Editor's Note: Window on the Clearwater joined the Wednesday's Child network a little more than a year ago to help spread the word about children that are waiting for families to give them the loving care that they need. Each Wednesday we will profile a different child. For more information about Wednesday's Child and how you can be involved check the web site at: http://www.idahowednesdayschild.org/.

Gabrielle & Avisha

Age: 7-11

Gabrielle

Age: 11

"My name is Gabrielle, but my friends call me Gabby. I am a fast talker, but I slow down so people can understand me. In Liberia, we speak English, but it sounds different.

I love living in America because we are safe. I want to live with my brother, Avisha. We most always have good manners. We need a family that treats us good and is nice to us. No beating, yelling or kicking us. I will not throw a fit, but if I do, I want parents that understand I am a good girl.

I'm in the fourth grade. I like to read and write. I'm good with my alphabet. It's fun to play at recess with my friends. We play animals, tag, basketball and dodge ball.

I would like other kids in the famil-older children maybe who would teach me another language. They could take us to swim (YMCA) or maybe we would have a pool! I like to go to the park, ride my bike and play with Polly Pocket dolls. I would love to have a dollhouse.

I don't like animals, especially dogs that lick me, but Avisha does. If my family has animals, I would just stay away from them."

Avisha

Age: 7

"I am Avisha. I like to play 'get the bad guys.' I like motorcycle toys, too. I like animals. I let the dogs lick me. Gabby thinks she keeps me safe, but I keep myself safe. Gabby is nice when she plays superheroes with me. She plays tag and hide-and-seek. She lets me play house with her dolls."

In Liberia, Gabby and Avisha clung to each other in a country filled with civil strife and brutality that eventually took their parents' lives. This also prevented relatives from being able to raise them.

These fun-loving siblings need reality-based love and patience from parents who truly understand attachment and bonding. The challenges they face will be considerable-- language and cultural differences, as well as deeply ingrained trust issues. They currently respond to foster parents who set reliable boundaries and provide constant reassurances of safety. According to the children, this is the first place they have lived where they feel safe.

Gabby knows she and her brother will have good days and bad days. They would do best in a family that will reassure Gabby of her infinite goodness, even when she reverts to outdated survival or coping responses. Both of these children could blossom in an emotionally mature family that models unfailing empathy.

To find out more about Gabrielle & Avisha, call the Idaho CareLine number, 1-800-926-2588. In Idaho you can dial 2-1-1. You may be asked to provide this reference number: 30284.

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