I really wish I had some news to share, especially good news; but I don't have anything. I am still endlessly waiting for this re accreditation of my adoption agency. I have begged to get some updates on the children, measurements, weights and pictures; I am hoping they will at least come thru with that. I am so afraid these kids will not remember me or worse, feel like they have been abandoned yet again. This is so unfair to them. There is also the possibility that a Russian family could come forward and try and adopt them. This is a remote possibility as these kids are older and most Russian families want infants or really young toddlers, but it is something that concerns me. Even though I signed papers indicating my intent to adopt, Russians have precedence and they are not mine until the Judge says they are mine. I really don't think I'll hear anything this week as it is a holiday week in Russia and everything seems to shut down. Please continue to pray and send good thoughts that this will end soon, this really is becoming unbearable.
Jane
Edited to add:
Here are some statistics about orphans in Russia, this is why we need these kids home now!!
The statistics are alarming...
More than 700,000 orphans are living in 2,000 state-run orphanages.
Of those, 95 percent have a living parent unable to or unwilling to care for them.
That doesn't include the estimated 2 million to 4 million homeless orphans living on the streets and in railway stations.
More than 80 percent of Russian orphans in state care fall 2 or more years behind in school by the time they are 12 years old.
Of those who are not adopted and leave the orphanage between the ages of 16 and 18:
50 percent of the girls become prostitutes
40 percent of the children become addicted to drugs or alcohol
40 percent commit crimes
10 percent commit suicide
Just 1 in 10 former Russian orphans becomes a functional member of society.
132,500 children are abandoned to the state in Russia every year, up from roughly 67,000 in 1992.
Nearly 4,640 Russian orphans were adopted by Americans in 2005, down from a record 5,865 in 2004.
13 out of every 100 children adopted by Russians are eventually returned to the orphanage.
40 million children in the former Soviet Union are living in poverty.
Sources: Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Commission for Children at Risk, Human Rights Watch, European Children's Trust, Rosstat Agency
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About Me
- Jane
- Dallas, Texas, United States
- Adopted two children from Birobidzhan, Russia. Started process in December, 2004, switched agencies (best decision I ever made) in August of 2006. Traveled on first trip to meet my children in November, 2006. Courtdate scheduled for August 20, 2007. Home forever: September 1, 2007
2 comments:
Hi. I found your site through Debbie's.
The statistics you quote are so sad. That is one of the reasons we considered adopting an older child, as we had also heard the statistic that once they reach age 5, if they are eligible for adoption, they have a less than 20% chance of being adopted.
We adopted a Katya too. She is 7 and has been home 2 months. I hadn't mentioned this on my blog, but Katya fell into the statistic of one of the ones who was adopted (or the process was started) by a Russian family, who then returned her. I can only imagine how much trouble she gave them those two weeks they had her home, our first month was no picnic, but she has improved so much, and we are so lucky to have her. I'm sorry she had to go through that, but I think it worked out for the best, because she is a perfect fit in our family.
Hope you recieve some good news soon. I'll check back.
I think that the statistic of 13/100 adopted by Russian families being returned is very low. In one children's home I visited I was told that *all* of the school-aged girls there had been "adopted" and returned. It's so very sad!
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