Adoptions and Orphans

Posts Tagged ‘Family’

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Mo lives high on a shelf in an airport gift shop. All day he watches as families walk past. He can’t help but feel lonely. Mo wants a family. He wants a home. Then one day Mo’s wish for a family comes true as a special couple take him on a marvelous journey to meet his new best friend, Yuri. Mo has lots of questions once he gets to his destination. Where is he? What’s a mishka? And most importantly, will the man and the woman who brought him and Yuri together come back? Will Mo ever have a family of his own?

Mishka: An Adoption Tale

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In Search of a Family: A Story of an International Adoption takes the reader inside a personal journey through the unknowns of an international adoption. This true story takes place in the ex-Soviet bloc country of Ukraine. As they travel through this young, independent republic, Kevin and Ginger Carlisle encounter numerous obstacles that could derail their hopes of achieving their dream of creating a new family. Braving Ukrainian election tensions and protestors, heartbreaking events, financial concerns, and changing adoption policies, they navigate the emotional and psychological maze of the bureaucracy and physical logistics of an international adoption. An eleventh hour attempt by the children’s family member jeopardizes their attempt in searching for a family. The Carlisles endure the hardships of the language barrier and infrastructure but are able to uncover the little-known beauty of Ukraine and its people, all while placing their life in the United States on hold. As their destiny patiently waits, they keep reciting the mantra of all those who had come before them: Keep your focus on the goal of bringing home your children.

In Search of a Family: A Story of an International Adoption

There are more options in foreign adoptions than for adoptions in the US, but adoptions through foreign channels aren’t any easier than domestic adoptions. Discover how issues of citizenship and immigration enter into foreign adoptions withhelp from a certified family mediator in this free video on adoption information. Expert: Robert Todd Bio: Robert Todd is the managing partner and president of Robert M. Todd, PA and Family Law Solutions. Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

The first place to start a search for open-adoption records is with the parents and adoption agency listed on a birth certificate. Find out how to contact a state to find open-adoption records withhelp from a certified family mediator in this free video on adoption information. Expert: Robert Todd Bio: Robert Todd is the managing partner and president of Robert M. Todd, PA and Family Law Solutions. Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

Increasingly prevalent among the problems that beset the continent of Africa is rising morbidity as a consequence of HIV/AIDS, and the impact this is having on generations of children, from new born to adulthood.

The term ‘AIDS orphan’, coined perhaps 10 years ago describes a child below the age of 15 who has lost one of more parents as a result of HIV/AIDS. Richard Stearns, CEO of World Vision said:

“….I believe that this could very well be looked on as the sin of our generation . . . and our children 40 or 50 years from now will ask ‘what did you do while 40 million children became orphans in Africa?’ “

Recent statistics issued by UNICEF, estimate the total number of African children who may now be AIDS orphans ( a child who has lost at least one parent as a result of AIDS) to be 40 million in Africa of which 20 million live in sub-saharan Africa. These numbers are staggering and difficult to understand.

Nelson Mandela, the much loved South African humanitarian, once equated the world to a human body. He said that in the same way that a human body cannot deny the impact of gangrene in a limb, the world cannot ignore the consequences of this scourge in Africa. To do so is not just immoral, it imperils us all.

Let’s think for a moment about these millions of children. What exactly does it mean to be orphaned? The likelihood is that few of us know children who have been orphaned. Most of us may know adults whose parents have died. Many of us may have parents who have died, who we still miss daily and wish were in our lives.

If we do know orphaned children, that would likely mean we knew their parents and of the tragedy that beset them and their family, leaving a young family of orphans behind.
It is easy to imagine the grief at such a funeral service of friends and family, not just at the loss of the parents, but for the loss these children face. We would be overcome with emotions as we observed these young children during the service projecting the difficulties they must endure without their beloved parents to guide them. The poignancy of their loss would reduce most of us to tears.

Let’s take this analogy a little further. Perhaps as we think about this, we have imagined, with some relief, that the parents’ brothers and sisters, the children’s uncles and aunts are sitting next to them, and will, without thought, embrace these small children into their family. But what if this family has been so beset by tragedy that all but one of the parent’s siblings are dead and the remaining brother is mortally ill.

Perhaps then in their community, responsible citizens would look out for them? But we soon learn that the parents have left no money, they don’t own a property, and as rent will no longer be paid, the children must leave their home with immediate effect. In fact, the family only survived from the work that the parents did. Furthermore this community has been so beset with tragedy that the local school teacher, community leaders and most of the heads of the families within it are also all dead.

Their remains just the grieving mother of the children’s father, who has now buried the last of her children and must add to those other children she is already looking after, these newly orphaned children. She has little money as in the past her sons provided for her from the income they earned and now they are all dead.

While reading this, you may have been imagining a sudden death of the parents. But what if the father had lain dying an agonising death over a long period of months, even years, without the benefits of modern pain relief? The family are already exposed to increased poverty without their father’s income. Tragically, their mother is infected with the same illness as their father and although she struggles to look after her children, she soon becomes so ill she cannot leave her bed. The oldest child is 6 when his parents become very ill. Soon he is responsible for feeding his parents and his two siblings. The youngest is only 18 months old.
And now after their parents have both died within a short space of time, the youngest child is found to be infected with the same disease.

Multiply this nightmare scenario by millions.

In South Africa alone, here are an estimated 118 500 children living in 66,500 child-headed families That is families led by children from as young as ten looking after siblings and other orphaned children. HIV may be the major contributing factor to their predicament but poverty keeps them trapped in a world of destitution.

In the face of this overwhelming and mostly hidden tragedy, how can you make a difference? We must all become responsible for communicating to others the grief and sadness of so many young children losing their parents, their support networks, their chance of education. And, in so doing, spur a grassroots movement that will, at the very least bring attention to this modern tragedy.

The plight of these children needs to become an urgent issue in all governments’ agendas.

amazon.com
When Jan Vandrie sees children available for adoption lingering in the files month after month and no one taking them, she wonders how they might do in her home. The Vandries now have 14 children from all over the world.

ABC News Specials Brave New World: What is a Family?

• ISBN13: 0786936718317
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

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Have the “time” of your life with Disney’s fun-filled comedy MEET THE ROBINSONS, a thrilling adventure that takes you to a whole new world full of imagination and surprises. It’s “a masterpiece,” raves John Anderson of “Newsday.” Join a brilliant young inventor named Lewis as he sets off on a time-traveling journey to find the family he never knew. In the fantastical world of 2037, hip-hoppin’ frogs and dogs that wear glasses are as common as talking dinosaurs. In an amazing twist, Lewis discovers that the fate of the future rests in his hands, but he can’t save it alone — he’ll need every bit of help he can get from the wonderfully wacky Robinson family, who help him learn to keep moving forward and never stop believing in himself. Blast off with MEET THE ROBINSONS — complete with never-before-seen bonus features, including an all-new game, deleted scenes and much more. It’s an exciting trip your whole family will enjoy!Amazon.com
Developing positive self-esteem and persevering in the face of difficulties are fundamental parts of growing up, but when 12-year old orphan Lewis (Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry) can’t seem to get adopted or make his inventions work despite repeated efforts, he begins to seriously doubt himself and his abilities as an inventor. A CGI picture by Disney with great animation and a fresh vision of what the future might look like, Meet The Robinsons follows Lewis from his lonesome days at the orphanage to his crushing failure at the school science fair when his newly invented memory scanner won’t work. Then, an odd boy named Wilbur Robinson (Wesley Singerman) shows up to warn Lewis about the mysterious “Bowler Hat Guy” (Stephen J Anderson) lurking around the science fair, an evil man Wilbur claims is from the future. The next thing Lewis knows, he and Wilbur are on route to the future via time machine. Once there, Lewis meets the very quirky, extended Robinson family with whom he feels oddly at home. As the search for the Bowler Hat Man and his constant companion Doris (Ethan Sandler) becomes more and more dangerous, the Robinson family becomes crucial in keeping Lewis safe. In the end, Lewis returns to the present with a whole new inner strength, a sense of his place in the world, the knowledge that his actions directly affect others, and an optimistic determination to “keep moving forward.” While comparisons with the Back to the Future films are inevitable, Meet the Robinsons stands apart from its predecessors as its own, thoroughly entertaining family film. (Ages 4 and older)

Included is the seven-minute 1938 short Mickey Mouse’s Boat Builder in which Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck order and assemble a do-it-yourself boat kit and launch an impressive ocean liner dubbed the “Queen Minnie.” Needless to say, hilarity reigns throughout and following the boat-building process. –Tami Horiuchi

Meet the Robinsons

This adoptive mother shares her story and experience in working with Bethany Christian Services to adopt an older child in the US foster care system as a single parent. When she learned about the many waiting children, she felt called to adopt an older child.

Guru Eric Kruk and his family , and friends visited 4 orphanages which had up to 112 children. Three of the orphanages were in Bandung , Indonesia , and the other was in Garut , Indonesia . The orphanage in Garut , Cecep Rahman and his family also attended the gathering at the orphanage. Donations were bags , praying clothes , school supplies, candy , toys, and donations given to the orphanages it’s self. The music is called NARA , and the album is -Unearthed, and the artist is ES Posthumus. Music is used for demonstration purposes only for Youtube. No copyright infringement intended. Made a mistake on the e-mail on the last orphanage , it should be psaa_kurnia_asih@yahoo.com

In nearly all States, adoption records are sealed and withheld from public inspection after the adoption is finalized. To maintain the confidentiality of these records, most States have instituted procedures by which parties to an adoption may obtain nonidentifying and identifying information from an adoption record, while still protecting the interests of all parties.

Non-Identifying Information

Nonidentifying information is generally limited to descriptive details about an adopted person and the adopted person’s birth relatives. Nonidentifying information may include the following:

Date and place of the adopted person’s birth

Age of the birth parents and general physical description such as eye and hair color

Race, ethnicity, religion, and medical history of the birth parents

Educational level of the birth parents and their occupation at the time of the adoption

Reason for placing child for adoption

Existence of other children born to each birth parent

Nearly all States allow the adopted person to have access to nonidentifying information about birth relatives, generally upon written request. The adopted person must be an adult, usually at least 18 years of age, before he or she may access this information. Approximately 37 States and American Samoa have provisions in statute that allow access to nonidentifying information to an adoptive parent or a guardian of an adopted person who is still a minor. Some States allow birth parents access to nonidentifying information, and some States give such access to adult birth siblings. Additionally, States are allowed to charge a reasonable fee for providing the information. Policies on what information is collected and how that information is maintained and disclosed vary from State to State.

Restrictions on Release of Nonidentifying Information

A few jurisdictions are more restrictive about the release of information from adoption records. New Jersey and Guam require a party to obtain a court order before any information can be released. In Indiana and Pennsylvania, the person whose information is being sought must provide consent before information about him or her can be released. In Colorado, any party to the adoption can request that information not be disclosed.

The statutes in Illinois and Kansas allow the adoptive parents to receive medical and family information about the birth family. In addition, the adoptive parents may request the department to contact the birth parents any time, postadoption, for additional health information when there is a medical need.

Identifying Information

Identifying information is considered to be data that may lead to the positive identification of an adopted person, birth parents, or other birth relatives. Identifying information includes the current name of the person, but usually also includes an address or other contact information so that adopted persons and birth relatives can use the information to arrange personal contact with one another. The statutes in nearly all States permit the release of identifying information when the person whose information is sought has consented to the release.

A mutual consent registry is one method many States use to arrange the consents that are required for release of identifying information. A mutual consent registry is a system whereby individuals directly involved in adoptions can indicate their willingness or unwillingness to have their identifying information disclosed. Approximately 33 States have established some form of a mutual consent registry. Procedures for mutual consent registries vary significantly from State to State. Most registries require consent of at least one birth parent and an adopted person over the age of 18 or 21, or of adoptive parents of an adopted person who is still a minor, in order to release identifying information. Currently, 26 of the States that have registries require the parties seeking to exchange information to file affidavits consenting to release of their personal information. However, seven States will release information from the registry upon request, unless the affected party has filed an affidavit requesting nondisclosure.

Approximately 22 States allow biological siblings of the adopted individual to seek and release identifying information upon mutual consent. No consent is required for adopted persons in Louisiana and Texas to receive identifying information about birth parents who are deceased. Many States ask a birth parent to specify at the time of consent or relinquishment whether they are willing to have their identity disclosed to the adopted person when he or she is age 18 or 21. If consent is not on file, the information may not be released without a court order documenting good cause to release the information. A person seeking a court order must be able to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that there is a compelling reason for disclosure that outweighs maintaining the confidentiality of a party to an adoption.

Some States have imposed some limitations on the release of identifying information. Mississippi and South Carolina require the adopted person to undergo counseling about the possible consequences of contact with his or her family before any information is disclosed. In Connecticut, release of identifying information is prohibited if it is determined that the requested information would be seriously disruptive to any of the parties involved.

Other Methods of Obtaining Consent

States that have not established registries may use alternative methods for disclosing identifying information. Search and consent procedures authorize a public or private agency to assist a party in locating birth family members to determine if they consent to the release of information. Some States have a type of search and consent procedure called a confidential intermediary system. In this system, an individual called a confidential intermediary is certified by the court to have access to sealed adoption records for the purpose of conducting a search for birth family members to obtain their consent for contact. Other States use an affidavit system through which birth family members can file either their consent to the release of identifying information or a nonconsent to register his or her refusal to be contacted or to release identifying information. The written permission may be referred to as a consent, waiver, or authorization form.

Original Birth Certificate

When an adoption is finalized, a new birth certificate for the child is customarily issued to the adoptive parents. The original birth certificate is then sealed and kept confidential. In the past, nearly all States required a court order for adopted persons to gain access to their original birth certificates. In approximately 28 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, and Puerto Rico, a court order is still required to gain access to the original birth certificate, but in many States, the laws are changing to allow easier access to these records. Some of the methods now available include:

Available through court order when all parties have consented

Available upon request to the adult adopted person

Available upon request to the adopt adopted person unless the birth parent has filed an affidavit denying release of confidential records

Available to persons who have established their eligibility to receive identifying information through a State adoption registry

Available when consents to release of identifying information from the birth parents are on file.