KIDSAVE INTERNATIONAL INC

Description

In 1993 Terry Baugh traveled to Russia to adopt a child. She was not prepared for what she saw. The orphanage was a huge, cold institution with an insufficient number of caregivers for all of the children. Children with shaved heads were sitting in playpens with no toys and no stimulation. Terry shared her experience with Randi Thompson, her business partner, also an adoptive parent. They did their homework and learned that the neglect caused by orphanage living creates brain damage, psychological problems and slows development.

Randi and Terry believed these children deserved a voice - and families. They needed a second chance. A miracle. So, they teamed up to make that miracle happen and founded Kidsave.

In the summer of 1999, Kidsave gave 177 older orphanage children summer vacations in the US with American families - 97% were adopted. It was a miracle for these children and for Terry and Randi it provided the basis for creating Kidsave’s Family Visit Model, which has now been successfully tested in Russia, Colombia, and the USA as a way to help older kids in care find parents and committed mentors.

Now, working in partnership with more than a dozen governments and local non-profits, and thousands of children later, Kidsave’s work continues with international programs in Colombia, Ukraine, and Sierra Leone, and in Los Angeles and Houston foster care helping kids find adoptive parents and lasting connections to caring adults.