International Adoption--why we're into that kind of adoption

There is a difference between absolute and relative poverty. I've seen both.  I've seen the clients that come into my office with a cell phone in their purse, fake nails, and obesity to boot and complain that they don't have enough money to pay their electric bills or water bills or cable bills.  life is tough for them, I get it.  But I've also been to Mexico and several countries in Africa where dirt floors, the clothes on your back, and a bowl of ground millet or other grain is all you need, all you get, and all you want.
Absolute poverty-people can't meet their basic needs, they have no access.
Relative poverty-basic needs can still be met (food, clothing, water, shelter)
And here are some statistics to think about:
* 17% (roughly 1 BILLION) of the world's population are chronically under-nourished
* Malnutrition is the underlying cause of more than half of the deaths of children under five. Of these deaths, 10% are directly caused by severe malnutrition.
* Over 30,000 children die EVERY DAY of hunger and preventable diseases. That's 24 a minute. Real children with names and siblings and dreams-kids who will never see adulthood because they lose their fight with hunger.
* How about this: "The imbalance of food distribution is the number one reason a hunger problem haunts our world today. Developed countries nearly empty the food basket before passing the scraps to developing nations. Industrialized countries comprise only 20% of the worl's population but consume 80% of the food resources. In the United States, we spend $30 to $50 billion every year on diets and related expenses to reduce calorie intake. Obesity and cardiovascular disease are rampant." -from State of World Need thru World Relief (an article we read in our recent Perspectives.org class).
* 1 billion people on earth lack access to clean water
* 2 billion lack access to adequate sanitation
* There are currently 27 MILLION slaves on earth today; 15 million in India
* 16,000people per day contract HIV (33 Million total per year)

So, what does this have to do with why Nathan and I have chosen international adoption?
Everything.
Someone asked me recently (and this is not the first time), "have you ever thought about adopting kids from here in the US?"
Yes, we have thought about it, we support it, we support and are for any kind of adoption, foster care or any kind of care for hurting children from those hard places. In fact, we did adopt a kid from the US, her name is Mariah. She was 17 when she came into our family. She lost both parents and her siblings simply weren't able to care for her and we didn't want her going into the foster care system. So, just because we aren't pursuing domestic adoption doesn't mean we aren't for it or that we haven't thought about it.   
But when Nathan and I first started talking about growing our family (around January 2009) there were several things going on in the world that we were aware of. Like the lost boys of Sudan, children who were stolen from their families, made to kill their families, and forced to become child soldiers. Other children, fled, their homes and families were destroyed, they were alone (together) and vulnerable. Here's a great read if you're interested. Beautifully told by three lost boys from Sudan.  The imagery is eloquent and at times hilarious.

 

We also watched a documentary called Invisible Children. (check out more at http://invisiblechildren.com/) And we thought: we want children, there are so many children who want parents and a home, and that is what we have, so it just made sense. We chose international adoption because of the sheer volume of children that daily do not have any kind of hope or opportunity for things like food, clothing, shelter, water...basic human rights. In America, although the foster system and DHS are not perfect, children are at least receiving those necessities. The numbers vary a few MILLION, but it is estimated that between 143-147 MILLION children in the world are orphans.  If all those children were to come together to form their own country, they would be the 5th largest in the world!!  Sobering!  Many many many children die from malnutrition, preventable diseases or simple dehydration from diarrhea. Others are orphaned because of HIV and poverty! This is mind blowing. I cannot wrap my mind around all these numbers, all this lack of access to things I take for granted all the time. 

Nathan and I aren't out to save the world. But to one kid, we can do something.  A little here and a little there. Like for Isaac's birthday and Christmas he gets a gift given in his name to World Vision, he has (unknown to him) given a goat and a donkey to families somewhere in the world that will use that to improve their quality of life in huge ways that we won't ever understand. We sponsor kids through Compassion International, and support a kid in Ethiopia who now gets 2 meals a day and a good education, so that his family won't have to relinquish him to an orphanage because of poverty. I don't say this to toot my own horn, but to say, we're trying to do all we can with what we've been given. Rather than sit back in paralysis b/c of the MASS SADNESS in the world, we will do all we can, including adoption. Our home? open to children who need homes. Right now, our eyes are turned towards Ethiopia because there are somewhere between 5-7 MILLION orphans in that country alone thanks to poverty and HIV especially. One day, perhaps we will welcome foster children, and will adopt a sibling group domestically. We don't know.  But to you who ask "why don't you adopt kids from here?" I say, "great idea, have you thought about doing that?"  because I support it!  all of it!  orphan care matters!

My life will never be the same because of it! And I'm so grateful!