Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Alexandre and Franciso, adoptive parents from Brazil, found themselves adopting a sibling group of three boys. While they were originally searching for one child under the age of six, after meeting siblings Patrick (12), Pablo (9), and Gabriel(6), Alexandre and Francisco couldn't adopt just one of them. In Brazil, many children who are "mixed race" are considered un-adoptable and additionally, similar to the United States, children over the age of six are less likely to be adopted.

“We decided we would find a way to make it work. We felt we had no choice.”

Both issues resonated with Alexandre and Francisco, and they decided they had room in their home and their hearts for all three boys. "They were trying to place the youngest and another one with us, but we wanted the three of them. From the start, it was unthinkable to leave one of the boys there,” Alexandre said. “We decided we would find a way to make it work. We felt we had no choice.” While this family is in Brazil, there are countless parallels to their stories and the stories we see every day in our program- Project Wait No Longer-Older Child Adoption from Foster Care (PWNL). 

Children are so much more than their ages and they deserve loving, forever families who will accept and love them for who they are!

PWNL is a program of The Barker Adoption Foundation that seeks to find permanent, adoptive families for older children whose circumstances resulted in their being placed into public foster care. Most of the children are 12–17 years old, but some younger waiting children are part of larger sibling groups (three or more children) who desperately wish to stay together. PWNL has placed over 100 wonderful children with adoptive families in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. - including sibling groups. As you are navigating adoption- what needs and ages you are open to, program and more, we understand you may have a lot of questions or feel like you may be open to a program, but are not sure if you are equipped. You don't have to do this alone. Our team of program Directors, specialist, and support are ready to answer your questions, provide tools and resources you need along the way (and after!), and training to prepare you for this journey. Attending one of our monthly general information meetings is a great way to start. You are able to hear with more detail about all of our programs, talk to staff and hear from a Barker family. If older child adoption is the program you are ready to move forward with, P.R.I.D.E Training is the next step towards your older child adoption journey. Visit our events calendar to RSVP for our next monthly general adoption information meeting or to see when our next P.R.I.D.E. Training starts! 

 

View Alexandre and Francisco's full story

 

If you or someone you know is interested in older child adoption, please contact our office and speak to an adoption specialist at 301-664-9664 or info [at] barkerfoundation.org today!

Find the original article, here: https://theintercept.com/2017/02/06/a-same-sex-couple-set-out-to-adopt-a-child-they-ended-up-with-three/Photo: Courtesy Alexandre Louzada and Francisco David

 

By: 
Alex Williams, MSW - Outreach and Program Support Specialist, Project Wait No Longer