In the meantime….

Last week I read a blog post written by Love146 founder, Rob Morris.  I was gripped by what I read in the first paragraphs;

I am the father of 6 children. My 4 youngest are adopted. I am the President & Co-founder of a human rights organization working to end child trafficking and exploitation. I am deeply conflicted. Here is why:

When I was in Cambodia about 8 years ago, the Director of a large human rights agency asked me; “Do you really want to do something practical to stop child trafficking? I of course answered yes. She said; “Then do something about international adoption. At the time, I honestly wasn’t sure what she meant. She then went on to explain about how international adoption, if not done well and with vigilance, can fuel child trafficking.

To be truthful, my immediate reaction was defensiveness. I was even a little offended. Mostly because I am an adoptive father and I believe that adoption can be a viable and compassionate response to the global orphan crisis. But also offended, or more aptly put”¦ mad as hell that traffickers would prey on the most vulnerable; turning orphans into commodities.

“To be truthful, my immediate reaction was defensiveness.  I was even a little offended.”

Wow.  That is it right there; the reaction I have felt as an adoptive parent and adoption advocate.  MY adoption of MY son has been called into question, along with my motives and my complicity in the larger world of adoption corruption.

So, what really matters is what we do after we get over being offended.  Do we dive in head first to change a system that allowed all of our children(if you are a Vietnam adoptive parent from 2006-2008) to be part of a corrupt system, and some of our children to be trafficked?  Or do we continue to be offended and defensive.

Hopefully, we dive in.

I would love to hear how you all have gotten involved.  What are we doing as a community to change the situation in Vietnam?  There are many many amazing organizations at work in Vietnam right now, who need at the very least our money to help change the lives of children in Vietnam, so they are not at risk for being exploited.  Some of the organizations could use our manual labor and many more could use simply our advocacy.

Now is the best time to be diving in, so that if/when Vietnam reopens to American adoptions, the children who are adopted are truly the ones who need families, and not the innocent victims of traffickers and our desires for babies.

Here are some ways to get involved:

• Giving It Back To Kids has a number of programs and projects in Vietnam that support families and children living in poverty. Medical support, house building, orphan care, support and job training for unwed mothers are all intended to improve family circumstances and protect children from trafficking and help “kids achieve their maximum potential through medical care, education, nutrition and love.” There are a variety of ways people can give to GIBTK including a one time donation to a specific project, monthly or corporate sponsorships, or “vocal support”.
• World Vision’s Child Sponsorship programs are a great way to make a big difference in a child’s life and build connections with your child’s birth country at the same time. .

“Our family sponsors two children in Cambodia (where my daughter was born) through World Vision. When we receive letters and photos from Han and Chan Thin, our kids are excited to read them. My daughter especially loves to look at the handwritten Khmer and the special Water Festival greeting cards. Because Han and Chan Thin are close in age to my kids, they act like pen pals, drawing pictures and writing letters to them. It is also my hope that when our family travels to Asia next year we’ll be able to meet our sponsor kids in person. With our $35 a month World Vision pays for the children’s school expenses, helps the family with job training and educates them about hygiene and other health issues, as well as supporting the village by installing wells and latrines.” – Christina, adoptive mom and member of VVAI

• Some adoption agencies also have sponsorship programs. The best programs seek to do more than support the agency’s partner orphanage – they also go into the communities and work with vulnerable families through job training, education and support. Two such programs are Pearl S. Buck International (Opportunity House) and Holt International.
• Habitat For Humanity Vietnam “specializes in the implementation of integrated and sustainable community-based shelter and water and sanitation solutions. It also has experience in rehabilitating and repairing properties damaged by the severe weather that frequently strikes the country’s long coastline.”   It costs $4,500 to build one home, partial sponsorship of a home is $700.  Smaller donations go toward projects providing secure housing,water and sanitation to households in need. Volunteers are also needed to go to Vietnam and help build houses. The next home building trip will be in December 2011 in Long An Vietnam.
• The main objective of the Hoi An Foundation is to improve health care in central Viet Nam. The first health-oriented charity in the central province of Quang Nam, The Hoi An Foundation’s goal is to achieve this objective through direct health care to the neediest subset of the population and by improving the existing health care system through training and capacity-building. Their projects include health care improvement, pediatric and adult heart disease, pediatric HIV, critical care and a street childrens center. Donations will go to support these projects and keep their clinic open and running.

Obviously this list is not complete, we want to hear from you all!  How are you getting involved?  Leave us your comments.