Healing Together: Noemi and Sara’s Story
Every child deserves a family. Every child deserves to grow up surrounded by the love, support, and stability they need to grow and thrive.
However, millions of children around the world are growing up without the love of a family. Whatever the circumstances – abuse, neglect, abandonment, or the death of a parent – these kids have lived through a traumatic experience that left them without a family.
That's why we are so grateful for you. Because of you, more orphaned and vulnerable children are in loving families today. Children like Noemi* and Sara*, two young sisters from Chihuahua, Mexico, are finding hope and healing through the love of a family.
Noemi and Sara’s Story
Like many orphaned and vulnerable children, Noemi and Sara experienced trauma at a young age.
The sisters were removed from their home because they weren’t being properly cared for. Their parents struggled with drug addiction – even using drugs in the presence of the children – and the girls were being neglected.
When authorities arrived, both girls were severely malnourished. They were both underweight for their ages and showed other signs of neglect. It was clear they had a long road ahead of them…and it was just as clear they needed the love and care of a family.
Because of your great work in Chihuahua, Noemi and Sara were welcomed into loving family care this summer. Surrounded by the love of a family, they began their journey to recovery.
The Road to Recovery
When Noemi and Sara first entered family care, they both struggled to overcome the pain and trauma of their past.
Noemi, the older sister, was afraid to be alone and wanted to be held all the time. At the same time, she was frightened of her foster father and other adult males.
Noemi also had little strength. She hadn’t received the proper nutrition with her biological family, and at 15 months old, she wasn’t eating solid food. She couldn’t stand on her own because her legs were so weak. In addition, she was restless and had difficulty taking naps and falling asleep at night.
Noemi’s younger sister Sara also suffered from severe malnutrition and was underweight. She was not able to hold her head up, and she had difficulty moving one of her arms and holding items with her hands. Like her sister, Sara also was restless and slept fitfully.
Over the next few weeks and months, the sisters’ foster family patiently and lovingly cared for the girls. And through the love of a family, Noemi and Sara began to heal.
Healing Together
Noemi and Sara have been in family care for just a few months, and the changes in both girls are incredible.
After initially struggling with her sleep, Noemi now takes three naps a day and sleeps well at night. She has gained weight, as she now eats five meals a day and is able to eat solid food. And although Noemi is still working to pronounce words, she loves to babble and sing!
Noemi has also started bonding with her foster family. She indicates she feels safe and has built a relationship with each family member, including her foster father.
Sara has also made amazing progress. Her strength has improved tremendously, and she is now able to hold her head up. She is able to move her arms correctly and loves to move around. And while she is still recovering from her malnutrition, she is well on her way to reaching a healthy weight for her age.
We are so thankful that Noemi and Sara are on the road to recovery. They know they are safe, valued, and cherished, and they have hope for the future. Because of you, these beautiful girls are growing up knowing the love of a family.
Give Hope on GivingTuesday
Every day, you are giving hope to children like Noemi and Sara. And in just ONE WEEK, there's an amazing opportunity for you to help even more kids find loving families.
GivingTuesday, a global day of generosity, is right around the corner on Tuesday, November 29. On GivingTuesday, we invite you to join us once again to change the way the world cares for orphans. Our goal of $125,000 will be used to help us grow in our current locations AND expand into our next new location in 2023.
And there’s great news…on GivingTuesday, you can double the impact of your gift! A generous team of donors will match every gift dollar for dollar, up to $62,500! If we reach that matching gift amount, we’ll meet our goal of $125,000.
If you’d like to jump in early, our GivingTuesday donation site is up and running! All donations made through the GivingTuesday page will be matched.
Thank you so much for your continued support and generosity. You make all of this possible. Together, we are changing the way the world cares for orphans…because every child deserves a family.
*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the children.