If you’ve been around this blog for any length of time, you’ll know the answer!!! I am passionate about trying to use the platform of a blog to tell people about how many precious children are orphaned and vulnerable, and often in pretty bad circumstances.
I want to inspire you to keep families together, and to consider adopting a child who needs a family. There are about 8 million children are in orphanages around the world, who are extremely vulnerable to not receiving the quality or quantity of care they need. Even the best orphanage is NOT a place for a child to grow up- studies have shown that again and again.
In fact, for every 3 months in an orphanage, a child loses a month’s worth of development. Do you see why I try so hard to find families for waiting children? Physically, mentally, and emotionally, orphanages truly stunt a child’s development. Kids who have special needs (such as disabilities, medical conditions etc.) are the most likely to be orphaned, and the least likely to get what they need in an orphanage or foster home. Family gives so much more personalization, opportunities, and loving attention.
And when children turn 16 (or sometimes 18), they lose the ability to be adopted, which, in many cases, is their only chance at adoption. But it’s so rare for older kids, especially teens, to find a family. I’m not an expert, but I do think my age helps me see these teenagers waiting for adoption as who they are: Wonderful people, worthy of so much better, who matter so much.When I look at pictures of waiting teenagers, I see myself, my siblings, my friends. Kids like me.
Do you see your kids, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, friends? These waiting kids aren’t random faces, random diagnoses. These people really exist. They have names, faces, hopes, dreams, individuality. Each one is a unique person, who matters. So, so, much. Aproximately 71 teens age out of foster care without a family every single day. Internationally, there aren’t statistics, but in the almost 3 years I’ve been following the waiting child photolisting, Reece’s Rainbow, I’ve seen only 8 children in the 14-16 age group find families, while 123 aged out, and many more will, very soon.
Not finding a family is the norm, not the exception. This is such a problem! There are pretty dismal statistics that kids face after aging out, due to growing up in institutions, and not having the safety net of family, and still others with significant disabilities are stuck in institutions for the rest of their life. Institutions that range from not ideal to really, really awful, like those discussed in this news report and worse. This is what I’m passionate about, and I hope I’ve been able to inspire you to get involved somehow.
If you want to, The Archibald Project, Reece’s Rainbow, Holt International, and Hope Station China are great resources. Thanks so much for reading about what I’m passionate about.😊
btw, if you’d be interested in considering adopting one of the individual kids I shared about here, they live in an Eastern European country that allows adoption from older parents, single parents, and large families. You can take next steps by visiting they’re pages I linked, and contacting Reece’s Rainbow.😊
Clara's Corner 
Reblogged this on From guestwriters and commented:
In our Western industrialised world, we can live in prosperity, but we also have a duty or obligation to share our prosperity with others. There is a great need for help all over the world. However small the contribution to help may be it will be a welcome one.
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