BBC - Page last updated at 02:59 GMT, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 03:59 UK
Pop star Madonna is in Malawi awaiting the result of a court bid to adopt an orphan, four-year-old Chifundo "Mercy" James. Her case has sparked a wider debate over inter-country adoption.
Should parents in affluent countries be encouraged to adopt children from different cultures in the developing world?
Read More...........
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Global Orphan Relief was founded initially to assist families to adopt Orphaned children. Upon further deliberation we realized that these children could not all be served through the process of adoption, but needed care provided in their current location. While we advocate and encourage adoption for families who are prepared for the additional responsibilities, we also believe that more can be done for more of these children by serving them in their local geography.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Madonna Malawi Adoption Puts Spotlight on AIDS, Poverty, Orphans, and Pop Stars
By Jennifer Delaney
Posted April 7, 2009
I am so grateful to Madonna for her second highly-publicized and controversial adoption from Malawi. Why? It reminds us that there are millions of children living in extreme poverty, in need of help, and opens the debate as to the best way to care for them. As a woman who hopes to be a mom someday, I can truly sympathize with Madonna's desire to build a family. However, as a child advocate, I struggle with her decision. I wonder who she is doing this for, little Mercy James or Madonna?
Read More........
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We do support community-focused solutions to care for these children, but many of these communities need assistance for this endeavor because resources are not available. At House of Faith Orphanage, there are many locals involved in varioius capacities. In addition, there is a local volunteer effort to assist these children -their children.
Peace, Global Orphan Relief
www.globalorphanrelief.org
Posted April 7, 2009
I am so grateful to Madonna for her second highly-publicized and controversial adoption from Malawi. Why? It reminds us that there are millions of children living in extreme poverty, in need of help, and opens the debate as to the best way to care for them. As a woman who hopes to be a mom someday, I can truly sympathize with Madonna's desire to build a family. However, as a child advocate, I struggle with her decision. I wonder who she is doing this for, little Mercy James or Madonna?
Read More........
------------------------
We do support community-focused solutions to care for these children, but many of these communities need assistance for this endeavor because resources are not available. At House of Faith Orphanage, there are many locals involved in varioius capacities. In addition, there is a local volunteer effort to assist these children -their children.
Peace, Global Orphan Relief
www.globalorphanrelief.org
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Keeping Africa's Turnaround on Track
Washington Post
By Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
Thursday, April 9, 2009; Page A17
For more than a decade, much of Africa has been moving forward. Economic growth is rising, poverty is falling and democratic governance is spreading. But the global financial crisis threatens to undo this progress by reducing investment, exports and aid just as they should be expanding to build on these successes.
Read More............
By Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
Thursday, April 9, 2009; Page A17
For more than a decade, much of Africa has been moving forward. Economic growth is rising, poverty is falling and democratic governance is spreading. But the global financial crisis threatens to undo this progress by reducing investment, exports and aid just as they should be expanding to build on these successes.
Read More............
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The Forgotten People in Africa
April 07, 2009
By Nat Hentoff
After Sudan's Adolf Hitler, Gen. Omar Hassan al-Bashir, expelled 13 international humanitarian organizations from Darfur, with the rest to follow within the year, four black African Muslim children - mourned by what is left of their families at the Shangil Tobaya refugee camp - died of malnutrition in late March. Their official death notices will not appear in American newspapers.
As a memorial, I give you the names and ages of the dead children, as provided by the rebel Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (Sudan Tribune, March 24): Abdel-Latif Hassan Gar El-Nabi, 7 months old; Ahmed Musa, 7 months old; Munir Mohamed Ibrahim, 9 months old; Esam Babiker Yacoub, 3 years old.
Read More.............
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I can't help by being burdened by what has happened in Sudan, specifically Darfur.
I called my Senators offices late last year to discuss my concerns. In talking with a then Senator Salazar's staffer, he explained that he had some talking points that he could recite to me, but that these points would not satisfy me.
I have always been perplexed as to why we could intervene in southeastern Europe to stop the slaughter of European Muslims, but we could not muster the courage to stop the slaughter of Christian blacks in Sudan. Do these people not matter as much? Is it a matter of religion, location, or race? Why has our only response from the highest levels of our government either been talking points or silence when it comes to Sudan.
As per the aforementioned article, the death is not limited to Christians. Death in Darfur has become something that is acceptable to us by now. I suppose the entire continent of Africa is something so remote and distant for most of us that these concerns don't win or lose elections here in the States.
I think if we follow the money we may begin to understand the inaction by our government, and so many others. Death and destruction are consuming the people of Darfur, and the best thing the governments of this world can come up with is an arrest warrant for the leader of the genocide. The value of life in Darfur(some reports indicate as many as 7 million people live in this area) must be less than the value of life in Kosovo(1.8 million population)...................... Gen. Omar Hassan al-Bashir has traveled outside his country several times with no attempted arrest. If this International warrant had any teeth or resolve we would send a team to his country and remove him to stand court in Europe for his crimes. Meanwhile, as we stand by, people continue to die, and the silence is truly deafening for some.............
By Nat Hentoff
After Sudan's Adolf Hitler, Gen. Omar Hassan al-Bashir, expelled 13 international humanitarian organizations from Darfur, with the rest to follow within the year, four black African Muslim children - mourned by what is left of their families at the Shangil Tobaya refugee camp - died of malnutrition in late March. Their official death notices will not appear in American newspapers.
As a memorial, I give you the names and ages of the dead children, as provided by the rebel Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (Sudan Tribune, March 24): Abdel-Latif Hassan Gar El-Nabi, 7 months old; Ahmed Musa, 7 months old; Munir Mohamed Ibrahim, 9 months old; Esam Babiker Yacoub, 3 years old.
Read More.............
------------------------------
I can't help by being burdened by what has happened in Sudan, specifically Darfur.
I called my Senators offices late last year to discuss my concerns. In talking with a then Senator Salazar's staffer, he explained that he had some talking points that he could recite to me, but that these points would not satisfy me.
I have always been perplexed as to why we could intervene in southeastern Europe to stop the slaughter of European Muslims, but we could not muster the courage to stop the slaughter of Christian blacks in Sudan. Do these people not matter as much? Is it a matter of religion, location, or race? Why has our only response from the highest levels of our government either been talking points or silence when it comes to Sudan.
As per the aforementioned article, the death is not limited to Christians. Death in Darfur has become something that is acceptable to us by now. I suppose the entire continent of Africa is something so remote and distant for most of us that these concerns don't win or lose elections here in the States.
I think if we follow the money we may begin to understand the inaction by our government, and so many others. Death and destruction are consuming the people of Darfur, and the best thing the governments of this world can come up with is an arrest warrant for the leader of the genocide. The value of life in Darfur(some reports indicate as many as 7 million people live in this area) must be less than the value of life in Kosovo(1.8 million population)...................... Gen. Omar Hassan al-Bashir has traveled outside his country several times with no attempted arrest. If this International warrant had any teeth or resolve we would send a team to his country and remove him to stand court in Europe for his crimes. Meanwhile, as we stand by, people continue to die, and the silence is truly deafening for some.............
Monday, April 6, 2009
Madonna, Malawi and adoption madness
Her adoption controversy highlights the problems when politics trumps the welfare of the child.
By Beth Nonte Russell April 6, 2009
The controversy surrounding the attempt by Madonna to adopt a second child from an orphanage in Malawi brings to light the confusing situation in international adoption. On Friday, a judge in that nation rejected the singer's adoption request on the grounds that waiving an 18-month residency requirement would set a dangerous precedent. Madonna was granted such an exemption when she adopted a Malawian boy in 2006.
This is just another example of how the intricacies of each country's legal system, cultural mores and poverty level intersect with the guidelines of The Hague treaty on inter country adoptions.
The result has been a decline in the number of orphans from developing countries being adopted by Americans. While adoptions become harder, the number of orphans grows, especially in Africa because of the tragedy of the AIDS crisis. Malawi has an estimated 1 million orphans, and untold numbers of orphans languish in other African countries as well as in Romania, Russia, China and Latin America.
Read More...........
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While I don't agree with every aspect of her synopsis, the opinion of Beth Nonte Russell certainly gives us something to think about.
I am personally torn. I have had the benefit of visiting some of these children in their environment. I draw most of my conclusions from our experience in developing House of Faith Orphanage in Silembe, Zambia. This is a special, and beautiful place. Though the opportunities are limited, there is something you miss when you leave this place. What if you were born and raised there? What if your extended family lived in the area? What would it then be like for a young child to be up-rooted and joined to a new family in a far away place?
We are not attempting to develop an institutional environment in Silembe. Based on some of the research the author provides in her opinion, I think we may need to reduce the number of children in each home to provide a more cohesive family environment for the child; however, this transition will dramatically increase our capital costs per child. There are always trade-offs.
In addition, we purposely maintain contacts with extended family for each child in the community when possible. When this child is adopted into families located in foreign countries, this family connection is much more distant, infrequent, and complicated. I personally believe that international adoption is part of the solution for these children, besides all of the arguments against it.
Please consider this example as you consider your opinion.
In Zambia, there are approximately 1.2 million Orphans. If you removed this portion of the population, you are left with 10,800,000 people. Per additional research I was able to pull, the average household size in poor countries is between 5 and 6 people versus 2.6 in the US.
For our purposes, we'll use 5 people per household in Zambia to account for many of the Orphan children that are already living in these households, which would finally give us 2.16 million households. This analysis would indicate that over 1/2 of all households would have to adopt one Orphan to adsorb this vulnerable group into family units. Not only will this not happen, but many of these children will receive less than ideal care due to economic pressures. In addition, the family has to be willing and capable of caring for additional children.
For care of Orphans, there has to be an approach that involves many solutions. Originally we founded Global Orphan Relief with the intent of helping families adopt children, but upon realizing the magnitude of this group of children we realized that we would also have to reach out and provide care and that is where we began this work.
Whatever your opinion, please pray for these children, and support them in some way.
Peace,
Scott A. Nordstrom
Founder, President
Global Orphan Relief
By Beth Nonte Russell April 6, 2009
The controversy surrounding the attempt by Madonna to adopt a second child from an orphanage in Malawi brings to light the confusing situation in international adoption. On Friday, a judge in that nation rejected the singer's adoption request on the grounds that waiving an 18-month residency requirement would set a dangerous precedent. Madonna was granted such an exemption when she adopted a Malawian boy in 2006.
This is just another example of how the intricacies of each country's legal system, cultural mores and poverty level intersect with the guidelines of The Hague treaty on inter country adoptions.
The result has been a decline in the number of orphans from developing countries being adopted by Americans. While adoptions become harder, the number of orphans grows, especially in Africa because of the tragedy of the AIDS crisis. Malawi has an estimated 1 million orphans, and untold numbers of orphans languish in other African countries as well as in Romania, Russia, China and Latin America.
Read More...........
--------------------------
While I don't agree with every aspect of her synopsis, the opinion of Beth Nonte Russell certainly gives us something to think about.
I am personally torn. I have had the benefit of visiting some of these children in their environment. I draw most of my conclusions from our experience in developing House of Faith Orphanage in Silembe, Zambia. This is a special, and beautiful place. Though the opportunities are limited, there is something you miss when you leave this place. What if you were born and raised there? What if your extended family lived in the area? What would it then be like for a young child to be up-rooted and joined to a new family in a far away place?
We are not attempting to develop an institutional environment in Silembe. Based on some of the research the author provides in her opinion, I think we may need to reduce the number of children in each home to provide a more cohesive family environment for the child; however, this transition will dramatically increase our capital costs per child. There are always trade-offs.
In addition, we purposely maintain contacts with extended family for each child in the community when possible. When this child is adopted into families located in foreign countries, this family connection is much more distant, infrequent, and complicated. I personally believe that international adoption is part of the solution for these children, besides all of the arguments against it.
Please consider this example as you consider your opinion.
In Zambia, there are approximately 1.2 million Orphans. If you removed this portion of the population, you are left with 10,800,000 people. Per additional research I was able to pull, the average household size in poor countries is between 5 and 6 people versus 2.6 in the US.
For our purposes, we'll use 5 people per household in Zambia to account for many of the Orphan children that are already living in these households, which would finally give us 2.16 million households. This analysis would indicate that over 1/2 of all households would have to adopt one Orphan to adsorb this vulnerable group into family units. Not only will this not happen, but many of these children will receive less than ideal care due to economic pressures. In addition, the family has to be willing and capable of caring for additional children.
For care of Orphans, there has to be an approach that involves many solutions. Originally we founded Global Orphan Relief with the intent of helping families adopt children, but upon realizing the magnitude of this group of children we realized that we would also have to reach out and provide care and that is where we began this work.
Whatever your opinion, please pray for these children, and support them in some way.
Peace,
Scott A. Nordstrom
Founder, President
Global Orphan Relief
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Buy a Brick Build a House
From one of the Board Members of Global Orphan Relief:
We have finally gotten the ebay auction up and running for the Buy A Brick, Build A House campaign. Please see the link below.
I would like to ask each of you to consider sharing this auction site via email with anyone and everyone you know. The more exposure we get for this auction the better. It is pretty easy to ask people to only donate a dollar. We have already started to receive some donations today, and they have been ranging from $2 to $20. Everything adds up!
I have contacted a bunch of people I know, and I am asking them to share the auction with people they know. So, hopefully, we can have a very successful event!!
Thanks for your help, and if you have any questions, please let me know!auction site: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270367406242
Blessings,Jen
We have finally gotten the ebay auction up and running for the Buy A Brick, Build A House campaign. Please see the link below.
I would like to ask each of you to consider sharing this auction site via email with anyone and everyone you know. The more exposure we get for this auction the better. It is pretty easy to ask people to only donate a dollar. We have already started to receive some donations today, and they have been ranging from $2 to $20. Everything adds up!
I have contacted a bunch of people I know, and I am asking them to share the auction with people they know. So, hopefully, we can have a very successful event!!
Thanks for your help, and if you have any questions, please let me know!auction site: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270367406242
Blessings,Jen
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