Adoption.com is excited to announce the launch of an adoption-specific fundraising platform. This platform, like Gofundme.com, is aimed at helping people raise money for projects that are important to them. What makes Adoption.com’s platform different from those other platforms, however, is that it only accepts adoption-oriented projects.
“So many hopeful parents dream of adoption, but need financial help to make those dreams come true,” said Nathan Gwilliam, founder, and CEO of Adoption.com. “So many great people are trying to make a difference for good for orphans and other adoption causes and could make a much greater difference if they had some additional funds. So many great people want to change the world for orphans and other adoption causes, but just need to know about the opportunities. This is why Adoption.com Fundraising exists. Hopeful parents, adoption agencies, and others can list appropriate adoption fundraisers, and promote them to their friends and family, and through Adoption.com. We invite you to join Adoption.com Fundraising to raise money for your favorite adoption cause and to help us make the world better for children and families.”
One of the projects already being hosted at Adoption.com/fundraising is the Granny Program, which was created almost two decades ago by the nonprofit adoption agency Spence-Chapin.
“The Granny Program is an early intervention program that provides one-on-one attention to children living in orphanages,” explained Ann Hassan, Director of Adoption at Spence-Chapin. “Kids living in orphanages really lack basic human interaction in some instances—just hugs and laughs and playtime and being held while they’ve fed— because there simply aren’t enough people working in orphanages to provide that to all the children who are living there.”
Celebrating its 17th year, this early intervention program was developed to provide critical one-on-one attention to children living in institutions who are otherwise deprived of the opportunity to attach to a consistent caretaker. Spence-Chapin trains and brings volunteer “Grannies” from the local community into the orphanage to spend time with the same child every day. Dr. Harieta Manolova, a clinical child psychologist, conducted a study of the Granny Program in Bulgaria from 2006-2007. She reported that the program “responds to the needs of children in the institutions of development of an individualized emotional relationship with adults, which is a fundamental component for harmonization of overall psychic organization and is missing in the communal type of care.” In other words, children who were given a relationship with a consistent individual who cared about them and paid attention to them had much better outcomes than children who didn’t. Another study in China yielded similar results. In 17 years, Spence-Chapin Grannies have had a dramatic impact on the lives of hundreds of children across 6 countries and 3 continents.
Currently, on Adoption.com’s Fundraising platform, you can donate to seven women in South Africa who donate four hours a day to nurturing, loving, and playing with two children who have been matched with them. You can select a granny to support by clicking here. All donated funds go directly to a very modest annual stipend of $1500 that helps offset the costs of travel and the time that the granny spends with “her” children for a whole year. Any money donated beyond the $1500 will go to hiring more Grannies. “Everyone tells us they want more grannies,” Hassan said.
And while you’re on the site, take a look around. Considering sharing some of the other fundraisers with your friends and family. And ask yourself . . . is there an adoption project you want to fund? We hope to see you there.
