Under Construction

I'm trying to get this blog ready to "go live", but I still need to tweak a few things and redo some other sections altogether. I really wanted to use dynamic view, but that's a fairly new template that doesn't support all the gadgets I need. (And spent a lot of time designing to my specifications.) Hopefully I'll get to upgrade to that view sometime in the future.

In the meantime, there's tons of work to do. I also hope to have a fundraiser underway soon. At the same time, I have two midterms coming up, so I'll need to do what I can now and not let this project get shoved onto the back burner.

More to come!

Some good things

1. First, Constantine's RR page now has his Guardian Angel badge. That's us!

2. I joined the Reece's Rainbow Facebook group. It seems like a great resource. No one there seems too flustered by the halt in adoptions, so I'm trying to be positive about that aspect. This too shall pass.

3. Some of the people in the FB group seem to know a lot about Region 15, Constantine's region. A nice woman named Kelly posted that "he's not in my Charlotte's groupa, but he's in the same baby house. Mytischi. It is a good baby house. The director there, Olga, loves her children very much. He is in good hands." Yay!

Here is a rundown about Region 15 from the RR website:

- 3 trips are required

- 1st trip, Both parents for 5-7 days

- 2-3 month wait for the judge to appoint the court hearing

- Both parents travel for 2nd trip about 7 days, both parents leave after the court hearing

- 30-day waiting period is NOT waived for special needs

- Only one parent would need to return after the 30-day wait

- Up to 5 young children in the home if the family income is sizeable (the adopted child being the 5th child)

- Both parents must be younger than 60 years

- Parents may NOT be currently on anti-depressants; prior history of anti-depressants may be permitted on a case-by-case basis

- No criminal background (DWI's acceptable on a case by case basis)

- EASY TRAVEL IN-COUNTRY

- Fee includes orphanage donation

- Married couples and single heterosexual mothers may apply

- Un-related children may not be adopted simultaneously

- Total program and travel fees approx $35-40K

- Open to Canadians, albeit with separate requirements

I won't comment on the cultural discrimination against the depressed, or the fact that a DWI is okay, or the heterosexual mothers deal. Not right now. I do find this frustrating, I must admit.

Yes, the cost is high compared to, say, Bulgaria. But don't let the price tag scare you; there are a million fundraising activities out there and scores of people who can help.

If the financial picture is frightening, why not consider Megan? She has nearly $24,000 in her grant fund, meaning nearly the entire price is funded. Please consider her if finances are the only thing standing in your way!

Megan (already transferred)

The precipitating event ...

... for the adoption suspension. Full story here.

Ugh.

Bad news right out of the gate

Russia suspends adoptions by U.S. families

Clearly, this is going to be harder than I thought. I suspect and hope this moratorium will be temporary - hopefully very temporary. From what I have read on the RR forum this may not affect all regions. I don't know what it means for Constantine or John Mark.

Published: Feb. 12, 2012 at 10:39 AM

MOSCOW, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Russia's foreign ministry announced this weekend it was suspending the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens.

The ministry said in a written statement it was putting a hold on adoptions until new rules specified in a 2011 agreement between the two nations are put into force.

The bilateral agreement signed in July was aimed at preventing the abuse of Russian children at the hands of American parents. The announcement was made following what the ministry considered an unduly light sentence handed down in Pennsylvania to a woman who abused a young Russian girl she had adopted, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency said.

Ministry officials said allegations of mistreatment on the part of Theresa McNulty had been made to police as far back as 2009 and they had concerns that U.S. agencies were not capable of ensuring the safety of their adopted kids.

The beginning

In Julian's honor, I am embarking on a new project: to do everything we can to find a home for two orphans living in Russia. I came across these children on the website for Reece's Rainbow Adoption Ministry, and after falling in love, I decided to do two things: to help these two lovely little boys find their homes, and to give Julian a legacy of compassion and helping others.

From the beginning, I have given money - just spare cash here and there - to Reece's Raindbow. In most cases it's possible to donate to separate funds for individual children; it breaks my heart to see a child with no money in his or her fund. It costs about $30,000 (or more) for a family to adopt internationally.

Why even bother? The most convincing reason I can offer is that many of the countries featured on RR have cultures in which "cognitive delay" or "congenital malformation" = "mentally ill" or "defective". Children with Down Syndrome and cerebral palsy often have no place in society in their native countries, and are spirited away to mental institutions where they live out their lives, usually bedridden.

It doesn't have to be like this. Plenty of people want these children. As the RR site notes, "I can say with great confidence that if we had a full grant for every child on our website, there would BE no children on our website. There are hundreds of families in the US and Canada who would give their left arm to bring one or more of these children home. The money is the ONLY thing standing in their way."

I'm not in a position to adopt a child right now - and I may never be. Not only do I lack the financial resources, but I have suffered from and been treated for depression for a long time. In the U.S., seeking treatment for depression or anxiety is usually seen as a proactive response to address minor chemical imbalances with the potential to become big problems if left untreated. In cultures that consider DS or CP to be hopeless life sentences, depression and anxiety are often viewed as serious mental defects that signify weakness and certainly don't mesh with competent parenting. Many countries that offer international adoption, including China, will not consider potential adoptive parents who are treated (or have ever been treated) for any psychological problems, including mild depression and anxiety.

That being said, I can still help. And so can you!

I am in the process of becoming the official Guardian Angel of "Constantine" on Reece's Rainbow. Constantine is pictured in the masthead; he's the one in the green suit and hat.

Constantine lives in region 15H (more about that in a soon-to-come post) and is paralyzed on one side of his body. Look at those eyes, and how pleasingly plump he is! He's adorable. I've always been a sucker for a man in green. My Guardian Angel badge hasn't appeared yet next to his picture on RR, but hopefully it will be posted soon.

I chose Constantine because I was drawn to his picture, and because he had not a single dollar in his grant fund. These grants can work wonders to offset the price of foreign adoption for families who want to bring these children home, but may not be able to afford $25,000+ in expenses. The higher the grant amount, the better chance a child has to make it home.

Constantine turned 2 in October 2011. Here are some pictures of him taken that month:

If Constantine doesn't find a home by age 4, he risks aging out of the baby house where he lives now. If that happens, he'll face transfer to a mental institution, where he'll live out the rest of his life. Startling bleak, but reality. We'll explore that reality further, but right now I want to tell you about another little boy, as well.

"John Mark" is an infant with Down Syndrome. I know more of John Mark's backstory because a woman who volunteered at his orphanage in 2010 has become a very vocal advocate and prolific blogger. John Mark was to be adopted alongside a little girl who also had DS. At a critical point in the adoption process, the adoptive family was told that the girl had died and that John Mark had been made unavailable for adoption at the request of his biological parents. That family went on to adopt two different little girls, and now John Mark is available for adoption once again. If he isn't adopted, he faces the same sad fate as Constantine.

The Guardian Angel program was designed for children who have other special needs aside from DS (Reece's Rainbow began as an adoption ministry for DS children, then expanded to help children with other needs). But I love John Mark and want to help him, too. He reminds me so much of my own year-old son. (So does Constantine!) John Mark is pictured at the left in a pink suit with a blue collar. Look at those big brown eyes! The child in the middle is my Julian.

For right now, I hope you'll read about Constantine and John Mark, consider following their stories and the story of my and Julian's efforts to help them, and maybe even contributing. The donation process is as easy as signing into your PayPal account. If you don't have one of those, you can always contact me directly and I'll help arrange an alternative.

Thanks for reading!

Also, thanks in advance to the scores of other bloggers who have published information I'll be using here. This would be difficult, if not impossible, if not for them. If you'd like to do more reading, there's a blog list on the righthand side of the page. Also, thanks to Jean Grey and to this site for the new pictures of Constantine.

I'll update again soon, especially after I shake my mystery illness.