Andruis and Kara Are Aging Out!

Aging out is when a child becomes unadoptable due to their age and the legal process in either the child's country or the country of an adopting parent. There are many aging out children listed HERE. You can also see the children we have shared in past weeks HERE. There is still time for some of the children we have shared before to be adopted if families act quickly! Today's children are in two different countries with different processes. You can email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information about any of these children!

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Andruis http://reecesrainbow.org/1124/andruisl December 31 $21,559 grant


There are additional videos and photos of Andruis. Andruis has Down syndrome. He also has hearing impairment and hearing aids. He is described as a calm and gentle child who likes to play with dolls and stuffed animals. A visitor watched him sit gently and play with a smaller child in his group. He doesn't speak but he does understand what he hears and can follow directions. He can take care of his needs with very minimal assistance. He is currently attending a special needs school.

Our family has adopted older boys much like Andruis. We have found that though all of those years of waiting take their toll, at their hearts our boys were very much children waiting to be loved and waiting to live in a home with a family. Older boys can seem scary. We've found that despite the institutionalization and trauma, our boys are kids. They came home and wanted to watch Thomas the train and play with Legos. That isn't to say that adoption of a child with a more complicated background like this should be taken on lightly, but in our own experience it has been so worth it. Our boys have a great life. They have so many opportunities in their future, but most of all they are in a family that loves them.

If Andruis is not adopted, then at 21 he will be moved to the adult wing of the same facility. He will live there for the rest of his life if he is not adopted. He could have a family! He deserves a family.

Andruis is a child who has been listed for such a long time with such a large grant. Look how little he was! I continue to be shocked that he doesn't have a family. Perhaps one reason he is still waiting is that his county is requiring that a family does not have small children. That is a tough requirement because it knocks so many experienced families out of the running. In his case, according to people who have seen him, this is a country requirement rather than a requirement based on his particular needs and behaviors. He is currently with much smaller and weaker children and interacts well with them, but because his country is holding firm, that rule must be followed.

I will say again how huge Andruis's grant is. It is currently $21,559. That is almost an entire adoption already paid for, after the initial expenses have been covered! It is such a huge advantage for a family looking to adopt who thinks they are a good fit for Andruis's needs. He has the largest grant out of any child currently listed on Reece's Rainbow! Unfortunately he is running out of time for a family to use that grant. Andruis will turn 16 on December 31, 2016 and lose his chance for a family forever.

Andruis is in a different country than other children I've posted about before, and his country has some different requirements. The aging out requirement for immigration paperwork and fees to be sent in before he turns 16 is the same as a few other countries. His country also requires that adoptive parents are at least 18 years older than the child but not over 50 years old. For Andruis that means parents should be between 34 and 50. His country also requires couples who have been married at least 2.5 years. This is a country with two trips and unrelated children can be adopted at the same time. UPDATE: There are only one or two options for agencies working within this country. There may be specific religious or ethnic requirements put in place by the agencies. Those could possibly be waived, but I am not certain how that process works.

There is more information about Andruis on his profile HERE. If you have any questions about how to adopt Andruis you can email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org. His $21,559 grant will cover most of his adoption expenses, but he needs a family to file paperwork before his birthday on December 31.

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Kara http://reecesrainbow.org/101848/kara December

Kara is an aging out child in the same country that we have adopted from. She needs a family to send in immigration paperwork and fees before she turns 16 in December. Her profile says she has cerebral palsy and severe mental delays. There is very limited information about Kara. Her photo shows her standing up, so she seems to have independent mobility. Beyond that, we don't know a lot. We do know she needs a family though. Based on the diagnoses listed on her profile, Kara will never be allowed to live outside of an institution in her country. It is hard for a family to make a leap for a child with so little available information, but hopefully Kara's family will see this and know that she is meant to be their daughter even with such a brief profile.

Kara's country requires married couples. At least one parent will need to be more than 15 years older than Kara. Kara is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant to assist with adoption expenses. Her profile is HERE and you can email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information.