Our first child home from Haiti pictured with her siblings!
International adoption is not for the faint of heart. Families who choose to adopt internationally do so for a variety of reasons, but resilience, courage and endurance are all qualities of these adoptive families. As 2016 comes to a close, we’re reflecting on the many successes our agency has seen this year:
- 97 children from 10 different countries joined their forever families!
- 38 families received referrals for their long-awaited children.
- We served families adopting from Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Samoa and Ukraine through our country programs. Through our Individualized Country Program, we served families adopting from Bangladesh, Liberia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan and Zimbabwe.
- 19 children participated in our Ukraine Hosting Program
- 15 sibling groups were able to remain together and be placed in permanent, loving homes.
- We assisted 38 families complete a home study in Indiana, including some for families adopting from China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Nepal, South Korea and the United States.
- Over 100 families started their international adoption journeys, seeking to bring children from hard places into their homes.
This year, we’re also celebrating 53 children being able to come home from Congo after a three-year exit permit suspension. While there has been no resolution to the exit permit suspension and the U.S. State Department still advises families against beginning adoptions from Congo, we’re thankful that almost all of our families celebrated the holidays with their child(ren) home.
It’s tempting to look at these numbers and fail to see the stories behind the numbers. Each of these numbers represents a child’s life that has been changed because of the courage and compassion of a family. Every single child is worthy of a family. As an adoption agency, we want to connect families with a heart for vulnerable children with deserving children.
It is only because of brave adoptive families and resilient children that we are able to share stories like these. Thank you for making 2016 a year to celebrate!
If you are interested in beginning your international adoption journey or learning more about our Indiana home study services, please contact us.
Caitlin Snyder
Caitlin Snyder works as the Director of Marketing and Outreach for MLJ Adoptions. Working in international adoption has given Caitlin the unique opportunity to pursue both a passion to advocate on behalf of vulnerable people and a profession at the same time.
Caitlin Snyder
Caitlin Snyder works as the Director of Marketing and Outreach for MLJ Adoptions. Working in international adoption has given Caitlin the unique opportunity to pursue both a passion to advocate on behalf of vulnerable people and a profession at the same time.