Global Orphan Facts

Global Orphan Facts

The Numbers

• Total estimated number of orphans worldwide:  153 million
• Estimated number that have lost only their mother: 34.5 million
• Estimated number that have lost only their father: 101 million
• Estimated number of “double orphans”:  17.8 million 
  (Source:  U.S. Government “5th Annual Report to Congress on Public Law 109-95” and affirmed byUNICEF)

• Number of caring adults it takes to make a life-long difference for an orphan:  1

Christian Alliance for Orphans Website 

Don't Expect...

6 Common Adoption Myths Dispelled

Click to watch the video: 6 common adoption myths dispelled

By Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P.

TODAY

updated 5/9/2007 12:34:23 PM ET

Much of what people know of adoption comes from the media or our experience with adopted kids growing up.  So is it any wonder that so many adoption myths still are believed as fact?  Becoming educated about adoption will help you be equipped to separate adoption facts from fiction.

Myth:  There are no healthy infants available for adoption in the U.S. 

The Truth:  There are tens of thousands of families each year that adopt healthy, newborn babies through adoption.  Many of them are through open adoption, where the biological mother, often called the birth mother, may have chosen the family herself.  Domestic adoption is a very viable option for families who need help building their families.

Myth:  It takes years to complete an adoption. 

The Truth: A recent poll in Adoptive Families Magazine revealed that most families are able to complete their adoption in about a year.  Families should expect to be working on their adoption for one to two years.

Myth:  Single people can’t adopt. 

The Truth: Many singles are building a family through adoption.  Choices may be a bit restricted, especially with international adoption’s rules established by each individual country.  Singles need to be sure they find an adoption professional who has experience and success with cases such as theirs.

Myth:  Birth mothers are typically teens. 

The Truth:  Birthmothers are actually usually in their twenties, already parenting other children.  They are typically single and struggling.  They are choosing adoption thoughtfully and because they want a better life for their child.  They often will want to play an active role in their adoption plan.

Myth:  Infants available for adoption in the U.S. are all drug-exposed. 

The Truth:  Most women considering adoption for their children are not using drugs.  Some may, but the majority of them are leading relatively healthy lives and even seeking ongoing prenatal care.  They are choosing adoption because they care about their child.

Myth:  Telling a child they are adopted should wait till they can understand what adoption is. 

The Truth:  Teaching a child about the special way they came into your family is a process that is best when started at birth.  Waiting until they are older can be shocking and unsettling to a child.  They may wonder what else you are not telling them and may cause them to feel unnecessary guilt or shame.  There are many beautiful, age-appropriate books that can aid families in teaching about this from day one.

Mardie Caldwell, COAP, is a recognized adoption expert and award-winning author.  Through Lifetime Adoption Center, which she founded in 1986, she has helped thousands of families build their families through adoption.  To learn more about adoption success, read Caldwell’s book, Adoption: Your Step-by-Step Guide.

© 2012 MSNBC Interactive.  Reprints

Save the Adoption Tax Credit

http://adoptiontaxcredit.org/

"It is not just for the adoptive families to benefit from the adoption. Typically parents who go through all the ups and downs of any adoption process don't do it for the refund. The issue is to remove part of the most significant obstacle or deterrent that many otherwise willing families find when thinking about adoption: the financial one. All children need a home--and there are families eager to welcome children of all ages and with the most severe physical and / or developmental challenges. There are even families willing to adopt children who are terminally ill so that those little ones will at least know earthly love before being called to the eternal one. There are children dying from poverty, malnutrition, lack of proper medical care, and neglect. Ironically, in most cases their lives could be saved if rescued on time. The adoption tax credit is not a reward to those who adopted already. It's a little "break" to allow them to provide more things for their newly adopted child--but, most importantly, it means the possibility to do what most families feel like doing after the child or children being adopted are home: to adopt again. Moreover, for other families that are also willing but not so ready to take the huge leap of faith that it entails, it means the possibility to finally doing it--finally saving the life of a child. No, don't feel badly thinking that you're doing it for your own interest. First of all, you're doing it for your children who may need equipment not provided by insurance, or a larger house, or who make it necessary for you to reduce your working hours. But, ultimately, you're not doing it for you or for any other family you may be related to or friends with: you're doing it for the children!!!You're doing it for children who are literally dying or near death due to poverty, malnutrition, lack of proper medical care, and neglect. Those are children who could live and bloom if only given that chance. There are families willing to adopt children of any age and with the most severe physical and developmental challenges. There is no "unwanted" child. The only problem is the cost--not to support the children in daily life, but to be able to get them home. Please call or e-mail your representative and both your senators today. Don't delay--or it may be too late. Please do it--not for you, not for someone else you know--but for those children who are totally unknown, forgotten, rejected now. . . but who have the right to be loved, the right to be taken care of, the right to be known. Thank you. God bless," Lillian Godone-Maresca 

Alliance for Childhood!

I found this website today. Thought I would share... Look at the Twelve Key Types of Play. 

The Alliance for Childhood promotes policies and practices that support children’s healthy development, love of learning, and joy in living. Our public education campaigns bring to light both the promise and the vulnerability of childhood. We act for the sake of the children themselves and for a more just, democratic, and ecologically responsible future. 

http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files/file/12_types_of_play.pdf

updated 9/2/2012

Parent Rap!!

Parents rap about maintaining their household by videosonlytube

He's on HOLD!!

9/19/2012

We just found out from our adoption agency that our son is matched to us and is on hold! He is reserved for us while we get our homestudy done and send our dossier paperwork to Eastern Europe. The homestudy takes an average of 4-6 months. Once the homestudy is done and the dossier submitted then we wait for approval for our 1st trip to visit him! Overall I expect the adoption to take a year to a year and a half from now before we are able to bring him home.


So excited!!!!!!!!!

You Raise Me Up

A Blue Rose

A Blue Rose

Having four visiting family members, my wife was very busy, so I offered to go to the store for her to get some needed items, which included light bulbs, paper towels, trash bags, detergent and Clorox. So off I went.

I scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies and headed for the checkout counter, only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a young man who appeared to be about sixte...en-years-old. I wasn’t in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize that I was there. This was when he waved his hands excitedly in the air and declared in a loud voice, “Mommy, I’m over here.”

It was obvious now, he was mentally challenged and also startled as he turned and saw me standing so close to him, waiting to squeeze by. His eyes widened and surprise exploded on his face as I said, “Hey Buddy, what’s your name?”

“My name is Denny and I’m shopping with my mother,” he responded proudly.

“Wow,” I said, “that’s a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, but my name is Steve.”

“Steve, like Stevarino?” he asked.

“Yes,” I answered. “How old are you Denny?”

“How old am I now, Mommy?” he asked his mother as she slowly came over from the next aisle.

“You’re fifteen-years-old Denny; now be a good boy and let the man pass by.”

I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny for several more minutes about summer, bicycles and school. I watched his brown eyes dance with excitement, because he was the center of someone’s attention. He then abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section.

Denny’s mom had a puzzled look on her face and thanked me for taking the time to talk with her son. She told me that most people wouldn’t even look at him, much less talk to him.

I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said something I have no idea where it came from, other than by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I told her that there are plenty of red, yellow, and pink roses in God’s Garden; however, “Blue Roses” are very rare and should be appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness. You see, Denny is a Blue Rose and if someone doesn’t stop and smell that rose with their heart and touch that rose with their kindness, then they’ve missed a blessing from God.

She was silent for a second, then with a tear in her eye she asked, “Who are you?”

Without thinking I said, “Oh, I’m probably just a dandelion, but I sure love living in God’s garden.”

She reached out, squeezed my hand and said, “God bless you!” and then I had tears in my eyes.

May I suggest, the next time you see a BLUE ROSE, don’t turn your head and walk off. Take the time to smile and say Hello. Why? Because, by the grace of GOD, this mother or father could be you. This could be your child, grandchild, niece or nephew. What a difference a moment can mean to that person or their family.

From an old dandelion!

Author Unknown

Bring Our Children Home - By: Cindy Foote