This blogger has done an excellent summary of a well-informed speech from a recent adoption conference. THIS is what I saw and experienced in the orphanage and at Eagles Wings. When most people think of Chinese orphans, they picture rows and rows of beautiful little baby girls just waiting for their mommies. The truth is quite different. There is a desperate need for knowledge, understanding and compassion for the thousands of children left behind. I hope you will read the entire article, linked below. Here are some highlights. My comments are in blue italics.
"The landscape has changed considerably from the days when Chinese orphanages were filled with healthy infant girls who had been abandoned because of the government's one child policy and the social preference for boys. Now, the orphanages are filled with special needs kids, many critically ill. She reported that 98% of newly abandoned children in China have serious medical needs, which explains why 60% of adoptions in 2010 were special needs adoption." This is SO true! It is why all of our Eagles Wings children are special needs. Many people assume that most of the children in our care are girls, but in fact we have about equal numbers of boys and girls.
"Special needs children get abandoned because of the stigma associated with disabilities and/or because of medical costs. Children with visible disabilities will be refused education, and when they grow up will have difficulty finding a job. Medical costs can be too high for a family to bear -- there is no health insurance, no free health care in China. All health care has to be paid for up front. Poor families will abandon their children in the hopes that they will receive health care in the orphanage." Unfortunately most orphanages are also unable to provide the medical care, and particularly PT/OT services, that these children need. Few orphanages are equipped, on their own, to provide education and vocational services to their special needs children. Programs like Eagles Wings are the only hope for these children, who are otherwise healthy and intelligent, to become responsible, productive adults and open doors for a future outside the social welfare institute.
A family is always better than an orphanage or even a group foster home, but the reality is that most special needs orphans over the age of 4 will not be adopted. We are thrilled for every one that is, but our focus at Eagles Wings is on those who will not. They deserve the best we can give.
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