Children in His Image

Education and Advocacy for Special Needs Adoption

Recognizing the great need to place more children with special needs for adoption, in 2009 Nightlight began "Children in His Image," a program with the following goals:

A young Chinese boy looks toward camera without smile
  • Inform the public about the plight of orphans with special physical, mental, and emotional needs.
  • Share with prospective adoptive families the availability of orphans with special needs.
  • Educate families how to best serve these children.
  • Highlight the adoption programs that place children with special needs.

As we expand the Children in His Image adoption ministry, you will find additional resources and information about special needs adoptions at this section of our website.

Waiting Children Email List

To sign up for Nightlight's Waiting Children email list, please go to our Waiting Children page.

Nightlight's Babushka Fund Scholarship Program

Nightlight established the Babushka Fund to assist families who might not otherwise be able to afford the costs of adoption to adopt a child who might not otherwise be adopted. This scholarship fund will support the adoption of harder to place or special needs children in its domestic, international and embryo adoption programs. A scholarship committee will review applications and make awards of $2,000 to $5,000 to prospective adopting families.

Babushka Scholarship Fund Information & Application

Adoption Programs

The following Nightlight adoption programs have many special needs children available for adoption:

  • China Adoption Program
    Orphans with a variety of special needs are waiting in Chinese orphanages for adoption — some with very minor special needs. While China's regular adoption program can now take in excess of 4 years from start to finish, the wait for a child with special needs is less than one year. We are looking both for homestudy-ready families to be matched immediately with children and and also for families who want to start the adoption homestudy to begin preparing to adopt through this program.
  • Taiwan Adoption Program
    Many of the children in Taiwan are either older or have special health challenges. The time to complete an adoption is about 9 months from start to finish.
  • Ukraine Adoption Program
    The vast majority of children available for international adoption from Ukraine are either older or they have special needs.

Hosting Children

Perhaps you are uncertain about adopting — or do not feel called to adopt — but would like to experience having an orphan in your home. We have two orphan hosting programs:

  • Christmas in America (for families in South Carolina)
    This program is sponsored by Carolina Hope for Orphans, one of Nightlight's partners in promoting orphan care. Over the Christmas holiday (2009), families can host a child or sibling group from Ukraine. For more details, contact our South Carolina office at 864-268-0570.
  • Summer Tour (for families in Southern California)
    Every summer Nightlight brings children to Southern California from orphanages overseas. More details at our Orphan Care Summer Tours page.

Adoption Services Menu

Nightlight Christian Adoptions is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) adoption agency, licensed by the states of California and South Carolina to provide adoption services, and is Hague Accredited through COA. Nightlight can perform adoption homestudies for residents of South Carolina and Southern California (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties).