When you think of the significant moments in your life before the age of 16, what do you think of? Maybe you quickly recall building friendships at school, a special family vacation, or developing an interest that has endured into adulthood. However, it’s easy to overlook how foundational a safe and supportive home life is to these formative life experiences.
Before 16 is a local nonprofit founded by our Broker, Dan Spransy, that focuses on aiding “older orphans” (ages 6-16) around the world in finding their Forever Family. It may come as a surprise that many children “age out” of orphan community support services at 16 years old in their home countries, and that 16 is typically the cut-off age for an international adoption. Thrust into adult life at this sensitive age, many unadopted teens end up in unsafe situations.
However, Before 16 offers a practical solution: help alleviate the cost for host families to be paired with orphans for a four-week stay at their home. An older orphan’s adoption rate is 70 times higher when they live with a host family for just a month. In part, this is because there are varying family dynamics in bringing an older child into a home. The hosting process has proven to be very successful because families are more likely to welcome the opportunity knowing that the experience can be a blessing to everyone, even if it doesn’t lead to an adoption. In partnership with Project 143, Before 16 offers grants to these families, reducing their costs, and making it much more realistic for more families. This summer, Before 16 awarded $19,000 to families to help host 15 children (including 3 sibling sets) and hopefully they will all find their Forever Family.
Those who choose to host short-term are not expected to adopt the child they are paired with, though many are considering adoption, but rather create opportunities for their community to connect with them. This may be sharing fun memories on social media, planning a gathering with friends to introduce the child, or any other social plans that expand the child’s community. In fact, founder Dan Spransy started this nonprofit after meeting and adopting one of his children after meeting them at an event just like this!
If you’re interested in learning more or becoming a host, email Nathan, the Foundation Coordinator at nathanhaag@before16.org or visit Before16.org.
Thank you, Nathan Haag (Foundation Coordinator at Before 16) for co-writing this piece with us.
English (US) · 