Healing Through Hope: Alberto’s Story

Imagine the first few months in the life of a newborn baby. The tender embraces and warm cuddles as they rest in the arms of caring parents. Their unwavering gaze into their mother's eyes as they attempt to mimic sounds and facial expressions. The sheer joy and excited cheers from family members as they witness the first smiles, the first rollovers, or the countless other firsts.

But for many orphaned and vulnerable children, the first months look drastically different. Children in institutional care don’t receive the individual attention and constant interaction found in a family environment. Instead, they are cared for by a rotating staff of employees in an orphanage. And while those caregivers undoubtedly love the children and want the best for them, institutional care cannot possibly match the love, support, and stability found within a family.

That’s why we’re so grateful for you. Thanks to you, children around the world are getting out of orphanages and into loving families…where they belong! Because of you, children like Alberto are finding hope and healing through the love of a family.

Alberto’s Story

Alberto was placed into an orphanage in Sonora, Mexico, immediately after he was born. His mother struggled with drug addiction, so Alberto went from the hospital directly to the institution.

For the first few months of his life, Alberto did not experience the love of a family. And while his caregivers did the best they could, research clearly shows that this type of care has a devastating impact on children.

Infants and young children raised in orphanages often face long-lasting, damaging effects on their physical, emotional, and cognitive growth. When children don’t receive adequate personal interaction within a loving environment, development is stunted and learning abilities may be delayed or lost altogether. 

After five months in the orphanage, Alberto was showing signs of developmental delays. He was not very vocal, and he did not maintain eye contact with other people. He also had a severe skin condition that affected him all over his body, including his scalp, which limited his hair growth.

But thankfully, Alberto’s story doesn’t end in the orphanage. His life was changed forever through the love of a family.

Healing Through Hope

Thanks to you, Alberto was welcomed into the hearts and home of a loving family when he was five months old. Alberto immediately began to thrive in this stable, supportive family environment.

After just a week in family care, Alberto’s health improved dramatically. His skin condition began to heal almost immediately, with his skin becoming softer and more even in color. His hair also grew in as the skin on his scalp improved.

Alberto continued to develop physically thanks to the care and individual attention he received. He gained more than five pounds within the first three months, putting him within the normal weight range for children his age. Alberto’s strength and muscle tone increased, and he started to crawl and sit with assistance. His foster family noticed significant advances in his hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills.

After five months in family care, it’s clear Alberto is more comfortable and confident around his foster family. He communicates with his family, imitating the other children and testing his language skills. This beautiful little boy - who was not vocal and couldn’t maintain eye contact - now babbles and uses gestures to express himself and his emotions.

We are thrilled at the growth in Alberto, and we can’t wait to see him continue to flourish and thrive as he is surrounded by the love of a family. Thank you for making it possible!

Give Hope This GivingTuesday

You are changing the lives of children like Alberto. And in just a few weeks, there's a huge opportunity to make an even bigger impact around the world.

GivingTuesday is coming up on Tuesday, November 28. GivingTuesday is a global movement that encourages individuals and communities to give back and make a difference. And on GivingTuesday, we invite you to join us once again to change the way the world cares for orphans.

Your GivingTuesday donation has the extraordinary potential to change the life of a child by providing them with the love of a family. But it has even more significance. When you support The Hope Effect, you're not just helping children right now. Your support in transitioning societies from institutional care to family care is about creating a lasting legacy, fostering generational transformation, and instilling hope in the generations yet to come.

This GivingTuesday, our goal of $200,000 will support our expansion into another new location in 2024. And on GivingTuesday, your impact will be doubled! A generous group of donors will match every donation, up to $100,000! If we reach that matching gift amount, we’ll meet our goal!

if you'd like to jump in early, our donation site is up and running! All donations (even early ones!) made through that site will be matched.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support and generosity. Together, we are changing the way the world cares for orphans…because every child deserves a family.