Zimkids Orphan Trust serves the needs of 300+ orphans out of the donations contributed by members of religious organizations, civic groups and arts organizations. The orphans, who make dolls and wire toys for their own play, regularly create extra toys as a THANK YOU to donors, who also receive a photograph and mini-biography of the toymaker. We are firm believers in the power of personal relationships – between donors and the children, between the founder and the children, between Zimkids’ volunteers and local caregivers. So we encourage our donors to write to the makers of dolls they purchase, and the dollmakers to respond.

Back in Zimbabwe, Dennis distributes 100 percent of the proceeds of those donations to the children in the form of food, school fees, clothing, vocational training, medical supplies, or whatever else a given child needs.

We also raise money through the Zimkids Orphan Foundation, a 501(c)(3) under U.S. law and are the grateful recipients of grants from the Independant Pilots Association (UPS), the Ambassador’s Self-Help Fund, the Shea Family Foundation, the Otelai Fund for Alexandria, Nike, Microsoft Youth Spark, and the P&G Alumni Foundation.

All the food, clothing and other supplies the orphans need are purchased either in Zimbabwe or neighboring Botswana to avoid theft in the mail and customs fees. Thanks to our partnership with US Africa Children’s Fellowship, which ships school books to Zimbabwe, packages can be shipped to Zimbabwe by mailing them to: Dennis Gaboury, Zimkids Orphan Foundation, 18 Roxbury Mountain Road, Hobart NY 13788 Please contact dennis at dennis@zimkids.com or dennis.gaboury@yahoo.com prior to sending anything to check on the prevailing situation in the Zimbabwean mails and customs.