EP 149: Dian Alyan’s (journey to) GiveLight.org
“People tend to be afraid of the unknown. The most dangerous thing is the illusion of knowledge. We need to have an open mind and embrace the world.”
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Dian Alyan is the Founder & CEO of the GiveLight Foundation (GiveLight.org) — a non-profit inspired by Islamic values to help orphans across the globe regardless of nationality, race, or religion. This is actually a conversation from Raman’s other, OTHER podcast, “Learnings from Leaders” - the P&G Alumni Podcast (pgalums.com/podcast) — where each week you can hear candid, mentorship-style conversations with some of the most interesting leaders in business. Given that Dian's not just Muslim, but also Indonesian, featuring our really inspiring conversation felt like an interesting way to bridge both the end to the Holy Month of Ramadan in the Muslim World, but also the start of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Dian founded GiveLight.org after the 2004 South Asian tsunami, where she lost many loved ones in her home country of Indonesia. Dian was inspired to provide for children going through similar devastation around the world — natural disasters and extreme conditions, like poverty and war. GiveLight is a non-profit creating high-quality housing and education for global orphans. What began as one home for 50 children has now expanded to support over 1,000 orphans in 11 countries globally — with a goal of housing 10,000 children in response to natural disasters, poverty, and war. GiveLight has responded to crises in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Morocco.
Prior to founding GiveLight - Dian spent a decade as the Outreach Director for the Muslim Community Association in the San Francisco bay area. And Dian got her start at P&G in brand management in beauty and healthcare brands across Asia. Dian’s work with GiveLight has garnered awards and engagements from Fortune 500s + prominent universities and has been featured in Newsweek, the Huffington Post, and many other media outlets. She lives in the San Francisco bay area, a mother of two - but she considers all children GiveLight reaches as a part of her family. Learn more about how you can help at GiveLight.org