When Will Vietnam Ever Open to Adoption?
02/03/2012
Nicole Skellenger, JD
 When will Vietnam finally re-open for international adoption? As of February 2012, the answer to this question is “not yet.”
The United States had been waiting for Vietnam to become a party to the Hague Convention in order to hopefully resume adoptions. Vietnam finally became a party to the Convention on February 1, 2012; however, the United States does not yet want to start processing adoptions from the country. The U.S has found that as of February 2012 Vietnam is not yet complaint with Hague requirements. In order for adoptions to happen between Vietnam and the US, not only does Vietnam need to be a party to the Hague Convention, but the US also must approve.
I sincerely hope that whatever needs to happen for Vietnam to become compliant happens soon, so that adoptions can start back up. The children that are left behind because of this decision are still in desperate need of homes. According to UNICEF, approximately one third of all children in the country (7 million children) are considered poor and that one third of children under 5 years of age have stunted growth because of chronic malnutrition. This is a crisis.
The longer this process takes, the older these children will get. Children will age out of their orphanages and become less desirable for adoption because they are older. This is a sad fact, especially because there are many families waiting to adopt from Vietnam. Over the last decade, thousands of families have adopted a child or children from Vietnam. Some of these families hope to bring home a sibling for their Vietnamese child or children with a similar background.
These families have been waiting patiently to bring children home from the same country as their other children, without luck. Even when these families reach out to other Asian countries to adopt, they are met with many road blocks, as adopting from Asian countries has become increasingly difficult. To adopt a healthy child from China, it is estimated that parents will wait approximately 5-6 years to bring a child home.
I hope that adoptions from Asian countries become more efficient while maintaining all of the standards set by Hague. However, it remains unclear if Vietnam will open soon as a Hague Complaint country or if it will open ever. The Country is now in a similar position to Guatemala, in that both countries are considered parties to the Hague Convention and therefore the Hague requirements must be met, but the US has not found either country’s implementation of the Hague Convention to be adequate.
MLJ is fortunate to have several successful country programs that may appeal families that have been waiting for Vietnam to re-open. Our newest pilot program in Samoa is an alternative for those interested in adopting an Asian child, as the children from Samoa are of Polynesian decent, with a culture that is influenced by Asia. It is said that the first migrants to Samoa were people from Southeast Asian. If families are seeking a country that has the stability of a Hague Complaint country without the extensive wait of countries like China, a family may also consider Bulgaria, where the wait is significantly shorter.
Many of our families have adopted from Vietnam and hold a deep connection to the Country and culture. We are constantly monitoring the status of adoptions from Vietnam in hopes that the children in need of homes will find them soon.
Be the first to comment on this item.
Share:
|
Super Bowl Brings NFL Adoption Stories to Indy
02/02/2012
Stacy Jacobs
 Although the Indianapolis Colts were not even contenders in the run for the Super Bowl this year, Indianapolis residents watched the playoffs closely to see which teams might arrive in our city for the biggest football game of the year. No doubt, many of you were tuned in when the Baltimore Ravens missed a field goal kick that cost them the game and sent the New England Patriots on their way to Indy for Super Bowl XLVI. It was a heartbreaking loss for the Ravens, and those of us in the adoption community were thoroughly disappointed as Ravens’ Offensive Tackle, Michael Oher (The Blind Side), lost out on a chance to play in the 2012 Super Bowl.
Michael Oher became a fan favorite after his story was made famous in the 2009 movie The Blind Side. For those of you who have not seen The Blind Side, it is highly recommended. The Blind Side is not your typical adoption story; however, the feeling that adoption chose you (rather than you choosing adoption) may be familiar to many who have gone through the process. The Tuohy family saw a child in need and acted immediately. What they found was that their lives were changed forever by Michael, who would ultimately become their son. The movie ends with the 2009 NFL draft when the Baltimore Ravens brought Michael Oher onto their team, where he has been a favorite for the past couple years.
Oher isn’t the only NFL star with an adoption story. DeMarcus Ware of the Dallas Cowboys, and Pro Bowler Luther Elliss are both adoptive fathers. Retired wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad adopted two daughters from Ethiopia, and St. Louis Rams’ Bryan Kehl, one of six adopted children in his family, recently learned that his birth father is former NFL player Maurice Turner. It doesn’t stop with the players either, when you tune into the Super Bowl game on Sunday, take note of 11 year old New England Patriots fan James Gale. James will be the lucky boy handing the game ball to an official moments before kickoff. James was adopted from Africa six years ago at the age of five and was the winner of this year’s “NFL Super Kid” contest. We hope James enjoys this once in a lifetime opportunity and hope you are starting to see that adoption is everywhere. Enjoy the game, everyone!
Be the first to comment on this item.
Share:
|
Photo of the Week
02/01/2012
.JPG)
Be the first to comment on this item.
Share:
|
Former Client Honored with Angels in Adoption Award
01/31/2012
Sheri Molnar
 Congratulations to our former clients, Michelle and Chris Frazier, for winning a 2011 Angels in Adoption Award. In October, Indiana Congressman Mike Pence announced they had been awarded the honor for their commitment to adoption.
“Although there are many families in eastern Indiana who are very deserving of this honor, the Fraziers stand out for their commitment to the nurture and care of the next generation,“ said Matt Lloyd, communications director for Pence. “Their willingness to sacrifice their own time, pleasures and comforts to adopt from Vietnam is an example to all of us on the commitment it takes to ensure that more of Indiana’s foster children and those around the world have a loving home.”
The Frazier’s adopted their daughter, Gracie-Mai, from Vietnam in 2007 when she was one year old. The Fraziers who live in Anderson decided to adopt after having two boys, Levi and Noah. Michelle, a type-1 diabetic since she was 15, ran a risk with each pregnancy.
Their hearts tugged by the plight of orphans world-wide, they began the international adoption process.“We felt strongly about adopting from the Asian culture, because of the way that females are treated.” Michelle said.
Fifteen months after submitting the adoption paperwork, Chris and Michelle met Gracie-Mai. As part of the adoption process, they lived in Hanoi for 31 days. Although there are ups and downs with every international adoption, Michelle said that the wait was worth it. While they waited, the couple stared at a picture of a perfect and beautiful baby girl. “She really is the bright spot in our lives,” Michelle said. “The three of them (Gracie-Mei and her brothers) have a special bond.”
“She just fits in,” Chris said, “the way it should be. People say that when you adopt, you really bless someone, but she blesses us. She saved us as much as we saved her.”
The Angels in Adoption program was established in 1999 to honor individuals who through their actions bring awareness to adoption. Since then, the program has developed into a year long public awareness campaign culminating in an awards gala and celebration in Washington, D.C. The 2011 Awards gala took place in November.
Be the first to comment on this item.
Share:
|
Parenting a Special Needs Child with HIV
01/30/2012
Elizabeth Nelson, MSW
 Representatives from Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres or MSF) recently released estimates that over one million Congolese are living with HIV. Despite such high rates of infection, there are remarkably low rates of treatment, care and support. Children orphaned by parents who succumb to HIV are less likely themselves to receive healthcare and other needed services. They often face malnutrition, illness and HIV infection. They often fall prey to exploitation of many kinds. Only an estimated one percent of pregnant women living with HIV have access to treatment that would prevent them from passing HIV along to their unborn children. About one-third of babies exposed to HIV in the womb will end up being born with the virus which, worldwide, equates to about 390,000 children - most of them in low income countries. Around 90% of all children living with HIV acquired the infection from their mothers during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.
Once infected, children are more susceptible to malnutrition, tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis and other bacterial infections such as meningitis. Doctors Without Borders have noted that international donors are giving less money to the HIV fight due to the global financial crisis squeezing aid budgets. This has prompted the Doctors Without Borders organization to publically call for governments around the world (including the DRC and the United States) to beef up funding. What makes the HIV issues in DRC so particularly difficult is that the country is not just battling an HIV crisis but also internal conflict as well. Additionally, limited infrastructure makes access to remote areas difficult at best making financial assistance even more essential.
One example of US assistance is the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief or PEPFAR is actively supporting the DRC’s AIDS response; contributing more than $75 million to the cause between fiscal years 2007 and 2009. But unfortunately, the latest United States budget showed a 92 million dollar cut in AIDS programming and with an interest in deficit reduction, future funding of efforts such as PEPFAR looks bleak.
While large scale funding efforts are vital to the in country efforts, efforts of NGO's to facilitate the adoption of children caught in the HIV crossfire, are just as vital. Smaller, more grass roots organizations such as Project Hopeful (a private nonprofit orphan advocacy group based in Illinois) are assisting with “educating, encouraging and enabling” families in the U.S. to advocate for and adopt children in Africa with HIV exposure. While these groups operate on a much smaller platform than federal governments, they are no less essential and certainly no less effective, to the effort. HIV exposed children tend to be one of the most marginalized groups in the adoption arena.
Project Hopeful and similar organizations find that education is sometimes the key to parents taking the leap in adopting a special needs child such as those with HIV exposure. For example, who knew that the National Institute of Health reports reveal that the medical community now thinks of HIV as something akin to Type I Diabetes and that modern drug treatments such as antiretroviral therapy can render the virus practically undetectable within six months?
MLJ Adoptions is also prepared to assist families in education and adoption through their special needs program. To date, over 50 children (not necessarily special needs) from DRC have found forever families with the assistance of MLJ. In concert with research based findings, families involved in the special needs program are required to go through at least ten additional hours of education beyond what is required of all adoptions to receive more training on the specific need at hand, such as HIV. Availability of children for adoption range from infancy to teens, both boys and girls and of African, Latino, Easter European and Polynesian descent. Check out the MLJ Special Needs page or contact Amy Moore for more information on special needs adoption. Be the first to comment on this item.
Share:
|
Tony Dungy Releases Super Bowl Half Time Video Promoting Adoption
01/27/2012
Brooke Randolph, LMHC
Even before Super Bowl XLVI came to Indianapolis, Indy was a football city. We love our Colts. We love Payton Manning. We love Pierre Garcon. And we still love Tony Dungy. Coach Caldwell has been fired along with the Polians, and Hoosiers are eager to see what Chuck Pagano will do with our team next season. Tony coached the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl win over the Chicago Bears in 2007, and he still has a lot of sway over fans across Indiana. While Indy is become a Super City, Coach Dungy and his wife Lauren are taking a stand for adoption. They have created a video that they are requesting people watch during half time of the game on February 5th instead of watching the Super Bowl commercials or Madonna's half time show.
Adoptive parents themselves, Tony and Lauren want to raise awareness to the millions of children in need of a home and a family in the United States and around the world. Just as Indianapolis residents are not waiting to experience the Super Bowl Village, MLJ Adoptions encourages you not to wait to watch this video. You might be interested in watching international adoptive mother Madonna perform during halftime. You might be lucky enough to be attending the Super Bowl and trying to chat with Jillian Michaels about her adoption process. With millions of children waiting, why would you wait a few more days to watch this video?
Super Bowl Winning Coach Tony Dungy Halftime Video for AdoptionJourney.org on Vimeo.
At MLJ, our passion is finding families for children. As football fans and adoption fans, we are also fans of the Dungys. Rather than waiting until February 5th while everyone is distracted by football, we encourage you to tweet, Facebook, email, and share this blog and video with your friends and loved ones today! 1 comments
Share:
|
Six Strategies For Building Attachment
01/26/2012
Elizabeth Nelson, MSW
Healthy attachment is crucial for children to be able to grow into adults that can successfully navigate their world. Healthy attachment allows for appropriate trust, self control and problem solving skills. Attachment theories provide that all babies have needs and they each provide signs to their caretaker regarding what those needs are. When the need is fulfilled, the baby can then relax until the next time a need arises. Continual and consistent repetition of this cycle results in the development of trust. This trust, developed in infancy, results in a child’s attachment to the caregiver. This trust provides the roots to the adult that is able to attach and trust. See the illustration below.
One thing that is crucial to realize is that once attachment is formed, we are able to attach for a lifetime and we are able to attach to more than one person. What that means for adoptive parents is that although a child may have formed an attachment with a caregiver at birth, consistent completion of the cycle, later, will allow the child and adoptive parent to attach to each other. Here are a few particular strategies to facilitating attachment in young children.
- Stay Mentally Engaged: Don’t just go through the motions when spending time with your child and do not be just a warm body that is present. Young children can rely on you and come to trust you only if you are present. Do your best to manage your schedule and life so you are physically available to children when they need you. This may mean making tough lifestyle choices, but work within your circumstances to find time to be available to your children.
- Provide a Quick Response to Your Child’s Needs: Children learn trust when caregivers respond promptly and consistently; they do not understand “wait a minute”. Sounds, cries, facial expressions and actions all need responses so a child learns to interact with the world. The child develops focus, interest, excitement, wonder and curiosity as caregivers respond. A child who does not receive responses can become apathetic and lose curiosity, interest and excitement.
- Express Warm, Positive and Caring Responses as You Interact With Your Child: No matter the task, parents should give children a warm and understanding experience. The extra word of reassurance, the caring touch or hug, shapes a child's experience of security. Children who experience harsh rejections or perceive rejection can develop insecure attachments. Be nurturing. Be understanding. Always use eye contact.
- Say Yes: Constantly saying no (particularly out of habit) can interfere with the child’s desire to explore and express themselves. Provide many opportunities for interactions, but provide for the child to make up their own ways to interact. Chasing, tickling and laughing at nothing is as important as contrived activities with specific goals.
- Kangaroo Care: Skin to skin closeness has incredible benefits. Holding children with skin to skin touch has benefits for both parent and child. While certainly recommended for children in infancy, this technique can assist in bonding with children of all ages.
- Don’t Worry: Children can sense insecurity and react to it. Take your time and have fun!
Be the first to comment on this item.
Share:
|