Many families in both Hand in Hand and the greater Atlanta community have or are in the process of adopting older children. Adopting older children comes with a multitude of challenges for both the family and the child such as language and communication difficulties, adjusting to differences in the culture and way of life, and just transitioning to a new environment.
Therefore, Hand in Hand, in a joint effort with Georgia Tech China Care is launching a new program called Hands for Hope to help new adoptive families ease this transition. Because our volunteers are first and second generation Chinese-Americans, we have the language ability and understanding of both cultures to help with this difficult transition. Especially in the first few months, our Big Sisters hope to work on a one-on-one basis with families to help with things such as translating and bridging the cultural gap.