Every parent who has a child by international adoption should really find out what is going on in her child(ren)’s birth countr(ies) in terms of local orphan care.
If I had to put care of a child on a continuum, it would look something like this:
In an ideal world, children would be raised in a healthy environment by their biological parents. Communities and churches should be doing everything in their power to make this a reality.
When biological parents are not an option, extended family or close family friends should be considered.
The next best option is for children to be adopted by a family within their birth country. These two levels are what I am addressing in this post.
Intercountry adoption is better than institutionalized care but is pretty far down the spectrum for how common it is.
Hear me when I say, “I realize intercountry adoption is necessary in many cases (I mean, we have one from Korea and in process for Ethiopia). I am not saying we should shut down intercountry adoption, BUT we are simultaneously seeking ways to support indigenous churches to support their own orphans. “
Anyway, if you have an older transracially adopted child (or are a transracially adopted individual), you may know how challenging it can be to be raised in a culture not your own. What better way to give back than to help future orphans (or even current ones) be able to stay in their culture?
Two organizations that are doing this are:
- Doorway to Hope (Eastern Europe)
- Seeds Adoption (Ethiopia)
If you know of any more, I’d love to hear about them!