This page has been set up to raise funds to support the adoption of Ridho, allowing him to move from Indonesia to be with his family in NZ.
Canterbury
Ridho is 10 years old and is my second cousin. He loves playing video games and football. He’s an avid drawer and dreams of growing up to be an illustrator. His favorite food is fried chicken but isn’t keen on vegetables (this will change!).
In his short life, Ridho has already faced more adversity than anyone should have to face in a lifetime. Unwanted at birth by his Mother and Father, Ridho grew up in poverty cared by his Grandmother (my Aunty) in Bandung, Indonesia.
Covid-19 is currently devastating Indonesia and unfortunately, his Grandmother contracted the virus. While we have supported financially from afar, Indonesia’s medical infrastructure isn’t equipped to deal with the current surge they’re facing. With no family in the vicinity, Ridho was thrust into trying to keep the most important person in his life alive.
Devastatingly, we were unable to get an ambulance to their home before she passed away. Via video call, we tried our best to instruct Ridho on how to administer oxygen and then CPR when she stopped breathing. The ambulance didn’t come for approx. 8 hours after she died, all the while Ridho was alone with her with only our digital support from half the world away. This broke our hearts as we tried to grapple with what he was going through.
Putting aside the grief of a lost family member, our thoughts quickly turned to securing care and support for Ridho. With no immediate family in Bandung, the nearest family connection is in Jakarta where we have found temporary care. However, this is only a short-term solution as they don’t have the room or financial ability to support him.
This is where we (and you) come in. We want Ridho. We want to adopt Ridho. We want to provide him with the love, care and support that he needs to heal and flourish. We’ve discussed this with Ridho and it’s what he wants too. We would appreciate your help to make this happen.
We are financially stable, own our own house and have the capacity to raise Ridho the way he deserves.
However, the upfront costs of adoption, especially in a Covid environment, have put this beyond our means to do alone. Your help would be life-changing.
About Us:
I’m Alia, and have been married to my husband Will for 12 years. We have two boys, William (11) and Ethan (8). We live by the beach in Christchurch with our dog Skipper. My husband is in full-time employment in the Furniture Importing Industry and I run my own business from home.
I am originally from Indonesia and was adopted by my step-father when I was 12. I know what a life-changing opportunity this will be for Ridho as I am living it. Thank you for your support.
I am connected to Alia's Dad through a business networking group and when I heard this story it broke my heart so I wanted to help, I am donating my time to creating this page and getting Ridho’s story out there to those that would like to help.
- New Zealand legal fees
- Indonesian legal fees
- Passport and visa
- International flights
- MIQ space
- Education (including English lessons) whilst still in Indonesia
Home sweet home! 12 June 2022
We’re pleased to announce that Ridho is now safe and sound back in New Zealand. Looking back over this past year, it’s very surreal to believe that we’re now at this point. While the adoption process itself was a rollercoaster of emotions, we’re fairly certain that our adventure is only just beginning!
We had a bit of a false start getting Ridho out of Indonesia when he and Alia were stopped at immigration trying to board their original flight home. This led to a nervous week of waiting as we jumped through all the hoops that materialised to have all the necessary documentation and authorisations to leave Indonesia. Luckily the second attempt went much smoother to everyone's relief.
Ridho has been home for a week now and is slowly settling into our family and Kiwi life. Temperature has been a big shock, although we keep trying to tell him it’s only been a mild winter so far. The fire has been cranking day and night to keep it a tropical temperature inside.
Although it’s only early days, it’s been a real pleasure to watch Ridho’s personality grow over the week. Initially, he was very shy and on alert. As the week has progressed he’s relaxed and his quirky personality has started to show through. It’s nice just seeing him be a kid after everything he’s been through.
Ridho is all signed up for school and will begin from next week. He’s very excited about this as he’s been in and out of schooling for the last couple of years. The children in his class and school are also very excited to meet him as they’ve been following his adoption journey via his brothers. School is a huge milestone for us all as we try to implement some structure and routine into what has been a very disrupted few years for Ridho.
As our next adventure begins, we will be wrapping up our Givealittle page. We want to thank you for all your support. We genuinely couldn’t have done this without you all and hope that you take joy in the fact that your contribution has changed Ridho’s life so much for the better. Words seem to fall flat for expressing our gratitude but thank you thank you thank you :)
Much love,
The Eckfords
Thank you so much!!! He is looking forward to come to NZ
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