The Dream Builders

The Dream Builders

Where sponsors help children learn, grow, and discover their magic.

The Dream Builders' Sponsorship Programme connects generous individuals and organisations with children at The Desha Academy who need support to fully access learning — Book Club membership, educational resources, and a safe, encouraging environment where confidence is built alongside academic skill. Every sponsorship changes a child's story. We are proud to recognize our growing community of Dream Builder sponsors below — and we welcome individuals and organizations across Trinidad and Tobago to join them in building brighter futures for our children.

What Would Your Sponsorship Supports

  • Book Club Membership

  • A safe, encouraging learning environment

  • Opportunities for confidence building and self-expression

  • Each sponsored child receives both academic support and emotional encouragement

Two children, a boy and a girl, sitting on a wooden slide reading books, with a brick wall in the background.
A young child dressed as the Cat in the Hat from Dr. Seuss, sitting on a bench and reading a Dr. Seuss book, with several other Dr. Seuss books displayed beside them.

Why This Matters

Many children have the ability to succeed - but not every child has access.

At Desha Academy, we see children who:

  • love to learn but lack resources

  • struggle with confidence

  • Need extra guidance and encouragement

  • come from families doing their best with limited means

Dream Builders help us bridge that gap.

It is a partnership in a child’s future.

A young girl with curly hair tied up in a bun, wearing a light blue shirt, sitting in a white high chair at a wooden table, looking at a colorful children's book titled 'Mundo' in a cozy indoor space with plants and wooden furniture.

How Can You Become a Dream Builder

Becoming a Dream Builder is simple:

  1. Choose to support one or more children

  2. Select a sponsorship level that suits you or your organization

  3. Complete the sponsor form

  4. Become part of the Dream Builder Family

Your support will directly impact a child’s learning journey.

Become a Sponsor

Featured Sponsor

A continued partnership in building children's dreams

Joan Chanman-Forbes leads Our Children, Our Future, Inc. (OCTF), a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supporting children through education, health, and financial assistance across communities in Los Angeles and Trinidad and Tobago. Her commitment to community service was forged through her own journey — stepping away from her career to care for her brother and later channelling that experience of compassion and resilience into building an organization devoted entirely to children in need. Joan and OCTF have been among The Desha Academy's most generous and consistent Dream Builder partners. What began with the sponsorship of three children's Book Club membership has grown into an ongoing partnership — her most recent contribution included a shipment of school supplies and a variety of other items for our children.

Colorful text spelling 'OCTF' with black silhouettes of jumping children around it.
Smiling woman with dark hair, wearing a colorful tropical dress with floral and leaf patterns, standing in front of a gray horizontal siding wall.

Joan Chanman-Forbes
President, Our Children, Our Future, Inc.

Joan's generosity has touched my family directly, not just The Desha Academy. She provided special equipment for my son — a gift that made a real difference in his daily comfort and care. It is one thing to support a cause from a distance. It is another to show up for a family, personally, with exactly what is needed. That is who Joan is, and that is the heart behind everything Our Children, Our Future does.

Her continued generosity reflects exactly the spirit OCTF was built on — and we are deeply grateful for her heart for our children

Our Dream Builders

We are deeply grateful to every individual and organization who have chosen to become a Dream Builder. Each sponsor listed below has helped make Book Club membership, learning resources, and confidence-building experiences possible for children who might not otherwise have access to them.

Smiling woman with dark wavy hair, wearing colorful tropical-patterned dress, earrings, and colorful ring, leaning on a white surface against a gray siding background.

Joan Forbes

President - Our Children, Our Future, Inc.

Sponsored 3 children

“Thank you for helping us build dreams and change stories.”

Bright, gold-colored illuminated star-shaped decoration against a dark background.

Helen Francis

Sponsored 3 children in a personal capacity

“Thank you for helping us build dreams and change stories.”

"Thank You" Feature

"Thank You" Feature

A thank you card with orange background, green decorative elements, and a photo of a girl and a boy reading books together near a window.
“Good morning Joan 🌷
I just wanted to sincerely thank you again for sponsoring the three children for our Children’s Book Club. Because of you, they were able to experience something special and meaningful. I’ve attached a small thank-you card as a token of our appreciation. We truly value your support and your heart for children.”
— The Desha Academy
A colorful thank you message with a pastel background and abstract, shiny, decorative elements at the top left and bottom right corners. The message expresses gratitude to sponsors for supporting a children's book club.
“Thank you so much, mummy for sponsoring the three children for the Book Club. It is definitely not a small gesture as it meant a lot to the children.

🌷
”
— The Desha Academy