Ana Dodson was a baby when she was adopted from Peru and brought to the United States. Ten years later, she and her mom, Judi Dodson, returned to the South American country. Ana's family wanted her to learn about her roots. But Ana found another purpose in Peru: to help the country's children.
On their trip, the Dodsons visited an orphanage near Cusco, Ana's birthplace. They saw malnourished girls living in extreme poverty. "They felt as if they had been forgotten," Ana, now 15, told TFK.
But Ana did not forget them. Just months after returning home to Evergreen, Colorado, she started Peruvian Hearts. The nonprofit group has raised nearly $50,000 for the Cusco orphanage. Now, the girls there are healthy and have warm clothing and other essentials. One girl will even attend college next year, thanks to a scholarship fund that Ana set up. "We never thought we'd be so deeply involved," Mrs. Dodson says. "Ana has taken our family on a journey."
With help from other charitable foundations, the group was able to adopt another orphanage this summer. The Global Volunteer Network (GVN) and Peruvian Hearts are partners. Ana is GVN's Youth Ambassador for its Stop Child Poverty campaign. Last month, she spoke during the International Day of Peace at the United Nations, in New York City. She told the audience that anyone can make a difference. "The young people there were excited about what she was saying," says Colin Salisbury, GVN's founder.
Ana wants to do much more. "There are so many kids who don't have the opportunities I do, who need a voice," she says. "That's why I keep doing this."