Older Child Gets Second Chance

Families Grow Through Adoption 

As a young girl growing up in a Colombian orphanage, Nubia could never have imagined she’d find a family of her own. Many of the children in her orphanage were abandoned, like her, or victims of abuse. Nubia hoped she’d be part of a family someday.

That day came when Nubia was a teenager. She spent a summer month with a California family through Wide Horizons For Children’s partnership with Kidsave. The program gives older children from orphanages summer vacations with host families. It also helps connect adoptive families with older children—like Nubia.

We’ve learned to enjoy the sense of constant discovery that our new family brings.

Elizabeth, Mom to Nubia

That summer, Nubia met and formed a particularly strong bond with Robert and Elizabeth, who eventually adopted her. Adopting an older child has its challenges, say Robert and Elizabeth, but they were ready for the journey.

“It’s an exercise in surprise, as they are simultaneously discovering themselves, processing their past and adjusting to a new country, life, and family,” explains Elizabeth.

Because she was adopted as a teenager, Nubia left behind her relationships and friends in Colombia. But with the love and support of her family, she has quickly settled into her new life in America, enjoying a whole new world of activities, such as backpacking in Yosemite and whale watching in the Pacific with her mom and dad.

With her interest in the cosmos and what her mom describes as her “extreme empathy for people in need or distress,” Nubia is certain to experience many more adventures. So is this family. 

“We’ve learned to enjoy the sense of constant discovery that our new family brings,” Elizabeth says.