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"He is happiest, be he
king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." -
Johann von Goethe
Home. Family. Backyard
cookouts. A table laden with more than we can eat on
Thanksgiving day. These things ground us, offer us
stability, and give us an environment where we can learn,
explore, grow, and even self-actualize.
Yet for 210 million
children, these basic human needs will never be met
because most of these children will come of age in an
institution, never knowing a family, never experiencing
the warmth, joy and acceptance of a home environment.
These children are orphans.
And for them, finding a family is like winning a lottery.
It is a dream come true, when all the pieces fall together
and home becomes a reality.
Those who never find a home
face hurdles and burdens that no child should bare. They
face years of loneliness and despair. Many fail to thrive
in their institutions, most experience
developmental/language delays and grow slowly. A general
rule of thumb, children raised in orphanages lose
approximately 1 month of linear growth for every 3 months
in orphanage care.
The good news is that many
of these children will make a complete recovery after
adoption. Within just a few years, some of them will have
caught up physically, mentally, and emotionally to their
home grown counterparts. Others progress more slowly, but
they all progress given the right environment.
Many warm, loving families
want to bring these wonderful kids into their homes. To
take them in, love them, nurture them, and support them.
In fact, there are many couples who would jump for joy at
the chance of adding an orphaned child to their family.
Adoption fees, court costs, attorney fees, immigration
fees and so on quickly pile up. Before a prospective
couple or family can even begin to look for a child, they
know theyll have to overcome the biggest hurdle of all the
$20,000 or so price tag.
Unfortunately, most good,
prospective parents cant afford to pay even a fraction of
these costs. So the children sit and wait.
Private and community
efforts can change all that they can bring orphans home to
the loving parents that so desperately want them.
Just imagine seeing the
glee in a young boys eyes the first time he sees his new
home. Not just any home, but one with a mom and dad he can
call his own.
You can help make that
happen as a volunteer and donor for A Childs Desire or any
one of many organizations which provide financial
assistance for adopting families. And A Childs Desire
makes it easy for individuals and groups to get involved
in a volunteer program and to play a central role in
providing adoption grants for children who have waited in
an orphanage for more than a year for a family to choose
them.
Youth groups, scout troops,
social clubs, etc. can sponsor a child and if all goes
well see that child find a family and a home just for him.
There are volunteer programs suited for home-schooled
teenagers, for college students and for senior citizen
centers.
Even if you are unable to
adopt a child yourself you can still make a difference by
volunteering your time or through making a donation, which
will enable another family to overcome the hurdles of
adoption. All children deserve to have families and homes.
Dont make a lonely child wait, together we can make his
dreams come true.
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