Until January of 2010, internationally adopted children with HIV had to immigrate into the US through a different protocol than children without the virus. Carolyn Twietmeyer founded Project HOPEFUL after her eyes were opened to the serious and outdated immigration procedures facing internationally adopted children (especially those with HIV/AIDS). With a strong desire to adopt children most in need of a family, she and her husband, Kiel, adopted a sibling group of three from Ethiopia, one of whom was HIV+. When the Twietmeyers came up against unyielding immigration delays, Project HOPEFUL was created.

In 2007, working closely with EACH - Equality for Adopted Children, and EACH's Founder, McLane Layton, Carolyn went to Washington, D.C. to advocate for critically needed changes to the immigration process for HIV/AIDS adoptions. Together, Project HOPEFUL and EACH met with Congressional staff and government officials to advocate for removal of unnecessary barriers and delays that were keeping children with HIV/AIDS from their adoptive families. Through these efforts, Project HOPEFUL and EACH were able to help reduce the time involved in obtaining an HIV immigration waiver from the 3-9 months it was taking down to 10 days or less. Between 2007 and 2010, when the HIV immigration waiver requirement was finally lifted, Project HOPEFUL helped almost 200 families seeking to adopt children with HIV/AIDS. Streamlining the process for these highly vulnerable children has been life-saving for many who would not have survived if the changes had not been made.

After a new U.S. immigration tuberculosis screening protocol was imposed that negatively impacted children being adopted with HIV, Carolyn again teamed up with EACH and traveled to Capitol Hill in an effort to make changes. Eventually the tuberculosis screening process for children under 11 was changed to make things more clear and streamlined for adopted children with HIV and/or tuberculosis histories. The changes that were made allows these children to receive the appropriate screening for conditions of concern, while at the same time being able to be united with their families and receive appropriate love, care, and treatment by their adoptive families.
In the years since its inception, Project HOPEFUL also began partnering with University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital pediatric infectious diseases  clinic. Together Project HOPEFUL and Univeristy of Chicago have created regional workshops designed to arm individuals and families with powerful medical facts about HIV/AIDS so they can make informed decisions about whether or not adoption is for them. The numbers of UnOrphaned children coming home to the Chicagoland area testifies to the power of local education and support in helping unite adoptive families and combat stigma. Project HOPEFUL is thrilled to report that 100% of families that had previously been undecided committed to pursuing HIV+ adoptions after attending Project HOPEFUL /University of Chicago workshops. Project HOPEFUL desires to replicate this model with other state associations and pediatric HIV specialists around the nation.