10-year-old Bay Area girl gives back to orphanages

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- We all know Silicon Valley is full of entrepreneurs with big ideas, but here you're about to meet a very special one. She's only 10 and she's helping children all over the world.

An orphanage in the Philippines was once home to Kris Dufala. She was adopted at the age of 2. It was during a return visit, when Kris was 6, that she saw just how happy the children got when she and her parents brought them cake and ice cream. And so she launched the "Sweets For the Holidays" campaign.

"I want them to have a lot of happiness on their birthdays and on holidays," Kris said.

Kris started a letter-writing campaign and organized fundraisers. In two months she had enough money to throw a party at another orphanage in the Philippines. The idea caught on.

There are orphans enjoying treats Kris bought in Africa, China, and Romania. And soon the children started writing back.

Kris read a letter to her that said, "I want to thank you for your action so we can all the children from the campus can enjoy our birthdays."

This year Sweets For the Holidays became an official non-profit. Kris' mother, Lirio Dufala, is the CEO and deals with logistics so Kris can stick to handling fundraising and outreach.

"It's beyond me what she has started," Lirio said.

Kris is now focusing her efforts on Kris Campus in the Philippines. It's a fully functioning orphanage. She wants to break ground by the time she is 13 and have it up and running by the time she is 16.