Allies in Youth Development is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2011 based in Mansfield. They provide donors, advocates, and volunteers to rescue orphans from a future of despair, and provide them with human connections, life skills, and a pathway to education. They make a difference through training in-country volunteers for mentoring programs, human trafficking prevention programs, and humanitarian aid.
Allies serves in six countries: Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, South Ossetia, Romania and, most recently, Vietnam. They operate in 27 orphanages across these countries, which serve 2,000 orphans. They also serve to empower adoptive families and single moms.
People can always donate their used or new goods, and they are always looking for volunteers to pack boxes, sort donations, make cards, or put together toiletry kits.
They also encourage people to become monthly donors to help sponsor the Allies Mentoring Program. Just $12.50 will provide for an orphan in the program for a whole month.
The inaugural Russian Ball was held at the Hilton Anatole in 2018, and there are plans to continue it this year. Teas with Tatiana also raises awareness about human trafficking and what Allies' mission does in aiding prevention efforts.
