Hope Starts At Home: Alejandra’s Story
Alejandra arrived at the orphanage when she was very young. With a dual diagnosis of autism and blindness, her journey has been challenging, marked by a unique need for care and support.
But Alejandra’s blindness never kept her from exploring the world in her own beautiful way. The staff at the orphanage taught her how to navigate spaces through touch, helping her grow in her independence. But her life was far from easy.
While the orphanage staff loved and cared for her the best they could, institutional care can’t possibly offer the individual attention that a family environment provides. With large numbers of children and a rotating staff of employees, even the best orphanage is no substitute for a family.
In addition, many orphanages don’t have the resources to handle the special needs of children like Alejandra. Alejandra struggled to control her emotions and often reacted to the sensory overload by hitting or biting herself and, sometimes, others around her.
In many places around the world, Alejandra might have remained in the institution until she reached adulthood, aging out into an uncertain future. But thankfully, her story doesn’t end in the orphanage. Because of you, her life changed forever.
A Loving Family, A Brighter Future
When she was five years old, Alejandra was welcomed into the loving arms of a foster family. Immediately, her life began to transform in meaningful ways.
Alejandra’s foster family learned as much as possible about her unique needs to ensure she received the best care. As she adapted to life in a family, Alejandra still struggled to control her emotions and behavior. Her foster family patiently and lovingly developed techniques to calm her during her moments of distress.
Simple activities like going for a walk began to soothe her. And Alejandra’s foster family soon uncovered another passion—her love of water. Swimming became a source of joy and calm for her, an activity where she feels completely at ease.
A few months after she came into their care, Alejandra’s foster family enrolled her in a special education school. This provided her with new routines and structured support. This adjustment helped both her and her foster family in their journey together, making daily life a bit smoother.
As she became more comfortable in her new environment, Alejandra’s foster family discovered her affectionate nature and the warmth she brought to their home. Each member of the family came to appreciate how she expressed love and connection in her unique ways.
New Passions, New Hope
After several months with her foster family, Alejandra has made wonderful progress. Her emotional outbursts have lessened, and her family finds that they can now help her calm down more quickly. She’s even started accepting louder sounds—a significant step for a girl who once found them overwhelming.
To support her growth, Alejandra and her foster mother began attending therapy with an autism specialist, learning additional strategies that help her understand and manage her behaviors. Alejandra continues to expand her horizons with new interests and activities. She loves singing and listening to music, an activity that has brought more joy into her daily life.
At night, she sleeps soundly, a testament to the safety and stability she feels in her foster home.
Alejandra’s story is a beautiful example of how every child, no matter their challenges, can thrive in a family environment. And in just a few weeks, we invite you to help more orphaned and vulnerable children like Alejandra experience the love of a family.
Hope Starts At Home This GivingTuesday
Tuesday, December 3 is GivingTuesday—a global day of generosity. GivingTuesday is a movement that encourages individuals around the world to give back and make a difference.
Every year, your generosity on GivingTuesday leaves us speechless. Last year, you set a record for our biggest fundraising day ever. And this year, we invite you to join us once again to change the way the world cares for orphans.
Hope starts at home, and every child deserves to grow up surrounded by the warmth and security of a family. This GivingTuesday, our goal of $200,000 will ensure that even more orphaned and vulnerable children around the world will be raised in loving families.
And on GivingTuesday, your impact will be doubled! A generous group of donors will match every donation, up to $100,000! If we reach that matching gift amount, we’ll meet our goal!
And you don’t have to wait until December 3...our GivingTuesday donation site is up and running now! All donations (even early ones!) will be matched.
Thank you for your continued support and generosity. You are changing lives across the globe. Together, we are changing the way the world cares for orphans…because hope starts at home.
*The child’s name has been changed to protect her privacy.