We are Jo-Anne and Rafael Alvarez, a South Florida family from the Miami-Dade area seeking to complete a kinship adoption and bring our twin nieces, Geraldine and Bianca, home from South Africa.

Shortly after the girls were born, their mother passed away. Due to medical limitations, their father is blind and unable to care for them. Since infancy, they have remained in foster care while we completed the international adoption process through Holt International. We are their closest available biological family and have committed to providing them with a permanent, stable home in the United States.

Due to the privacy rules of the foster care system in South Africa, we have very limited access to updated photos of the girls. This is one of the only photos we were provided shortly after they were born.

Geraldine & Bianca shortly after birth waiting to come home to family.

For the past two years, we have worked through the extensive legal, immigration, and home study requirements for international adoption. I work in public service with the FIU Police Department as a Property & Evidence Custodian and Quartermaster, and my husband Rafael and I have approached this responsibility with seriousness, planning, and long-term commitment.

We have completed the majority of the adoption requirements and are now in the final stage of approval.

Before travel authorization can be issued, the remaining agency and international travel requirements must be satisfied. We will soon be awaiting travel authorization once South Africa receives our paperwork. After it is issued, we must be prepared to depart on short notice within the designated timeframe. We will then be required to remain in South Africa for approximately 90 days to complete court proceedings, immigration processing, and final legal placement.

We have personally carried the majority of the adoption costs and have fundraised within our personal network. Thanks to the support of our community, we are close to the finish line. The remaining funds represent the final required expenses that must be paid before we are permitted to travel and legally bring the girls home.

Community Impact

This is a kinship adoption, meaning the children will remain within their biological family rather than entering long-term institutional or state care. Our goal is to provide permanence, stability, identity, and family connection while honoring their mother’s life and legacy.

We hope our journey also raises awareness of the realities many families face when trying to keep children within their extended families. Adoption is not only a personal act it is also a community investment in the life and future of a child.

How Donations Will Be Used

All contributions go directly toward the required expenses to complete the adoption process, including:

• Remaining Holt International agency fees

• Immigration and legal processing

• Court and documentation requirements

• International travel

• Required 90-day stay in South Africa for legal finalization

For transparency, any organization or major donor is welcome to contribute directly to the adoption agency if preferred. Documentation or verification of the adoption process can also be provided if requested.

I am also an adoptee myself, which makes this journey especially meaningful. We are committed to ensuring these children grow up knowing where they belong within their family, their history, and a stable home. We are simply asking for help reaching the final step so we can travel, complete the legal process, and finally welcome them into our home and community.

Every share, introduction, and donation helps bring two little girls out of foster care and into a permanent family.

 With sincere gratitude,

Jo-Anne & Rafael Alvarez