Helping children to sleep and dream

One of the key foundations for healthy development is sleep. Yet many children suffer sleep disturbance and deprivation, which impacts their health, learning, and social engagement. It’s hard to learn if your brain is fuzzy. It’s hard to engage socially when you’re tired and fragile. For many children these are some of the unseen effects of trauma – making it even more difficult for them to develop resilience and recover. A crucial step towards wellbeing for these children is restorative sleep.

The Sleep & Dream Foundation Ltd is a registered charity based in Australia. We provide front-line organisations with our sleep-enhancing resources to empower vulnerable children and families to find inner-calm and sleep well.

About our founder and director

Ahna de Vena was moved to help young people sleep well. This came from her personal experience of childhood insomnia and anxiety, which continued into her adult life, resulting in serious health issues. As a trained sleep therapist, Ahna knows good sleep patterns are best established early. That’s why she’s passionate about supporting the cultivation of healthy sleep for vulnerable children and families.

“I used to hate being in bed on my own, but now I know what to do when I feel scared.” 

Jewel O'Shea, Age 7

How we make a difference

The Sleep & Dream Foundation supplies partner organisations with Sleep Kits and provides ongoing training and guidance in their use. The outcome is a more peaceful bedtime for children and their carers, and better quality sleep for everyone.

The organisations we’re currently working with include: Life without Barriers, The Smith Family, Lismore Women’s Health & Resource Centre, It Takes A Town, OTCP-On Track Community Programs, St Vincent de Paul, and Women Up North Housing.

Imagine a world where all vulnerable children and families are supported and empowered to find inner calm and sleep well. 

Our vision is to expand our reach to an ever-widening range of organisations—so that Australia’s most vulnerable children can sleep, heal, and thrive. As our work is funded solely by donations, we appreciate your support in helping to make this vision a reality.

Give the gift of sleep

Your donation will provide vulnerable children and families with practical resources that enhance their sleep and wellbeing.

All donations are tax-deductable