This is one family's story of how they decide to adopt and their journey to bring their son home from China. Gladney's Superkids team met their son Ethan on one of the many Superkids Trips.
Gladney’s Superkids program is a humanitarian aid initiative that provides developmental screenings, caregiver trainings, and adoption advocacy on behalf of children with special needs in international orphanages. Since 2007, over a dozen Superkids trips have been made with Gladney staff and professional volunteers, including physicians, early childhood development specialists, and teachers. Gladney’s advocacy through Superkids has a wide and collaborative reach, in order to find homes for waiting children in need.
The world of intercountry adoption has changed significantly and continues to evolve with the majority of children available for adoption being waiting children, who are older children and children with special needs. It is Gladney’s hope to find loving homes for as many of these children as we can. As a result of specific relationships with caregiving organizations and partner orphanages, Gladney’s Superkids teams gather real and up-to-date information on waiting children, which helps us to advocate to find homes for children who would otherwise live a lifetime in orphanages without the love and care of families. In addition, we are able to improve outcomes for children who may never be adopted. Superkids provides caregiver training to advance attitudes towards children with special needs so that they develop beyond previous expectations and reach mobility milestones. Superkids also provides direct support, such as delivering specialized bottles for children with cleft lip/palate, delivering wheelchairs, and training caregivers on their use.
Obtaining hands-on, eyes-on developmental screenings of waiting children by Superkids professional volunteers is invaluable in the necessary effort of identifying loving and prepared prospective couples who have a parenting heart for these special children.
To find out more about Gladney Center for Adoption's Superkids and adoption programs, you can visit our websites:
Gladney.org
Gladney.org/superkids
AChildtoLove.org
21 окт 2024
