My husband and I attended the documentary STUCK last night. This film is touring the nation on its way to Wash. D.C. as a way to bring awareness of all the orphans who are Stuck in orphanages around the world due to government bureaucracy, and misconceptions about orphans and the process. Having adopted from China, which is one of the better programs, I am amazed at how long the process takes in some countries. The average wait for a child is 33 months. These are the most formative years of a child and they are being neglected.
I was shocked to hear that international adoptions have declined by 60% in the last ten years. This is amazing since there are over Ten Million orphans in the world. We need to put pressure on our legislatures to make the process void of red tape in this country. For example, is it really necessary to have a couple fingerprinted by their local police, the state police and the FBI? And once done, why must it be updated if a couple decides to adopt an additional child?
I was also shocked to learn some of what UNICEF is doing. Just as in our poorly run foster care system, children who could be adopted are waiting because someone mistakenly believes that it is better for the child to remain where they are in hopes that they can stay in their environment. They are advocating that there should be domestic adoption or foster care systems in some of the poorest countries in the world. I'm sorry, but foster care is not a permanent place; it is transitory, and while domestic adoptions would be great, it just doesn't happen.
How does all this information effect Be The One? Well, it makes our advocacy more urgent.
Please consider joining us by praying and donating; helping one more family bring one more child into their forever family.
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