I can't get this child off my mind....oh, how he wants a family!

Born May 18, 2005

 Cole has an impish smile and is very helpful and sweet. He was born HIV+ and turned 6 years old this past spring. He's fortunate to be in a good orphanage, although they'll transfer him this fall if he doesn't find a family.

From a family who met him this past summer: He is the oldest of the boys still there, so the most at risk for being transferred. He seems very smart. He was what I call the "orphanage helper". He was always helping the ladies push the strollers full of laundry back and forth from the laundry house and always helping the groundskeepers sweep and pick up sticks, etc.



From a family who visited with him in spring 2011:

Cole is bright, friendly, engaging, inquisitive, helpful, athletic, and charming! Being the oldest child there, Cole is everyone's "big brother". He helps the caregivers keep track of any of the little ones who wander too far, and coaxes them back to where they belong. He can often be seen carrying bags of sand toys that they bring out to play with. He's learned responsibility from a young age. There are also pictures of him on the walls in traditional clothes of his country, performing in a Children's Day program with the biggest smile on his face! So, he clearly enjoys music and dancing, as well as sports. Whenever he sees me, he smiles and waves and yells, "Mama!" As in "Look! Here I am!". The director said that Cole asked my son if we would take him, too. To which my son answered "Yes! You can come too! My mama and papa will bring all of you!" Ouch. How it hurts me to know that within a few days, my son will be the only little boy walking out through those gates, and "Cole" (and "Owen") will be left behind. People are overlooking an absolute gem of a child!



For more info and parent support on adopting and raising a child with HIV, please visit http://www.projecthopeful.org