Find Families for Older Colombian Orphan Children

“We all have to help each other somehow.” That conviction prompted New Yorker Flor to host Eliana, an older Colombian orphan, through Kidsave in 2016 and ultimately to adopt her.  “My way of helping is to adopt this girl and give her the opportunity to have a better future.”

 Flor had been thinking about fostering a child, and possibly adopting, when she came across Kidsave’s hosting program in 2015 and listened to a webcast about it.  She was willing to try hosting through the four- or five-week Summer Miracles program to “see what happens.” And after just two weeks, “it was evident we were a good pair,” she said. “My friends were over-the-moon with her and the Kidsave program. They said, ‘Oh you cannot let her go back [to the orphanage]!’”

 “One of the hardest things was the language barrier but we used Google Translate and body language and sometimes just asked someone in a store or restaurant to translate. In New York City there’s no shortage of Spanish speakers.  Many of them who met Eliana kept asking when she was coming back to New York.

 “I had no children and it was a little scary but Kidsave gave good support throughout the whole process, all the way through until the adoption was finalized. Conference calls and conversations with other families that had been through it all really helped as well.

 “Looking back on my life I asked myself what I had accomplished. Before Eliana, I wasn’t satisfied with the answer. But now, I definitely feel happy that I gave this girl an opportunity. Hosting for those few weeks was very significant. Without it, I would not have met and gotten to know Eliana or known how comfortable we’d be together! It was one of the most meaningful things I have ever done.  It has literally changed my life.”

Flor’s sister has caught the spirit and plans to host an orphan in 2018!

• Eliana, as an orphan (PDF)
  
• Eliana with her new mom and dad (PDF)