Russian orphan still needs adoptive family

Posted: 10/28/05

Russian orphan still needs adoptive family

DALLAS–Oksana, a 13-year-old orphan from St. Petersburg, Russia, still needs a family after visiting North Texas last summer through Buckner Orphan Care International's “Angels from Abroad” program.

Oksana lived with a volunteer host family for two weeks as part of the “Angels” initiative, designed to help raise awareness about the needs of older children living in Russian orphanages and Buckner's programs to improve their lives.

The urgent nature of the adoption need is both physical and emotional, said Mary Ann Hamby of Buckner International Adoption, also an adoptive parent.

“Every day these children live in an orphanage, they are deprived of the resources, love and nurture a family provides. There is an urgent need to find families for children age 7 and older and also for sibling groups,” she said.

Oksana's host family described her as “sweet, helpful and considerate. She enjoys music and is especially nurturing with animals and young children. She's initially cautious with strangers but becomes fun-loving and silly when she gets comfortable. She's also very adventurous and athletic, and sometimes a bit mischievous, but in a playful way.”

For more information about international adoption, Buckner hosts several International Adoption Workshops throughout the year for interested families.

Upcoming workshops are scheduled Nov. 18 in Houston and Dec. 13 in Fort Worth.

For more information about Oksana or any other children available for adoption through Buckner, contact Sharon Hedrick at shedrick@buckner.org or call (866) 236-7823 toll-free. Buckner International Adoption's workshop correspondence video and free pre-application now are available online at www.bucknerinternationaladoption.org.