After serving in the mission field in Spain and Morocco with the poor and down trodden Josh Brazier, 25 years old, felt a deep burning desire in his heart to do something for the disenfranchised.  He returned back home to continue his studies in a university in Utah and shortly thereafter an idea began to formulate in his mind the creation of a new ministry around a Japanese word “kaizen” meaning doing something better each new day.  As his idea gained momentum Josh began discussing a dream with his good friend Josh Budinger (tall Josh) and they added an ‘i” and together co-founded the Kaiizen Foundation.  Josh Budinger serves Kaiizen its Chief Development Officer. 

Josh Brazier had been going to the Ensenada area to surf for several years and before making one of his trips there an idea came to him to look for an orphanage in the Ensenada area.  He found the El Sauzal Orphanage’s Web page and on his next surfing trip the two friends dropped by our Orphanage for a visit.  Josh Brazier told me, “I originally intended to only to do a clothing company and have some type of non-profit attached to it.  After much brainstorming and meeting up with Josh our trip to your orphanage solidified the idea of helping kids.”

After visiting us their dream solidified that Kaiizen would concentrate on helping children especially at orphanages.  I met both Josh’s and 80 more Kaiizen people mostly all university students on a recent visit to our Orphanage.  I watched the wonderful dynamics of this group at play and work with our kids.  Each one served as the Lord’s Ambassador to our kids and our Home for Needy Children.  The photo below shows them on a gym set that that they had installed on a previous trip.

Josh Brazier’s dream is to establish Kaiizen chapters on every university campus in America.  He plans on launching a clothing company that sells surf wear and Orphan Skate that will market skate wear with the profits to go to the Kaiizen Foundation to support their ministries. Josh Brazier plans to travel the Nation to establish Chapters and lobby for their ministry. 

I asked Josh, “How do you inspire college kids to come to an Orphanage?”  Josh replied, “The most important thing we do is provide an amazing, almost life-changing experience for college aged kids. It is our hope that after one of our trips to an orphanage that they will be inspired to change some part of the world where they see a need. We hope they will keep coming back and continue to help us too!  We can do this because of the 3 A's. The trips are Affordable. The trips are Appealing. The trips are Accessible, meaning they don't take up a lot of time. For $90 they can taste of  a fun social/service experience. It has been an awesome program. College students have so much to offer. We are idealistic.  We have the desire to change things now.”

After meeting this young man, I have no doubt that everything he hopes for will come to fruition.    

-Roy V. Ketring III