Roberta recently adopted a girl from Tanzania from a distance: her name is Jenni Elise, she is ten years old, she lives in a village called Kibaoni, and she attends primary school.
Roberta had expressed the wish many times to "adopt a little sister," so we began to talk about distant adoptions and the possibility for her to become an adoptive mother. Together we turned to the Stigmatine Missionaries, and Roberta told them she would prefer a girl, because girls are the most forgotten in poor and underdeveloped countries.
Her wish was granted, and soon she received a photograph of "her" little girl—a beautiful child with short, curly hair. The photo is now framed in Roberta's bedroom, and this year, for Mother's Day, we gave Roberta a red rose in the name of Jenni Elise.
Every month, Roberta faithfully goes to make her contribution and she understands that with that money "her" little girl can go to school and live better in a country where children suffer from lack of food and clean water, from illnesses that are often easily curable, and from the inability to attend school. Roberta is very happy and proud of her adoption, and when she meets a new friend or runs into someone she hasn't seen in a long time, she is eager to share the news: "I'm a long-distance mom."
— Roberta's Mother, 2003