Adoption

As AIDS continues to ravage many African nations the number of AIDS orphans continues to rise. Historically, in most African cultures when parents would die their children would be taken in by extended relatives or community members. Sadly, this option is getting difficult to maintain due to the excessive number of parents dying of AIDS. As a result there are many more child-run households, street children, children in orphanages and those that are simply dying with no where to turn to. There are many initiatives in place to help these children. Unfortunately, many of these initiatives are under funded. Please look at the outline of organizations we have provided and consider providing financial assistance to one of these organizations.

In some African nations international adoptions are an option. International adoption is not a solution to the Orphan crisis created by AIDS, however, it is one part of the solution. In cases where there are no adoptive parents in a child's birth country, adoption by a loving family in another country provides an opportunity for a child in need to have the loving family all children deserve. There is a fear that when a child is adopted internationally that they are loosing their culture. This fear is understandable and has some merit because a child adopted internationally becomes a citizen of a new country. However, dedicated adoptive parents can take active steps to ensure that their internationally adopted child stays in touch with their country of birth. In these cases children don’t so much loose their culture as they gain a second culture. In my work as an adoption social worker I have also been amazed at the impact an internationally adopted child and their family can have on an entire community. In many cases the adoptive family brings some of their child’s birth culture into their community and help to raise the awareness of other children and families in need in the child’s birth culture.

On the right navigation bar, you can click on a link to receive a summary of the need for adoption from many African nations, information on which African nations you can adopt from and then detailed information on Adoptions from South Africa and Kenya: