Monday, November 19, 2012

Why Advocate For Orphans? The Top Five Most Asked Questions , Answerd!

Over the past few years , I've been getting more and more involved with advocating for children with special needs. Since I was abundantly blessed with such a child, my life along with the lives of everyone in my family have been changed immensely. And might I add...for the better.

As most of you know I advocate for Reece's Rainbow. They are a non profit organization run by a powerhouse of a woman named Andrea Roberts, who has shed a much needed light on the plight of the orphan with special needs in Eastern European countries.

Over the years I've been supported by so many people,I would never and could never do what I do without them.

But, I've encountered many questions over the years. Here are some of the most popular ones. Answered to be best of my ability.


1. Where does the money go that is raised for these children, since they don't have families committed to them yet?

Each child on Reece's Rainbow has their own account. When you make a donation to a particular child , that money is put into their own account. The money stays with that child until a family comes for them, and then it is used towards the cost of the adoption.

2. What if the child does not get a family?

Unfortunately, some children die waiting. These children all have special needs and along with that some have severe and or multiple medical conditions that don't always get the attention they need. In the event of a death, the money from that child's account is put towards another child. Reece's Rainbow decides who the recipient will be.


3. Why doesn't the child's own country help them?

This may be one of the saddest questions to answer. Most of the children are in countries that still do not see their value. They are hidden away, shunned and dismissed as throw aways. They live in the worst conditions and are given the least attention of all orphans.  One of the questions that so many adoptive parents are asked when in country adopting is , "Why? Why do you want this child?" It is hard for people to understand that these children will thrive in a loving family environment.

4. But why should we help them? We have orphans here that need families.

This question could carry it's own post. It's not an easy question to answer, because it's true. We do have a boatload of orphans right here. We have tons of children in need right in our own backyards. I need to break this down, into pieces to be able to answer it.

      A. God calls each of us to do something special for Him during our life time. Everyone of us has something we can do to make this world a better place.Everyone of us has something we can do to bring glory to God. For some it may be saving the whales, or advocating for abused animals. Some feel the need to go on mission trips, some advocate for better food. Are you advocating for orphans here? Then bless you! And thank you for answering the call!  What is YOUR passion? Mine is without a doubt advocating for these forgotten children.

     B. Thank God we are all called to different things! Imagine if we all were passionate about the same thing! Great for that one thing but the rest of the world would be terribly neglected!

     C. The children I advocate for are lost and forgotten. They will die and are dying because they are neglected or because they just do not get what they need. Even the ones who have somewhat decent caregivers do not get what they need. These orphanages are just not supplied with enough to go around.



    D.There is a waiting list here in the States to adopt a child with Down syndrome!  In other countries there is a waiting list to the mental institution where these children are sent when they turn FOUR! And if they thought life in an orphanage was hard, than life in a mental institution is  hell. Imagine being four years old and suddenly you find yourself in a mental institution. Confined to a bed with even less human interaction than before, less food and no love. Lost scared and confused with no answers no explanation, no hope, nothing.



   E. Quite simply, there are no boundaries when it comes to a child in need. PERIOD


5. But I can't adopt. What could I possibly do to help?

Well, I can't adopt right now either. But holy cow is there an endless list of things you can do! The most important thing... Speak!   Tell people what you know. Odds are they have absolutely no idea what happens to these children.  Donate! You don't have to be rich to help . A few dollars here and there adds up!  Advocate! Pick one child and advocate for them. Imagine if something you said or did prompted someone to adopt that child! Fund raise! Involve some friends and do something, anything! A bake sale, a craft sale, an online auction , have a giveaway!  These are all things that I have done! And Lord knows I'm not rich!  Pray! Nothing is more powerful than prayer! Pray for these children! Pick one and be that child's Prayer Warrior. But most importantly, do something! Don't pass the buck, to "Someone Else" because you know what... Someone Else , doesn't care, Someone Else is busy doing something else. And these kids are dying because of all the "Someone Else's" .


This little girl is who I do this for.

She is one of the children who is over four and will be transferred to an institution, because of Carina's Down syndrome diagnosis. How long do you think she'll survive there? 85% die within the first year, due to the deplorable conditions.
Carina

 I am  her "Someone". Can you help me, help her...

Can you donate, share , pray, advocate???
  

4 comments:

Rochelle said...

Love you my friend and love your girl. As soon as we get caught up we are donating to her this Christmas. I want her home. Thank you for continuing to advocate for these precious children.

Lacey said...

It makes me sick to see their conditions, I only wish I could bring them all home! We will keep working on getting them all families!!

Anonymous said...

Praying for more people to step out in faith and care for the least of these!

my family said...

what a great post explaining to those who may not understand why to advocate. I am going to direct my readers here.