Oh, Manny. You make our hearts smile.

Born in June 2011, Manny arrived at his orphanage when he was one. He has remained at the orphanage ever since, where he has captured the hearts of the staff.

When Manny first arrived at the orphanage, he was very weak. With the consistent love and care of the staff, he started to gain strength and make progress in many areas. At 18 months, he began to receive physical therapy. At that time, he could raise his head when lying down, roll over, and babble. He could not yet sit independently.

By the time he was two. through hard work and persistence, he was able to sit independently and had begun to crawl. He was excited to see his physical therapist and would excitedly call out “sister!” By the age of two and a half, he could take off his own socks and shoes, talk with other children, and follow commands such as “get ready to eat your meal” and “give that to your sister”.

As the months moved along, Manny became more and more independent, learning new words and skills including dressing himself, eating independently, counting, imitating sounds, and asking questions. He now counts to 50 clearly and smoothly, sings several children’s songs as well as reciting ancient poems. He enjoys imaginative games such as playing house.

He easily expresses his desires and enjoys listening to stories. He isn’t afraid to say “no” to unreasonable requests by his peers, and can judge the difference between right and wrong. He loves animals, airplanes and trains. He is good at entertaining himself at appropriate times, and is full of patience and love towards the younger children.

Manny’s official special need is cerebral palsy, which primarily affects his legs. He wears braces on his legs and is able to walk without support. He is not always steady, however. His file includes detailed growth and development reports, vaccination records, lab results, a doctor’s report, a video, and several pictures. WACAP staff and volunteers met Manny on an April 2016 trip and there is a lot of information available for interested families to review.

During the recent visit by WACAP to his orphanage, he was excited to play with the bubbles and toss the balloon. He laughed almost the whole time and his giggles were contagious. He can take care of all self-care tasks like feeding, dressing, and using the restroom. His speech is very clear. He speaks in full sentences and is able to ask and answer questions.

His file was recently prepared. It notes that Manny has an understanding of life in the orphanage, and loves all the caregivers and children. But he is also eager to have his own mother and father and believes his parents will find him. He’s even already started practicing how to say Dad and Mom.

Oh, my heart.

Manny’s file is currently with WACAP and he has a $4,000 grant available to qualified families. Seriously interested families should download and complete their pre-application (no fee, no commitment) found here.

You may email the completed pre-application to ckids@wacap.org with your request and the first available case manager will respond.