Did you know that Latin America is not determined by geography? Instead, a country is considered a Latin American country if a majority of the population speaks one of the romance languages. The romance languages include Spanish, French and Portuguese, all of which descended from Latin. There are similarities in vocabulary, verbiage and sentence structure across all three of the romance languages.

But language is not the only thing these countries have in common. There is need for international adoption from Latin America. According to UNICEF estimates, there are 10.5 million orphans in Latin America. The 2012 census indicated that 6.5 million people live in the entire state of Indiana. There are 4 million more children in need of families in Latin America than there are residents in the state of Indiana. These children are the world’s most vulnerable population; without families, they lack stability, consistency, and provision. MLJ Adoptions firmly believes that every child has the fundamental right to a safe and loving family. Adopting from Latin America has countless benefits that make it a unique and positive experience.

1. Proximity: The proximity that American families have to Latin America makes the travel easier than when compared to other countries. This is a benefit not only during the adoption process, but also because it allows adoptive families to sustain a lifelong relationship of service to their child’s birth country. Churches and other nonprofit organizations frequently take mission trips to various Latin American countries, allowing families the opportunity to serve together in
2. Culture: The rich culture of Latin America also allows families the opportunity to bring traditions into their own homes, building respect for their child’s heritage. The cultural traditions range from ethnic food to annual festivals. Immigrant families maintain these traditions and have found ways to incorporate them into American society, allowing adoptive families to join in and help their adopted children sustain their birth culture.
3. Language: While all Latin American countries primarily speak a romance language, a majority of the countries speak Spanish. In fact, Spanish is the official language in all three of MLJ Adoptions’ Latin American program countries. Spanish is a commonly spoken language in the United States and it is almost always an option for children to learn in school. The popularity of the Spanish language in the United States aids an adopted child’s adjustment, increases their comfort level, but also allows for the entire family to become familiar with the language. Bringing an adopted child into a new home will be a significant transition, being familiar with your child’s language may help during the adjustment time and make communication a little bit easier.