Report From Our Visit To Nicaragua

Recently Michele Jackson, executive director of MLJ Adoptions, Inc., and I travelled to Nicaragua to visit our in-country staff and assess the current adoption situation. Part of our program development is to make regular visits and identify any potential problems or delays. While there, we had the opportunity to meet with the director of Mi Familia, Maria Reyes and the head attorney, Gloria Bravo and are pleased to announce that we feel that the climate for international adoptions in Nicaragua is favorable at this time. The staff at Mi Familia were very friendly and helpful and expressed a positive attitude and a sincere desire to help the children of Nicaragua connect with families.

After confirming that our information on the adoption process was on target and that things were in fact very optimistic, we had the opportunity to visit some local orphanages. We were able to visit an orphanage in Managua where the Fatherless Foundation and Connection Pointe Christian Church are planning a trip a service project in March. If you have an interest in participating in the trip – please email the Fatherless Foundation.

My overall impression of Nicaragua as a first time visitor was that it was a country of great beauty – both in landscape and in people. The poverty that we saw was in stark contrast to the rich beauty of the country. It is a place where life is simple but hard. The children there were so beautiful, with big white smiles and a glimmer of hope in their eyes. My hope is that in connecting children to families, we will help create a situation in that the families will develop a love for Nicaragua and will want to give back. We are very excited about the future of our program.