A Brighter Future: Mariana’s Story

Mariana had never known the love of a family.

Born to a mother struggling with addiction, Mariana’s life was immediately off to a difficult start. She required immediate medical care in the hospital, showing signs and symptoms of several health concerns due to her mother’s struggles.

At just two months old, Mariana was placed into an orphanage in Sonora, Mexico. She remained there for five months, continuing to fight for her health. Mariana was malnourished, underweight, and experienced various respiratory illnesses. Additionally, growing up in the institutional environment, she began showing signs of developmental delays.

The staff at the orphanage tried their best to provide her with the care she needed, but it was clear that Mariana needed the love, support, and stability of a family.

Thankfully, when she was seven months old, Mariana was welcomed into the home and hearts of a loving foster family. This transition marked the start of her journey to healing and her path toward a brighter future.

A New Beginning

Due to Mariana’s prenatal exposure to drugs, her foster family knew she would need special, personalized care in addition to the love and attention all newborns require. The family jumped into action, scheduling appointments and follow-ups with doctors and other specialists to get her the care she needed.

Incredibly, the changes in Mariana were immediate. Within the first two weeks, her hair grew significantly, and she gained weight thanks to the nutrition she received. She also began reaching new developmental milestones, making more noises to communicate, exploring toys around her, and attempting to sit and stand with assistance.

Mariana’s family provided structure in her daily life, and she began to follow a consistent routine for sleeping, eating, and playing. This led to significant improvement in her muscle tone, and after just a few more weeks, Mariana began to crawl!

Continued Progress

As the weeks and months passed, Mariana continued to grow and thrive. She grew more than seven inches in four months, and her skin became softer and smoother.

Mariana’s doctors determined that her development was consistent with her age—a tremendous progress considering her initial developmental delays! The changes in Mariana weren’t just physical; she made substantial progress in her cognitive and emotional development as well.

Mariana began to interact more with others, responding differently to various children and adults. She repeated actions that attracted attention or amused others. It became clear that she was bonding with her foster family, clinging to them when she needed to feel safe and keeping her distance from strangers.

A Brighter Future

Today, Mariana is a happy, healthy, confident little girl. She says several words and even babbles nursery rhymes. She communicates with her foster family verbally, points and gestures to things she wants, and expresses displeasure—all important developmental milestones.

Most recently, Mariana learned to stand without any assistance, and her foster family celebrated as she took her first steps! We’re so thankful that Mariana is surrounded by a loving family who will celebrate with her as she learns and grows.

Thank you for making this possible! You have given Mariana hope for the future. And although her journey is far from over, this beautiful girl will grow up knowing the love of a family because of you.

We’d be honored if you would help more children like Mariana experience the love, support, and stability of a family. Every gift helps more orphaned and vulnerable children get out of orphanages and into loving families...where they belong.

Together, we are changing the way the world cares for orphans...because every child deserves a family.

*Name has been changed to protect the privacy of the child.