New Hope Orphanage

The Problem

New Hope Orphanage, a non-profit organization supporting orphaned and vulnerable children in Yaoundé and Douala, Cameroon, needed a digital platform that could serve two critical functions: first, to establish a trustworthy online presence to attract donations, volunteers, and community support; and second, to provide administrators with a centralized system to track donations, manage user registrations, respond to messages, and monitor platform activity. Off-the-shelf solutions lacked the specific customization required to manage their unique operational data.

What I Built

I architected and developed a full-stack web application that serves two distinct audiences: a warm, mission-driven public website for supporters, and a secure, data-rich Admin Console for system administrators to manage all aspects of the organization.

Public-Facing Features (Frontend)

• Donation Portal: A dedicated donation page with support for one-time gifts, monthly giving, and child sponsorship options. The homepage displays a real-time funding counter showing the total amount raised in FCFA.
• Mission & Services Showcase: Informational sections detailing the organization's mission, core services (Education, Nutrition & Health, Community Engagement, Healthcare Support), and impact statistics.
• Team & Gallery: A team section introducing staff members and a video gallery showcasing the children and daily activities at the orphanage.
• Contact & FAQs: A contact page with a message form, physical address, and a frequently asked questions section to assist potential donors and volunteers.
• User Authentication: Login and registration functionality for users to create accounts and manage their donor profiles.

Admin Console Features (Backend)

• Comprehensive Dashboard: Real-time metrics tracking Total Raised (Confirmed), Confirmed Donations, Registered Users, and Contact Messages, with a date-range filter and quick-select buttons for 7d, 30d, 90d, and 1y periods.
• Donation Management: A dedicated module to view, filter, and manage all donation records, with statuses for confirmed, pending, and failed transactions.
• Donation Trend Chart: A visual line chart displaying donation trends over the selected period, helping administrators identify giving patterns and campaign effectiveness.
• Cause Breakdown: A "By Cause" analytics panel that categorizes donations, allowing the organization to track which initiatives (e.g., Education, Healthcare, Disaster Relief) receive the most support.
• Message & User Management: Tools to read and respond to contact messages, manage registered users, and send admin invites to onboard new staff members.
• Settings & Media: Configuration options for platform settings and a media library for managing images and videos used across the public site.

Technical Highlights

• Full-Stack Architecture: Custom backend API handling database interactions, authentication, donation processing, and business logic, coupled with a dynamic frontend built for performance.
• Database Design: Relational database schema designed to handle complex relationships between users, donations, causes, messages, and media assets.
• Security: Secure admin routes, encrypted passwords, and role-based access control to protect sensitive donor and operational data.
• Responsive Admin UI: The dashboard is fully responsive, allowing administrators to manage the organization from a laptop, tablet, or mobile device.
• SEO & Performance: Implemented SEO best practices with structured data (schema.org NGO markup), meta tags, and fast loading times to improve discoverability.

Results

The new platform successfully established New Hope Orphanage's digital presence and provided a robust operational backbone for the organization. Administrators now have complete visibility into donation activity, can track their impact through visual analytics, and can manage supporter relationships efficiently from a single dashboard. The solution has created a scalable foundation for the orphanage to grow its donor base and expand its programs.