The first year of a child’s life is critical; Carlos came to Dorie’s Promise right before his first birthday. Right in time for critical intervention in his young life. We’re excited to share more of this sweet, smiley little boy’s story. You’ll love him just like us!

Carlos’s life before Dorie’s Promise

As is the case with all of our children, Carlos was placed in our home through a family court order. Social workers investigating his case determined he wasn’t receiving proper care from his family and as a result, he was brought into our care.

Upon his arrival, our primary concern was his health. Carlos suffered from chronic malnutrition. Although the solution for malnutrition is restoring proper nutrition, treating a young child is difficult. His body desperately needed proper nutrients, but our staff needed to slowly increase his feedings until his little body could handle eating without unpleasant side effects. He had become accustomed to hunger.

Not only was he struggling physically, malnutrition had also significantly affected his development as well. His motor skills were delayed, as were social milestones. Instead of an on-the-go almost 1-year-old, Carlos acted more like a baby several months and milestones younger.

We love snuggling with babies, but there’s still a sting when 1-year-olds need the same care as infants because of neglect and abuse. Nonetheless, we’re thankful Carlos joined our family so we could give him the care he needed.

Carlos’s life today

Coming to Dorie’s Promise as a baby has some benefits. For Carlos, he received help early and didn’t suffer the emotional trauma of moving to a new home as an older child. Other than being short for his age, he doesn’t seem to have any long-term effects from his malnutrition. Emotionally, he’s a happy, normal boy who fits in with our big Dorie’s Promise family.

This year, Carlos attends a local Christian school. His teachers always note how creative and intelligent he is. Like all of our children, he’s currently attending class online and doing work from home with the help from our teachers.

In school, he’s learning to read and write. Admittedly, we’ll miss his cute “new writer” style notes as his handwriting improves. Although he likes being able to be “in class” on his computer, Carlos really misses playing with his friends from school and can’t wait to go back.

At home, Carlos loves to play with the older boys, especially Elvis, Mario, and Josué. He’s becoming a superstar on the Wii and builds awesome Lego creations. Some of his other favorite activities are the relay races and silly games Mama Nohemí creates for him and the other boys. She fills a very special role in his life.

Looking ahead, Carlos’s future

Carlos has been with us for 6 years. During that time, the family court has finalized their investigation into his original neglect case and subsequently begun a search for a new home.

All of Carlos’s relatives must be interviewed to see if they could provide for him. Once complete, if no suitable resources are located, he will become adoptable through the Guatemalan family court. Before the pandemic, no suitable family resource had been found.

The courts are currently closed, except for emergency proceedings. We are working to reschedule hearings for our children and move their cases forward, including Carlos’s final hearing.

No matter what, Carlos will be here with us at Dorie’s Promise until he is either reunited with a family member or connected with an adoptive family. We love having him as part of our family.

Favorite memories from our staff

“During school breaks, Carlitos (Carlos) went to a camp where he practiced sports such as basketball and soccer. He was the shortest and youngest on the team. He looked very cute playing with the bigger children and he did very well. He was not afraid at all.” (I guess having so many big “brothers” at Dorie’s Promise taught him how to be confident with the big kids.)

“Our Special Mothers remember him when he was a baby. He was the sweetest and most smiley baby!”

“Carlitos is a very sweet boy. He has a way of captivating everyone. He is very witty and happy.”

You can help Carlos and get more updates, photos, and cute pictures. Become a monthly sponsor today and help us grow Carlos’s sponsor family!