Collectively Searching For Our Families

The Network of Bolivian Adoptees* are looking to raise money to collectively search for our biological relatives in Bolivia.

The idea is simple,

In the first phase we want to pool together money and use them to buy as many DNA-kits as possible. The amount set here is to cover about 20 kits from 23andme**. We then want to offer these DNA-kits for free to Bolivian citizens are searching for their children who they believe or know have been adopted abroad.

This will add valuable DNA to a database that doesn’t have a lot of DNA from Bolivia because of limited accessibility, potentially giving each and every one of us a better foundation if and when we wish to search for our biological family through DNA databases.

In the second phase, DNA kits will be offered around January 2025 and we will look for ways to reach potential families who are in search of their adopted children. We will start this project in La Paz, due to the fact that we, Vicente and Atamhi, are based in this city. If the project receives a lot of support we do hope to move it to other cities as well. The matches of course will span much wider as many of us come from families who migrated before or after our adoption.

The project “Collectively searching for our families' 'believes in the power of community and allyship as we open for everyone to support a greater cause, providing justice for the adoptees as well as our families of origin.

To see a video where we introduce the project, click here:

*The Network of the Bolivian Adoptees was founded in 2017 by Vicente Mollestad and Atamhi Cawayu and is an initiative to provide resources for adoptees as well as connecting them worldwide.

** Each DNA kit costs approx. 120 EUR (incl. shipping costs).