20 Years of Hope: Archie

A darling little boy whom we call Archie was born in 2017. Sadly, his birthfather disappeared just a few months after Archie was conceived, and nine months later, his birthmother left Archie when he was just eight days old.

Thankfully, we were able to quickly place Archie into our Cambodia foster care program. He joined a family that was already fostering two older children and fit right in as the beloved baby of the family.

Not surprisingly, Archie’s new foster parents fell head-over-heels in love with him!

Archie thrived in foster care, and we watched him grow into a happy and much-loved little boy in the only family he had ever known.

Archie could often be seen in the arms of his foster father or spending time with his foster mother who served as a cook in one of our local schools. Everyone could see that this boy was truly cherished.

Archie’s foster siblings, Ivy and Orion, doted on him, and Archie followed them everywhere. They make quite an adorable threesome, don’t you think?

Soon Archie was spending part of each day at our Early Childhood Development Center where he became a favorite of all of our staff. Two years later, Archie graduated to our preschool class where he was one of the younger students. With his cheerful attitude, Archie made friends quickly with the other students in his class.

During this time, something incredible was in the works. The Cambodian government declared that Archie was able to be adopted!

For exactly 1,604 days, Archie was a foster child. But in March of 2022 he became the FOREVER child of his faithful foster parents. We were delighted to see Archie find permanency as the cherished son of the couple who had loved and raised him from a tiny baby.

He was a bit camera-shy when the time came for their first official family portrait, but it truly was a wonderful day.

Seventeen months after his adoption, Archie continues to be a happy and well-adjusted member of his family. At six years old, he is at that delightful age where he tries out a number of adult words and gestures which keeps his family in stitches. He expresses his feelings well and enjoys the comfort of having a regular routine for meals, school, bedtime and other daily activities.

Archie’s former foster care manager tells us: “He [Archie] is so loved by the whole family. He says that he really loves his parents and loves spending time near them.”

Foster care is an essential part of what we do for children who don’t have a permanent family of their own…and we have been incredibly blessed to be able to have provided this service to thousands of children over the past 20 years. But you should hear the cheer that goes up when we learn that a child in our care finally has their own PERMANENT FAMILY!

It is truly a joy — a tremendous gift that our supporters make possible.

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