Back To Family: Oscar’s Story

In a hospital in Sonora, Mexico, a baby boy named Oscar* was born to a mother struggling with addiction. Immediately after his birth, instead of being embraced by his mother's loving arms, Oscar was whisked away to receive medical care.

Due to Oscar’s prenatal exposure to drugs, he had serious health complications that required specialized care and continued monitoring. After completing his initial hospital treatments, Oscar was transferred to an orphanage in Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora.

His mother was not able to care for him, so Oscar remained in institutional care for the next nine months. During a period when he should have been surrounded by family love, Oscar was cared for by a rotating staff at the orphanage.

While the staff did their best, studies show that institutional care has damaging long-term physical and emotional effects on children. Nothing can replace the stability, structure, and individual attention found within a family.

Oscar desperately needed to get out of the orphanage and back to a family.

Thankfully, your support made this possible! When he was nine months old, Oscar was welcomed into the home and hearts of a loving foster family. There, he began to thrive...and his life changed forever.

Welcomed With Open Arms

Oscar’s foster family embraced him with open arms and prepared themselves to provide the individual attention and care he would require. While at the orphanage, Oscar faced numerous health problems, sensory issues, and developmental delays.

His foster family was attentive and proactive, ensuring that Oscar received the best care. They worked with doctors to develop a comprehensive treatment plan for his medical conditions. They also established healthy routines, ensuring he was on a structured sleeping and eating schedule while also providing plenty of playtime to aid his development.

After just a few weeks with his foster family, Oscar began to show significant physical and emotional improvements. He was enthusiastically trying new foods, leading to weight gain and increased strength.

He also started expressing his needs more clearly, crying for his bottle and engaging more with his surroundings. These small but significant milestones indicated his growing comfort and security in his new home.

Milestones and Memories

As weeks and months passed, Oscar reached more milestones in his foster family’s care. His strength and coordination continued to increase. Initially unable to stand, Oscar took his first steps just a few months later!

Oscar also celebrated his first birthday surrounded by the love of a family. At his birthday party, he showed his newfound love for dancing to music (a love that has continued as he’s grown older)! His joy was shared by everyone in attendance as his foster family cheered him on. And his growth, both physically and developmentally, was incredible to witness.

We are thrilled to share that Oscar was recently adopted. While his foster family will miss him tremendously, we all celebrate that he has a bright future ahead. Oscar has already been loved so much, and he will continue to be loved in his forever family.

Thank you for being Oscar’s hero and ensuring he got out of an orphanage and back to family...where he belongs.

Back To Family

You are making a significant difference in the lives of children just like Oscar all across Mexico. In fact, in the last six months, we've placed more children back into families than in all of 2023! Our programs in Mexico are thriving, and we are so grateful to you for making it possible.

At the same time, this requires more resources to support, train, and equip families and their foster children. Inflation in Mexico is the highest it’s been in a year, which means the funds we use to help get kids back to family don’t go as far as they used to. The demand for family-based care in Mexico has outpaced our available resources.

Your support is crucial in continuing our mission to get children out of orphanages and into loving families.

This August, as many parents are getting their kids ready to go back to school, we are focused on getting kids back to family. Many children in Mexico still wait for the chance to experience the warmth and security of a family. Your support can make this possible.

And if you give in August, your gift – and your impact – will be DOUBLED. A team of generous individuals has come together and agreed to match every donation this month!

Every gift, of any amount, makes a difference in the life of a child. Thank you for your support and generosity.

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

*The child’s name has been changed to protect his privacy.