abby and charlesImagine living in a country overwhelmed by poverty and war. Rocket fire can be heard from miles away and the idea of exploding car bombs are a reality for citizens living in fear in the midst of war. The notion of traveling to such dangerous places seems absurd; however, for Charles Davidson, fear was not an option. Doing the “absurd” led him to develop an organization devoted to helping men, women and children affected by war and poverty – ForgottenSong.

Graduating in 2008 with a degree in international relations, his travels began immediately. In 2009, he created the idea for ForgottenSong and moved to Afghanistan to teach English. Experiencing the sounds of rocket fire and car bombs, he said, “By the time I left, it didn’t faze me. I told myself that this is the life I’ve chosen because I want to make a difference in this type of place.” Since graduating, Davidson has lived in Afghanistan and Colombia, and with his wife Abby, a University of Arkansas alumna, the two lived in Iraq. Since marrying in 2010, Abby has joined her husband in furthering ForgottenSong’s mission.

Through his travels, ForgottenSong was born. An international non-profit organization working to sustainably improve the lives of men, women and children, it is founded on three pillars: self-sustainability, reproducibility and native-led.

“We start business initiatives that aim towards those who are hurting the most in these war-torn countries, and that meet all three pillars,” he said. “Essentially, we are a granting organization and we help start small businesses.”

One of the projects included the creation of a pre-kindergarten school in northern Iraq. Many displaced Iraqis who have moved to the north have little or no money to send their children to daycare facilities. Working with local officials, ForgottenSong put a subsidized childcare program in place. “This is where you can bring your kids to our school for free and not pay while you find a job,” he added. “We let them build up their income so they have steady jobs before they start paying for their kids to stay at our school, which subsidizes more families,” said Davidson.

After three months, the school became completely self-sustainable and remains 100 percent native-led. Because of its success, the Kurdish government recognized the school as one of the models for all of northern Iraq as others look to establish pre-K centers.

Iraq isn’t the only country that ForgottenSong is striving to make a difference in, but countries in Africa, Central America, the Middle East and other parts of the globe are experiencing the positive impact created by the organization.

Race for Febby is a challenge that “equips people like you to establish a permanent self-sustaining project which empowers war-torn countries in one of ForgottenSong’s current or future locations.” “You can find a race, raise money per mile and then, if you want, we will fly you to that particular country and have you meet the kids, taste the food and meet the director. It becomes a real-time experience for people to say they’ve made a physical contribution to a country that they felt strongly about,” Davidson said.

Pleased with the success of ForgottenSong, Davidson and his wife explored a new opportunity and founded Hello Cocoa, a company which partners with small farmers with the best cacao, and in turn, creates fine chocolate.