May 19, 2021
Elizabeth Jacobs sits on her nanny’s lap prior to her adoption from an orphanage in Cambodia. Courtesy of Elizabeth Jacobs
From 1997 through 2001, American Lauryn Galindo facilitated 800 Cambodian adoptions to American couples, some of which were illegal. It is unknown how many of these children were orphans, or how many were stolen from their families.
Two Columbia students are among a group of documentarians working to tell the complex, emotional story of exploitation that has impacted hundreds of children and families.
Elizabeth Jacobs, a junior at the University of Massachusetts triple majoring in marketing, film and communication, is the director of “The Stolen Children,” a documentary feature film powered by a team of college students across the country, including the two Columbia students.