Our Story

In 1990, Gazi Lame was born just outside the capital of Albania. Communism had just fallen and the country faced financial turmoil. His parents could not care for him and placed him in the care of the state. From the age of 1-19 Gazi lived in a variety of orphanages throughout Albania. When he was a teenager, a church came to help at the orphanage. He first heard the gospel from this American team.

Several years later Gazi gave his life to the Lord and began attending Grace Church of Tirana. One Sunday, a family invited him over for dinner. He started going to weekly dinners at their home. Soon, this family unofficially adopted Gazi and he was welcomed in as one of their own. Gazi stayed with this family after leaving the orphanage and they helped him get a job and apply for school.

He began to work for a Christian rock climbing gym and when the organization changed it’s structure, the door was opened for Gazi to become the executive director. In 2017, he started asking if D3 could help in the orphanage where he was raised. The government gave permission for him to come once a week to teach soccer. As time went on, God continued opening the doors for D3 to serve at the orphanage. In 2017, Emiljo also joined the team and began helping with D3’s projects. Emiljo was raised in the orphanage and has a desire to mentor and support vulnerable kids in Albania. In 2022, Gazi married Bethany and she now helps teach English and communicate the work D3 does to donors.

Our hope is that, one day, there will be no more kids raised in state orphanages. We believe that the family is God’s design for where a child should be raised. We hope to promote foster care/adoption, support local families interested in caring for these kids and advocate for foster care within the government. Please email us to discuss how you can partner with what God is doing in Albania!