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Article:
A Chance for a Home by: Tanya Sturman 'He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.' - Johann von Goethe Home. Family. Backyard cookouts. A table laden with more than we can eat on Thanksgiving day. These things ground us, offer us stability, and give us an environment where we can learn, explore, grow, and even self-actualize. Yet for 210 million children, these basic human needs will never be met because most of these children will come of age in an institution, never knowing a family, never experiencing the warmth, joy and acceptance of a home environment. These children are orphans. And for them, finding a family is like winning a lottery. It is a dream come true, when all the pieces fall together and home becomes a reality. Those who never find a home face hurdles and burdens that no child should bare. They face years of loneliness and despair. Many fail to thrive in their institutions, most experience developmental/language delays and grow slowly. A general rule of thumb, children raised in orphanages lose approximately 1 month of linear growth for every 3 months in orphanage care. The good news is that many of these children will make a complete recovery after adoption. Within just a few years, some of them will have caught up physically, mentally, and emotionally to their home grown counterparts. Others progress more slowly, but they all progress given the right environment. Many warm, loving families want to bring these wonderful kids into their homes. To take them in, love them, nurture them, and support them. In fact, there are many couples who would jump for joy at the chance of adding an orphaned child to their family. Adoption fees, court costs, attorney fees, immigration fees and so on quickly pile up. Before a prospective couple or family can even begin to look for a child, they know theyll have to overcome the biggest hurdle of all the $'20
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