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What should a country do when facing a child-placement crisis?

Kerry's picture
Wed, 2008-08-27 13:32 - Kerry

I was reading a piece on China's latest problem with adoption.

Earlier this week, the Chinese government held an adoption "open-day" to try to place some of the children with the tens of thousands of Chinese families who have registered for the opportunity to adopt.

The initial estimate of the number of orphans after the 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck in May was over 5,000. However, by June, the authorities claimed that there were only 1,019 children who had not been reunited with their parents.

Currently, only half of these children are available for adoption because they are under 14 and both their parents have been confirmed dead. The others must wait for two years for their missing parents to be declared as deceased.

However, the injuries suffered by many of the children have deterred Chinese parents from adopting them. Foreigners are banned from the adoption process, including residents of Hong Kong and Macau.

One couple in their late 30s, who flew from Changsha in Hunan to attend the open-day, complained to reporters in Sichuan that they could not find "a healthy child". They added: "We spent almost 10,000 yuan (£792) on travel."

Other parents said they were looking for children aged under three years old and good-looking and that none of the orphans met the criteria. The majority of the orphans are aged between 10 to 14.

An official at the Civil Affairs department in Sichuan said the process had also been complicated by a desire to give orphans to parents who lost their own children during the quake. "There are way too many of them [to be dealt with quickly]," he said, while declining to be named.  [From:  "Sichuan earthquake orphans fail to find home", http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/2631163/Sichuan-earthquake-orphans-fail-to-find-home.html]

In terms of finding safe-placement and appropriate health care for child victims, wouldn't a government funded Children's Home, staffed by medical professionals and social workers, be best for the children born and raised in China?

Comments

Wed, 2008-08-27 23:37 — Teddy

The majority of the orphans are aged between 10 to 14.

Being this old would make it very difficult to adjust to an adoptive home; and with the attitude of the others applying it
would seem a government funded Children's-Home would be a good start.   With all the children who are waiting the two years to be labeled an orphan this should be a good option. It will be interesting to see how China handles this situation.
I only hope the children will be put first with every decision made; I've heard enough horror stories about their dying rooms.

"I can be changed by what happens to me, I refuse to be reduced by it." M.A.
One Step Up From Bottom
Teddy

Thu, 2008-08-28 14:05 — Kerry

Move over China, here comes Africa.

China is not alone when it comes to taking care of problems and handling their own people.

Read what's being passed from Africa, and ask "What's the difference between adoption and public assistance?"

Elderly citizens are now calling on the Kenyan government to encourage Kenyans to adopt AIDS orphans.

Jane Njoki Ndungu is just one of the elderly who has an extra burden of caring for orphans. She is currently caring for little Mercy Mwihaki whose parents died as a result of Hiv/Aids related complications.

For Jane Njoki Ndungu who lives in the heart of the Korogocho slums in Nairobi, life is a constant struggle as she is jobless. Being a widow she does not have any one to help her with the bread winning either. She earns her meager living from washing clothes and she doesn’t get to do it all the time.

When her grand mother doesn’t have money, six year old Mwihaki has too go without food and other basic needs that are important to a six year old.

Mwihaki attends a nearby school and some times she has to miss school as Jane some time lacks the money to pay her school fees.

As though she does not have enough on her plate already, Jane has to take care of a mother in-law suffering from a mental illness as well as a son Mbugua and a daughter .All this put together would kill any other person’s spirit but not Jane.

“It is the will of God. We should learn to accept our situations and move on “, she said during the interview in her mud walled house.

Little Mwihaki doesn’t know that Jane is not her real mother. Jane tries s much as possible to integrate her into her family. She plans to Mwihaki about her parents’ death when she is old enough.

She said, “I don’t want her to grow up feeling sorry for herself”.

Mwihaki’s father, Robert Njehia, was the first one to die and shortly after, the mother Miriam Ngendo followed.
Jane and Mwihaki’s story is replicated all over Kenya. Grand parents are the unsung heroes who go out of their way to take care of children that their own children have left behind. This is because the African culture obligates them to take care of these children.

With about 2 million orphans, Kenya currently ranks third after Ethiopia and Nigeria in among countries that have the largest number of orphaned and vulnerable children according to a UN report.

The burden of taking care of these children has fallen squarely on the shoulder of the grand parents and other relatives.
However this need not be the case.

Children orphaned by AIDS /HIV can be adopted by other citizens since a huge number of them end up in institutions and don’t get a chance to grow up in a family setting. This will go along way into reducing the burden carried by the grandparents.

According to Booby Mkangi, a legal consultant, adopting a child in Kenya is fairly easy. However, there are steps and requirement that one needs to follow and have that will ensure they get full custody of the child. 

Only man and woman couples can adopt children in Kenya. Males can’t be allowed to adopt children on their own.

Before one can adopt the child they will be required by the law to spend time with the child from time to time so that they can get used to each other.

Social services will monitor the progress between the adopting couple and the child.

Adoption can only be done in a court of law. It is the only body that has the jurisdiction. Foreigners too have to follow some steps. They too need to spend time with the children they intend to adopt.

Although it was an issue before, the courts are starting to accept couples to adopt children from different races as those of the parents.

Mkangi added that parties involved in the adoption of a child should not exchange any money for whatever reasons.
He asserted that for the adoption to go smoothly, foreigners should meet all the legal requirements in Kenya as well.

Mkangi also emphasized on the permanency of adoption. “Adoption is permanent and irreversible.” He said .once the guardian of the child has accepted the adoption to take place they can’t go back on their decision.

There are several societies that one can go to should they want to adopt a child, according to Mkangi. They are, child welfare societies of Kenya, Kenya Christian Homes under the Barnados and little Angel’s network.

Several milestones have been achieved in the fight against HIV/AIDS since it was first reported in 1984.

The problem of orphaned and vulnerable children is another milestone we have to deal with and adoption may be the way out.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 28 August 2008 )  [From:  Africa Science News:  "Senior citizens ask government to facilitate adoption of orphans",  africasciencenews.org

One minute culture and family mean everything, the next minute I read a sentence that says those things can quickly be replaced by and through adoption.  Since when does selling a child to strangers ever become a very good thing to do?  Is it not better to help fund resources so these children do NOT have to lose more family and familiarity?

Take note of the last sentence of this article:  "The problem of orphaned and vulnerable children is another milestone we have to deal with and adoption may be the way out."  Adoption is the permanent way out of a problem situation.

Last I looked in my readings, adoption has caused far more problems than some dare to imagine or discuss.

"Adoption may be the way out".  Is this how a country takes care of it's problems and children -- "just keep sending them OUT"?!?

Thu, 2008-08-28 14:39 — Lulu

Barnardos in Kenya????

And yes, a quick google:

http://www.kenyachildrenshome.org.uk/projects.html

Then click on Adoption Society and you get this:

http://www.kenyachildrenshome.org.uk/adoption.html

Adoption Society, one of the three adoption agencies in Kenya is located in the Thomas Barnardo House.

Thu, 2008-08-28 14:59 — Kerry

Changed business

Let's hope this "new opportunity" isn't like the old days when documents were kept, hidden and/or falsified, keeping children from their siblings and extended family members.

[See Robin's blogs to learn what Bernardo's was/is about.]

Thu, 2008-08-28 16:04 — Robin

Balcraig Foundation?

I know Barnardos ran an orphanage in Kenya in the 1960/70s which was taken over by the locals, I'm not sure how much involvement Barnardos continued to have

Anyone know anything about the Balcraig Foundation and Nidos?

http://www.nidos.org.uk/directory/details.asp?id=112

Thu, 2008-08-28 16:32 — Lulu

More on Balcraig

This is all their website contains.... Nothing more, nothing less than an address...

http://www.balcraig.com/

and this is the founder:

Ann Heron Gloag 
one of Scotland’s most powerful women and one of the world’s top-50 female entrepreneurs.

She adopted from Kenya

http://www.international-womens-month.co.uk/articles/ann_heron_gloag.html