Trip planning. Just reading that phrase may stir up a variety of emotions in you – excitement, anticipation, and maybe even anxiety for those of us whose vision of a trip is very different from the vision of our travel mates! Perhaps you like to visit landmarks and museums, but your partner likes to relax at a country club. Or maybe your son loves amusement parks, but your daughter would rather go bowling and watch a movie. And while you are navigating all of those different likes and dislikes, perhaps you realize the common thread for your trip is that you all want to do something to make a difference. But how? How could all those different fun activities also be combined with doing something that will make a difference? I’ll tell you how. Reverse Hosting.
You’ve likely heard of the concept of hosting before, where a child available for adoption comes to the US to stay with a host family and experience a new culture, while we work hard to advocate for that child. Well, reverse hosting is similar. But instead of the child coming to you, you go to the child! You and your travel mates will travel to Bogota, Colombia in October 2019 for 10(ish) days. You will be paired with a waiting child, and will spend your days getting to know that child, all the while getting to experience the sights and sounds of Bogota! Your role is to get to know the child you are paired with so that you can assist in advocacy efforts to find a permanent family, and, of course, you are also expected to have fun!
Reverse Hosting allows the host family to get to know the child in his or her own culture. It allows the host family to participate in not only advocacy, but also gives them the chance to truly experience the child’s culture. It’s the perfect combination for an international trip – exciting, thrilling, and life-changing. Life-changing not only for a waiting child, but for your whole family as well.
To learn more about Madison Adoption Associates‘ Reverse Hosting Program, please visit our website. Or, email Adriana@madisonadoption.org.
