experience the care and belonging they deserve.

A professionally trained teacher, Shalini brings experience working directly with children across diverse settings, including schools and local communities. Her engagement with leaders across South Asia has also given her valuable insight into cultural contexts and challenges. She is always eager to build meaningful connections and continue learning in order to develop and strengthen practices that support children and families.

Shalini lives in Bangalore, India, with her husband and two young sons. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, baking, painting, playing board games, and exploring new places and cultures.

 

Oksana Mykhaykovka

Director of Programs

 

Her calling to serve vulnerable children and families emerged during her early years and shaped her decision to study social work and psychology. Oksana graduated from Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University with a Master’s degree in Social Work and Practical Psychology.

She started her professional journey in Ukraine, working at the center, where she developed and implemented strategies for supporting children removed from families due to abuse or neglect. Her focus was on empowering biological families to reunite with their children or preparing foster and adoptive families for their roles.

Oksana went on to become an Assistant Professor at Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University, where she designed curricula and taught social work courses for students. Later, as the Director of the Trauma Pedagogy Center and Training Director at the International Leadership and Development Center (ILDC), she managed large-scale projects aimed at strengthening the child protection system in Ukraine. This included competency-based training programs for social workers, volunteers, ministers and foster parents.

Oksana lives in Kyiv, Ukraine, with her husband Serhiy and, despite all the challenges of the war, continues to dedicate her efforts to ensuring every child’s right to a family.

Malia Taylor

Communications Manager

Malia Taylor has a heart for serving and helping others, especially children, and longs to see a world where every child has a family to belong in and parents are equipped and encouraged to give their children the love and care they deserve. She started work at For Every Orphan as communications manager in the summer of 2024.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and public communications from the University of Alaska Anchorage. She has a background working in public relations, state politics media, and news reporting.

Malia, her husband, their son, and blue heeler live in Anchorage and love getting outside to camp, fish, and ice skate.