— RESOURCES —
Answers for supporters.
Assets for the press.
Start with the questions below. Working on a story? The media kit has what you need.
— FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS —
What donors, mentors, and partners ask us most.
CATEGORY ONE
About the mission.
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What makes Friends of the Forgotten different from other disability charities?
Our model is reciprocal. We do not send experts to fix children — we commission disabled adults whose lived experience of marginalization and perseverance carries authority. Transformation flows both ways: as children move toward belonging, mentors rediscover purpose. The helper is helped. That reciprocity defines our mission.
Why focus on institutionalized children with disabilities?
In many developing nations, children with disabilities are vastly overrepresented in institutional care — often more than 50% of the population — due to a lack of family-based care. These children face severe isolation, stigma, and developmental risk. Without consistent relational presence, hope narrows and emotional development slows.
We exist to interrupt that message: you are seen, you are wanted, you have a future.
Why go abroad? Aren't there forgotten children here too?
Because both the need and the opportunity are extraordinary.
In many developing countries, large institutions still hold children with disabilities — unseen, untouched, often without a single person who knows their name. In the United States, most of those institutions closed long ago. As imperfect as the foster care system is, it has replaced the kind of warehousing we still see overseas. That is a sign of progress worth honoring.
But this mission isn't about choosing one place over another. We are sending adults with disabilities from the United States to serve alongside and uplift children overseas — and in that exchange, both hearts are strengthened. Most of all, these children have no one. We go because no one else is going.
FROM JOHN: A closer look at why this mission focuses on institutionalized children in the developing world — and what it means for the adults we send.
Do you only serve children with disabilities?
Our focus is institutionalized children with disabilities — the most forgotten of the forgotten. But forgottenness doesn't stop at a diagnosis. Some of the institutions we serve are home to children with disabilities and other disadvantages side by side; in other communities, a nearby orphanage may hold children whose struggles are less visible — yet who are just as unseen, just as unclaimed. When we are there, we go to them too. In the mission field, the lines are rarely clear-cut. The forgotten are not.
Is this a Catholic or ecumenical mission?
We are rooted in Catholic values and Gospel inspiration, but we serve ecumenically. We act in the spirit of Christ's love — through presence, dignity, and compassion — not conversion. All who share this spirit are welcome to walk with us.Do mentors need to have a disability?
CATEGORY TWO
The work.
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Do mentors need to have a disability?
Not necessarily. While most of our mentors do have lived experience of disability, we also welcome family members, caregivers, and others who carry deep empathy for the children we serve. What matters most is humility, availability, and a willing heart.
Where do you currently work?
We have completed mission trips to Mexico, Guyana, Malawi, and Jamaica, and are preparing for upcoming work in Malawi. Each partnership is built carefully — with mission-based orphanages, schools, and hospitals — and each relationship is meant to last.
Who are your partners?
We collaborate with Catholic religious orders, Christian organizations, mission-based nonprofits, schools, hospitals, and NGOs serving vulnerable children with compassion, integrity, and a heart for disability and healing relationships. Our partner sites are carefully discerned and aligned with our values of dignity-centered care.
How do I become a mentor?
The path begins with a conversation. You can read about mentor formation and submit a brief inquiry on our Become a Mentor page. If we both sense a fit, you'll begin a formation period that includes readings, reflection, and a team introduction — and then you're commissioned and paired with a child or young adult.
CATEGORY THREE
Giving & stewardship.
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Is my gift tax-deductible?
Yes. Friends of the Forgotten is a registered 501(c)(3) lay Catholic ministry (EIN 61-2199740). Every gift is fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law, and we provide a receipt for every donation.
How is my donation used?
Your gift sustains the mentor recruitment, formation, travel, and field presence that make our work possible. We pair mentors with children, equip them through formation, send them faithfully, and accompany them with pastoral and logistical support. Every dollar carries dignity.
How is the mission funded?
We are privately funded — sustained by individual donors, monthly partners (Circle of Hope), grant support, and the generosity of churches and parishes who believe in our mission. We hold ourselves to prudent stewardship and steady, sustainable growth.
— MEDIA KIT —
Working on a story?
Start with a conversation.
ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW
About Friends of the Forgotten
Friends of the Forgotten is a Catholic international mission and 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2025 by John Foppe. Working alongside local partners in the developing world, the organization connects disabled adult mentors with isolated disabled children through mentoring relationships, education, and advocacy. Its work creates opportunities for adults to contribute and for children to experience meaningful relationship and belonging.
FOUNDER BIO
John Foppe
Born without arms, John Foppe is the founder of Friends of the Forgotten and a global servant to the overlooked. For more than 30 years, John has spoken and consulted in more than 25 countries, helping leaders and organizations rethink resilience, responsibility, and human potential. Today, through Friends of the Forgotten, he connects adults with disabilities as mentors to children with disabilities living in isolation throughout the developing world—turning longing into belonging.
APPROVED PHOTOGRAPHY
9 signature images
High-resolution, cleared for editorial use. Click any photo to open the full-resolution file. Credit: Friends of the Forgotten.
APPROVED B-ROLL CLIPS
Video Footage from the field
Three one-minute b-roll clips countries where we've served, cleared for broadcast and online use.
Jamaica
Files are full-resolution 1080p MOV, hosted on Google Drive. Credit: Friends of the Forgotten.
PULL QUOTES FROM JOHN FOPPE
ISOLATION & BELONGING
“The deepest wounds aren’t always physical. They’re relational.”
PRESENCE & RELATIONSHIP
“Sometimes love doesn’t arrive with an answer. It simply shows up.”
“Presence sounds small until you’ve lived without it.”
DISABILITY & CONTRIBUTION
“Disability doesn’t disqualify anyone from purpose. It often prepares them for it.”
“For too long, we’ve asked what people with disabilities need. We also need to ask what they have to give.”
FREEDOM & RESPONSIBILITY
“Responsibility expands possibility.”
“Making the most of what you have is only the beginning. The bigger question is: How will you make what you have matter?”
TESTIMONIALS
“John gave them a future they never thought they had.”
Beatrice Dambe
Catholic Care for Children Malawi
“One of the institutions told us that the way they think and the way they do things has changed because they were able to hear John and Craig explain about their lives.”
Sr. Justa Kanama, OCD
Association of Women Religious Institutes, Malawi
“We didn’t know what people with disabilities could do. But seeing how you manage yourselves has given us encouragement. Now we can tell our students, ‘You can manage.’”
Teacher
Maryview School for the Deaf, Malawi
“He has instilled self-confidence in me. I wish also to perform wonders, regardless of my disability.”
Student
Montfort School for the Blind, Malawi
RESEARCH & DATA
What the research says
Our headline statistics are on the What We Do page. The evidence bank documents the sourcing behind them — full citations, direct quotes from each source, and links to the original research.
“Children raised in institutions experience measurable delays in brain development, attachment, and cognitive function. The first five years of life are the most critical for brain development — and the most vulnerable to deprivation.”
Summarized from Harvard Center on the Developing Child · WHO · UNICEF
JOHN FOPPE’S TESLA STORY
Born without arms. Drives a Tesla.
Now discover what drives him.
Tesla's customer story on John Foppe — how Full Self-Driving changed what he can reach, and why he's using it to reach children the world forgot.
— STILL HAVE QUESTIONS? —
We'd love to hear from you.
If you didn't find the answer you were looking for, reach out directly. We answer every message personally — usually within 24 hours.
— OR — Call +1 (618) 830-0332