Article by Michelle Blackmon

mlblackmon@yahoo.com

A Child’s Desire 

For many orphans, a child has but one desire: a family. These children are orphans. Many are turned out of the orphanage at the age of 16. Some stay on until the age of 18, but few leave the orphanage prepared for life outside. Even in the United States, where about 20,000 children are emancipated from the foster care system each year, less than 20% are self-sufficient. Only about half have completed high school. 25% experience homelessness. 60% of the girls have had babies of their own already. In Russia, many children leaving the orphanage have never even taken a trip to the store before. 40% become homeless. 30% commit crimes. 10% commit suicide. It’s a grim world for these children. In many countries, those who survive are faced with a social stigma for the rest of their lives. These “forgotten children” have help through ministries such as A Child’s Desire, found on the web at http://www.achildsdesire.org/ 

The Mission Statement of A Child’s Desire, Inc summarizes how they help. “A Child’s Desire is committed to easing the financial burden of the adoption and post-adoption processes through fundraising efforts. By generating adoption grants, it will underwrite adoption agencies' fees or adoption facilitators' fees for older children and children with disabilities.” 

At their website, you will find links to adoption resources, information regarding adoption and the needs of children, information regarding the different cultures you may adopt from to help you better know a child, how to make a donation or volunteer, and the chance to sign up for an email magazine. 

Tanya Sturman is the volunteer director for A Child’s Desire, Inc., a 501(c)(3) children’s charity. A Child’s Desire offers adoption grants to children waiting over a year in an orphanage for a family to choose them. More information can be found at www.aChildsDesire.org

Copyright 2004 by Michelle Blackmon