Oswaldo & Heather Cantarero

Our Story

Hello! We are the Cantareros, a family of seven with room in our hearts for two more. In 2022, we received heartbreaking news from my husband’s home country: a close relative – a devoted, hard-working single mother – had suffered a fatal heart attack, leaving her two young children orphaned.

We instantly became their sole means of financial support, and we felt called to bring them into our family through adoption. Although we knew international adoptions are complex and costly, we were dismayed to learn that adoptions in the children’s native country can take up to three years.

Why We Need Help

We’ve always lived frugally, and we believe strongly in being self-reliant, but now we’re at a crossroads. The total cost of our adoption has expanded as we’ve progressed on this journey, and as we near the end, we can now calculate the full financial weight.

While we have received help from family and friends, we have also exhausted our savings, maxed out available loans, and are working extra shifts. We have applied for grants but have not received any support from charitable organizations. It’s difficult to ask for help, but to bring these children home, we still need $40,000 to cover:

Extensive legal, translation, and courier fees

Home study agency costs

Placing adoption agency costs

Government fees, for both our government and the children’s government

Travel to complete the adoption and bring the children home

How You Can Make a Difference

Donations made here through Adopt Together are tax-deductible.

Your donation, whether $10 or $1,000, brings us closer to providing a stable, loving home for the children. We look forward to the bright future we can offer them as they continue to heal from their traumatic loss, surrounded by a loving family of their own. The drawing above is a portrait one of the children made of me, my husband, the child, and their sibling.

We know we can’t do this alone, and though it is humbling to ask, there are no words for the deep gratitude we feel for any and all help extended to our family. Together, we can turn a heartbreaking story into one of healing and love. Thank you for being part of our journey.