As the COVID-19 pandemic rages throughout Romania, one baby girl is safe where she belongs: at home, with a family who loves her.
It could have been very different. “Ava” was born into poverty and neglect. Malnutrition sent her to the hospital multiple times during her first year of life. She was finally taken into custody by child protective services and would probably have been placed in a center, but our social workers learned of her case. We matched her with a waiting family, who took her home last fall.
Today, Ava is healing from her first year of neglect, gradually gaining strength, and bonding with her new family. She needs a corrective surgery, which is delayed due to the pandemic, but otherwise she is thriving.
Romanian news recently reported the story of ten newborn babies infected with COVID-19 by staff negligence at a maternity hospital. This underscores what we have already seen throughout two decades of ministry: systems and institutions are not where children belong. Every child needs, deserves, and belongs in a family.
We're so thankful Ava has one.
What you can do:
Pray for Ava. Ask God to help her have surgery soon, and heal from it well. Pray that her placement in her family can be made permanent with no difficulty, once Romania reopens. To join our email prayer team and get timely requests, click below.
Give toward our ministry. We have rescued more than 400 babies and children like Ava, placing them in forever families — but many more are waiting. Your one-time or recurring gift helps cover all the costs, which average around $4,000 per adoption. No Romanian parent pays anything — all costs are covered by our donors.