DNA Test
WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT
DNA tells you with who you are genetically connected. If you are still looking for your biological family, it deserves attention that one way of getting closer to your birth family can be to do a DNA test.
Here in Chile we stress out to the mothers who are looking for their children that it is important to do a DNA test. Because once an adoptee is ready to go and look for the biological family, we encourage them to do the same. And maybe, just maybe, there will be a match.
DOING THE DNA-TEST
There are many DNA laboratories but the one most used here in Chile (due to the reason that they send their DNA-kits to and from Chile) is called MyHeritage. Through their website you can order your kit. It will be send to your address and once received you can do the test. The instructions are very clear and once done, you will have to send the kit back to the address mentioned on the envelope attached to the kit
When the kit is received by the DNA-Laboratory, it will take some time to be processed. But when the results are ready, you will be notified through the email you have registered with them.
DNA LABORATORIES
MyHeritage is not the only DNA-Laboratory out there. There are many different ones so in case you have already done your test but at a different lab, don’t worry: there are ways to get your genetical information transferred between the different DNA-labs.
More about this very item and how this transfer works will be informed soon.
RESULTS
The results are always interesting because it shows you a range of people you have connections with through your genetic information. It shows you if you have cousins from the 2nd to the 5th grade and if you have done a DNA-test with your mother, father, brother or sister, they will show up as a connection of the 1st grade.
So in case your biological family is looking for you, and they have done a DNA test, it might just be that they show up as a 1st grade connection once your results are processed and ready.
NO MATCH…
It can however be that no connection shows up in the first grade. that means that your mother or any other family member did not do any DNA-test yet. In that case, please do not loose hope. Never loose hope!! We are making lots of awareness on all levels here in Chile, and yes, also towards the mother who are looking for their children.
CAW COMMITMENT TOWARDS THE MOTHERS.
We know the situation in Chile because that is where CAW was founded and with good reasons. Chile is on many levels very different to any of the countries where we grew up in. The differences are so big that it is sometimes hard to understand that here in Chile there is actually poverty. It might be the most prosperous country in the South American continent but make no mistake about it, this country certainly has situations in which people have a very difficult situation to get to the next day, let alone the end of the month.
This concerns the most vulnerable people of Chile and it is a sad fact that this part of the population is where many mothers live in today. It is a reality for many of them so do not expect that they can buy a DNA kit just like that. It will never happen. Last year CAW founder Alejandro was doing a presentation about his adoption in Santiago. In the same event there was a DNA kit being given away as a present. The mother who received this DNA-Kit had the same reaction as we would have when we would win a car. Just to put it into perspective.
Therefor we have a donation page created to buy DNA kits and give them away for free to those mothers who are needing them because they will never be able to buy them for themselves. Want to know more about this and how you can donate, please follow the following link. In order to help people getting just a bit closer to finding their families and make a positive change in their lives.