Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 36, Number 12, 1 Kekemapa 2019 — Fostering Aloha: [ARTICLE]

Kōkua No ke kikokikona ma kēia Kolamu

Fostering Aloha:

j MO'OLELO NUI ^ > C0VER FEATURE f

^yffa£e of fu)o fuvuJues By Puanani Fernandez-Akamine 0 ka makua ke ko'o o ka hale e pa'a ai The parent is the support that holds the household together Baringfor our 'ohana is an important f S kuleana. Parenting keiki is an investĒ y ment in the future. It is basic and t ^f foundational. Healthy families lead to a healthy lāhui. So when parents cannot mālama their keiki properly, it is important to have a safety net. This is a mo 'olelo about two families, the Osorio 'ohana and the Keola 'ohana, who have expanded to embrace keiki not born to them. These parents are connected to these keiki, not by their blood, but by their hearts. Neither the Keolas nor the Osorios planned to become foster parents. When they got involved, the Keolas already liad three children, and the Osorios hadfour; both fairly largefamilies by today's standards. Here are their stories.