Saturday, February 11, 2012

More about Tatiana


Tatiana is now facing transfer. She seems like a sweet girl who is doing very well... and she desperately wants a family and needs one.
I am not sure what kind of a facility she will be transferred to: an orphanage for schoolage children where she will receive an education, or a mental institution (or maybe, if she is very lucky, something in between).

Tatiana needs a family soon.

Tatiana also has older siblings who are available for adoption. I do not know much about them--they are not listed on RR and do not have special needs. Tatiana could still be adopted by herself, or with her siblings. I do not know how much additional cost there would be to adopt her siblings. I do have some photos of 3 of them which I'm going to share. I'm going to use RR-style pseudonyms because I don't want to post too much personal info about these kids. If you want more information, though, contact me in the comments and I will get it to you. To my knowledge none of her older siblings are diagnosed with any special needs. In this country FAS is always a strong possibility, though, and the fact that Tatiana has been diagnosed with this makes it seem more likely it would be a situation one or more of her siblings face as well. Their pictures are probably not high enough quality to assess them for signs of it.

The eldest sibling, "Ava," was born in 1993. She is now over 18 and no picture of her is available. In Tatiana and Ava's country, children who turn 16 are only available for adoption if they are part of a sibling group. It may be that at 18 Ava is no longer available at all. In general orphans who age out of the system in this country have nowhere to go. They are given a paltry amount of supplies and money and sent out. This likely happened when Ava was 16 after she had finished her school year. There are some ministries that help orphans who age out, but there's no way of knowing if Ava connected with one of these groups. Even if she is no longer available for adoption, there may be a way for her to emigrate if she wishes if she has siblings in the US. At 18 or 19 she still needs permanency and parents--we all do--and she will always be Tatiana's sister.

"Charles" was born in 1994. He is now 17 or 18. If he will not be available for adoption once he turns 18, his time is very short. It seems likely he is also no longer able to live in an orphanage. This picture was taken when he was 15.


Tatiana's sister "Valencia" was born in 1998, so she will turn 14 sometime this year. Her picture was taken when she was 8:



"Connor" was born in 2003, so he is most likely 8. He was 6 when this picture was taken:


I don't know if any of Tatiana's siblings are together, what age they came into care, or how well they remember each other. I don't know whether all of them are in the same region (if not, there is a significant increase in cost and difficulty). I don't know anything about Ava's status. For me--Tatiana was a child we seriously considered, and knowing she had siblings might have thrown us for a loop. She was on the older side of what we were considering, and adopting a child born before we were married--which would include all of her older siblings--was a line that my husband really doesn't want to cross. But maybe adopting a sibling group of 3, 4, or 5 sounds good to you... maybe you saw one of those older kids' pictures and knew that was your son or daughter... maybe you have compassion for the situation Ava and Charles are now in... maybe you've adopted older children before. Maybe this confirms Tatiana is your daughter rather than scaring you off. Maybe there is someone out there for whom this situation--with all its unknowns and challenges--is exactly the right situation for your family. Or maybe God is telling you that just Tatiana is your daughter, and he has other plans for her siblings. Please don't let money stand in the way--God loves orphans and will be thrilled to bless your socks off if you decide to adopt any or all of these siblings. He cares deeply about Ava, Charles, Valencia, Connor, and Tatiana--because they are his children too. If God is calling you to this, though, please start quickly, because they need a family soon.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting about Tatiana. I just love her. If a family comes forward for her (as much as I would love to be her mommy, I don't qualify now) I pledge my support to them in every way I can. I'll fundraise, I'll spread awareness, I'll donate what little I can while being unemployed, whatever I can do. I see my A in her. Especially her new photo. And if that was my A about to be transferred... oh, how I hate that awful word... I would pray with a desperation I can scarcely imagine that somebody would save her when I couldn't. I want someone to commit to her so badly. Please, people... if you're out there... if you have the will... make a way.

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  2. If there were ANY way possible, I would take all 5 in a heartbeat. AND I know my husband would agree. Sigh. With God, all things are possible, right? I just can't imagine how He'd work it out in this situation. I will pray for someone to step into their lives!!!

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