We've Got Just One World

Goodbye Blogger, Hello Wordpress

2010-09-28T02:29:00.001-07:00

I've become disillusioned with Blogger after spending over an hour last night trying to get into my G-mail account and finding out that my blogger account had been temporarily suspended for suspicious activity. I'm not quite sure what that is but I've decided to change over to Wordpress here, because I'm liking their policies a little more.

I've moved all of my posts over so it's the exact same blog just with a new address. http://marysadvocateworld.wordpress.com

Buddy Walk 2010

2010-09-26T02:03:00.000-07:00

I’m going to consider today my first official Buddy Walk (since the last one we didn’t get to do anything but watch a water table) and it was great!

The event was much more organized this year, the booths were easy to put up and down the water stations were self serve, and there were activities from when I arrived at ten until we closed everything down at 2. I was in charge of the bouncy castle, not exactly a difficult job but it kept me busy the entire time, man do kids love bouncy castles!

I basically spent the time watching to make sure that the kids didn’t bounce into the walls or onto each other’s heads, which only actually happened once when two kids who weren’t from the picnic got in while the actual walk was happening, pre-teen football players and kids toys don’t really mix well, but I managed to get them out before the little ones came back from their walk. Unfortunately, the castle collapsed with the kids inside twice! Apparently when the generator gets unplugged the castle will immediately deflate. The first time the little girl inside was quite upset by the collapse, but the second time the little boys thought it was just a blast and wouldn’t come out! Unfortunately it wasn’t so fun for us two not so big girls holding the roof from smothering them.

There were about 100 people there, although it was hard to tell who was walking and who wasn’t because it was so busy there were two football games and a separate event happening in the same park, and the organization raised three thousand dollars in registration fees and a couple hundred from the food stand and raffle. I know at least a couple families who didn’t go to the walks today in the Lower Mainland, I kind of suspect that more people would come if they weren’t held in such out there spots, I mean sure it’s the middle of the city, but that city is on the outskirts of Greater Vancouver, and isn’t exactly close to any of the other cities in the lower mainland. Oh well, I’m sure there is some reason for it.

Anyways, great day.

P.S. if you heard a big explosion around noon Pacific Standard Time that was just my ovaries exploding from how cute little toddlers with DS are. I will add pictures if the photographers put them up on the public website.

Yeah, I'm thin skinned.

2010-09-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

This is going to be one of those long rambly posts where I talk about my feelings.

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I am a momma bear, I wear my heart on my sleeve and when I care about something I will defend it till the end. I stand my convictions steadfastly and don’t back down. However, I’ve been realizing lately that this causes me quite a bit of pain.

Last night, along with my scratchy throat and stuffy nose thinking about an incident that happened last week was keeping me up. I was waiting to talk to an advisor at university and having a goofy discussion about Lycanthropy (where you think you are a werewolf) and asked what it was called when you had a mental condition and thought you were a vampire, another boy who wasn’t part of the conversation responded “retard” now I was visibly upset by this, and very seriously told him I didn’t think it was funny but he went on and said “down syndrome....” at this point I flipped out, I told him that I did not find those kind of things funny and he didn’t want to have to deal with me if I heard that kind of thing again.

I got a talk from a teacher about how we should not yell at our fellow students and I would never be able to get a job if I can’t deal with stupid comments. I was also given a speech about how we could all use a lesson in “Political Correctness” but there is a respectful way to do it.

Okay, so maybe veiled threats aren’t the best way of responding to ass-hole comments. And I’m not proud of snapping. And I know that it’s unlikely that this guy meant to offend anyone, and he doesn’t actually have anything against people with retardation or Down syndrome. But I just can’t understand why making fun of an entire group of people saying they are stupid or look funny or aren’t worth anything to society seems okay to anyone. It’s treating a group of people they know nothing about like they are less than human.

So what do you do? I try to inform but then I get accused of lecturing. Or I snap and feel bad because I know it doesn’t help. In situations like this the result is always me getting upset. I wonder, did that guy even think about what I said? Or did I just get myself labelled a spaz?

It’s so hard to just sit back and listen to people be so uniformed and just roll my eyes and ignore them. My mother says I should just feel bad for them because they are missing out on wonderful people but it’s hard to feel pity when I’m so angry with them!

What do you do?

Inspiring People: Pablo Pineda

2010-09-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

With two degrees and a prestigious acting award under his belt many people would be surprised to learn that 35 year old Pablo Pienda has any sort of disability, let alone one like Down syndrome but Pablo has a different idea of what disability means than most people and he doesn't let other peoples stereotypes hold him back.

The Spanish psychologist and actor said in an interview on Documentos TV back in 2002 about peoples perceptions of him:

"First I do not consider that Down Syndrome is a disease. For me it is a personal characteristic. I am fine and healthy. We must not be treated as sick. There are other prejudices and you could write a book about them. There are reactions like pity, the misconception that we are not intelligent, and a long list of social and moral incorrect misinterpretations. Fortunately, we are overcoming some misconceptions. I am just doing my part and demonstrating that I am as competent as anyone."

When Pablo Pineda graduated with his first university degree he was the first person with Down syndrome in all of Europe to do so. But he wasn't content to rest with just that accomplishment he went back to school to study education and psychology while working at the Municipality of Málaga, Spain.

Besides his accomplishments in the world of education Pineda takes the time to try to make the world a better place for others with Down syndrome and regularly attends conferences and events to speak about education and incapacity for people with disabilities. To talk about the misconceptions about Down syndrome and to show others what they can accomplish.

"I would like to become an example. I want to demonstrate that if one puts into work whatever one is able, you can do what you want. But beside what I was able to achieve, I also expect society to do its part. I do not want this to be a one way effort. This is a start of success and shows people that we are as competent as the rest. If you are the one who is setting up the barriers, you are then destroying possibilities for others. And, on the other hand it is essential for society to understand all of these things. "

In 2008 he added actor to his resume with a role in the film Yo Tambien. And won the award for best actor at the San Sebastian film festival in 2009, but despite this success Pablo says he has no interest in continuing his acting career.

In the 2009 film Yo Tambien (translated to Me Too) Pablo Pineda plays a character who shares many characteristics with himself. Daniel is a young university graduate who on his first day of work falls in love with a co-worker. I don't know any more because I haven't found a copy with English subtitles but it looks like a very sweet little film.

Watch the trailer for Yo Tambien here:

Read the whole Documentos TV article here.

Perfect Peanuts

2010-09-09T06:27:00.000-07:00

I've has somewhat less to write about lately, for one reason because many of my posts used to be about Haiti, but since last January it's physically pained me to read anything about the tiny devastated nation, let alone be able to research and write about it. The other day I renewed my e-mail subscription to Haiti Innovation and will hopefully start updating more soon.

Here at home you can walk into any elementry school and it seems as if Peanut Butter is a bigger threat to national security than Al-Qaeda but in countries like Haiti where malnutrition is rampant it is a godsend.

I've written about Medika Mamba, a product made by the Haitian based organization Meds and Foods for Kids multiple times. Plumpy'nut is not all that different, except that it is set to be used all over the world. It is just a little foil package filled with a sticky substance how could this possibly change the world? But Plumpy'nut and products like it have stumbled upon something brilliant, that peanut butter can be filled with nutrients and calories and vitamins and even in small doses over a period of time can help to prevent malnutrition and rapidly help to reverse the effects.

And like other peanut products one of the reasons that it works so well to this goal is that it is so easy to produce. However, Plumpy'nut is a brand name, and as such there are many issues effecting it's production. This article from the New York Times is an interesting look inside.

Other Resources:

Plumpy'nut this website is in French.

Meds and Foods for Kids

Special Needs Dolls? Yay or Nay?

2010-07-24T01:27:00.000-07:00

I've been hearing negative things about dolls that portray special needs for years, but this article from time is the I've seen that talks about both sides.

Since I'm sure most kids who've ever broken an arm already know how you can make a cast from any piece of scrap fabric and wheelchairs and crutches are accessories you could use for any doll I'll just talk about Down Syndrome dolls.

I'm of two opinions on this. One, kids love all their dolls no matter what they look like, but there is something really nice about having a doll that looks like you and two, that if a DS child wants a doll that looks like them there should be some better options.

I think it's natural for children to look for similarities to their own appearance in things, in fact it's a common human phenomenon that we try to find human faces in objects. So it makes sense that while a little girl will love all of her dolls she'd love to have one or two that look like her too

I know that when I was a little girl I was quite upset by how hard it was to find African American dolls, and it was my foster brothers who were black! It's nice to have as much variety in your toys as much as in real life.

As much as we don't want kids to think their appearance is important we all know that it is a part of who we are, everyone of us went through a phase where we found somethi

ng about ourselves we didn't like. That can be even harder to cope with if you're different or the only one.

. And while I'm pretty certain we've all thought "why can't I look like Barbie?" at least once, I'm sure "why can't Barbie look like me?" has been thought just as many times. It can be disconcerting for a child to not see themselves potrayed in their lives, if someone who is different looking never see's someone else like them on television or in movies or in the faces of their dolls they may start to wonder why their image is not worthy.

It is so important that children feel comfortable with themselves and feel that they themselves are beautiful, the idea is that dolls representing Down syndrome could help children understand and except themselves. And anything that does that can't be bad.

The purpose of dolls who represent special needs is to offer children some comfort and hopefully help to incorporate Down syndrome into the everyday world. So what is it that people could possibly be getting so incensed about. Some people believe dolls representing disabilities may

only make the gap between the disabled and their typical friends.

Sue Farren from Durham mother of a little girl with Cerebral Palsy said in a Daily Mail article she was horrified by the idea.

She says: ‘To me, creating disabled dolls like these and giving them to a child pigeon-holes the disabled and turns them into something akin to a freak show.

‘It seems as if the disability is being highlighted here, whereas most disabled kids just want to blend in and be accepted for who they are — Rebecca doesn’t even like her disability being referred to.

‘Also, it worries me that able-bodied children might treat these dolls as a figure of fun. Life is difficult enough as a disabled child, as Rebecca will testify, without this unwelcome attention.’

Her daughter was 13 months’ old when doctors diagnosed cerebral palsy, but it hasn’t held her back.

Sue, 50, says: ‘Rebecca is 14 now — a very bright girl who is in mainstream school, taking eight GCSEs, and is predicted to do well and hopefully go on to university. She likes to feel there is very little she cannot do, and I think that to have given her a doll when she was younger which highlighted her disability could have knocked her confidence.

‘Growing up with her disability was hard work — even going to stay at a friend’s house was difficult, as she needs help in a home which isn’t adapted for the purpose, as ours is.

‘Her aim is to lead a fully independent life, and I think to have given her a doll in a wheelchair would only have reinforced a painful self-image.’

Daily Mail article.

Another parent of a girl with Down syndrome said in the same article that she thinks intergration is the key to normalizing DS and drawing attention to the differences.

However most parents seem to feel they are a good idea.

Pattycakedolls.com which sells dolls with many different types of soft body dolls even has even placed this little warning at the bottom of each Down syndrome dolls page due to criticism.

PS: During the design process, we consulted with many of the leading national Down Syndrome organizations; we want to recognize and thank them for their valued suggestions and their enthusiastic support. Even so, there are some parents who feel that these dolls should not exist. That they are ugly, or exaggerate the worst features, or are exploitive. On the other hand we have heard from parents who love these dolls, and more importantly, whose children love these dolls. If you don't like this doll, don't buy it. But we guarantee however, that if you do buy it and give it to your child, it will be unconditionally and forever loved. Period.

However, there is the very real fear that these dolls will just be seen as a joke by many people. If you type "Down Syndrome Dolls" into your search engine you'll probably get what I did and have a bunch of blog posts of people going "Down syndrome dolls? What the heck it has Down syndrome!" I even found one video of a group of teens laughing at some funny looking dolls (they didn't actually represent Down syndrome) and the poster got very angry at any commenter who said that they thought the teens were insensitive and stupid. I can definitely see this argument, many, many people are discriminating and cruel and would see the dolls as nothing but dolls based on supposed "stupid people" that are simply there for them to mock and

Some people see the dolls as patronizing. Highlighting differences and pigeonholing them. On the subject one blogger posted on Youtube that "Your not like everybody else but that doesn't make you any worse, if anything you have challenges you need to overcome and that makes you stronger." in defense of the dolls. And it's true, highlighting differences isn't bad it is positive to inform our children disabled or not, to be proud of yourself and be able to stand up for yourself. Our differences are beautiful, and in my opinion that is what these dolls highlight.

One thing I do agree with on the negative side is that I don't think I'd ever buy any of the available dolls for a child with Down syndrome. They are ugly and don't really look like any of the beautiful people with Down syndrome that are out there. And most of them only offer few options for the many differences people with Down syndrome have. Both Pattycakedolls and Downycreations (which appears to be now defunct) only offer dolls with protruding tongues something that most children with Down syndrome overcome by building up their muscle tone, Downy creations dolls also all have an scar over their heart even though many children with DS have no heart condition. Downsynromedolls.com offers the option of either open or closed mouth, but the 50$ dolls still look more like the troll dolls of the 80's than the gorgeous children they are supposed to represent.

Read the article Times here: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1886457,00.html

Someone Consider Monroe! - My family found me!

2010-07-24T00:58:00.000-07:00

Sweet little Monroe is five and facing the institution in just a few months, he cannot be adopted from where he will be sent. Because of his condition Monroe will be bedridden for the rest of his life.

Monroe has spastic cerebral palsy in all four limbs. Because of this he is almost entirely static, he cannot control his arms or legs and cannot sit up on his own. Monroe has no speech and is considered globally delayed. He has a good chance of improving with physical and other therapies but he will always have limitations both physical and cognitively.

Monroe only has a few months left for a family to find him. He has a full $20,000 grant available towards his adoption. Please someone save this precious little boy!

Update! A family has committed to adopt Monroe!

Word of the Day: RAD

2010-07-21T00:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I’m reading through waiting child listings it seems like they might as well be written in Greek numerals with all the abbreviations and acronyms. Tonight I decided to do a little research on one of those acronyms I hear all the time but don’t really know what it means, RAD.

I don’t think RAD is one of those things that can just be explained in a few words on a piece of paper, emotional disorders are always one of those things you just have to experience to understand. Because, as I know from experience there are never any clear cut and dry rules when it comes to the human psyche.

Reactive Attachment Disorder is a severe mental disorder affecting a small number of children. These children with RAD have a difficult time or may be unable to connect to others and have trouble managing their emotions. They have a lack of trust and self-worth and are fearful of getting close to anyone. When a parent of a child with RAD tries to connect with their child they may receive anger, opposition, defiance or even indifference.

Attachment disorders occur when a child doesn’t have a chance to consistently connect with their primary care giver. Children who Develop RAD are typically abused, or neglected, or may have been moved from one caregiver to another many times. Because of these things the child does not have the time or opportunity to develop loving or caring attachments the child’s developing brain may be permanently altered. Infants basic needs go beyond just feeding, a child needs also include comfort, affection and nurturing, and when they don’t receive them at this early stage it becomes difficult for that child to ever develop those relationships.

- Some non-nurtering behaviours are things such as:

- When a baby cries and no one responds

- When wet or hungry they aren’t attended to for hours

- When a baby or young child only receives attention for acting out.

- When a baby or young child is mistreated or abused.

- When the child’s needs are met inconsistently and they cannot be sure when they’ll be cared to or not.

- When the parent is emotionally unavailable, perhaps because of depression or an illness.

- A caregiver not making eye contact, smiling or caressing.

Children whose needs are not met emotionally or physically come to expect rejection or hostility as a reaction causing them to become distrustful of others. In becoming distrustful of others they learn not to seek out and to avoid social contact.

Not every child who is neglected, abused, orphaned or had multiple caregivers develop unhealthy bonds, children are resilient and most children can develop strong bonds. There is no clear reason why some children do develop reactive attachment disorder and others do not. Children who are living in an orphanage, institution or frequently changing foster care or experience removal from their parents are the most likely to develop RAD.

When attachment disorders are suspected in infants it is usually an easily fixable problem, but as the child ages it becomes more difficult for them to develop attachment skills. And it makes sense that as a child ages it would become more difficult for them to attach to people. It’s harder for us to become friends as we grow up isn’t it? Like in kindergarten everyone is friends and if you don’t like anyone it’s probably because they used the green crayon you wanted and you’ll be friends again by Wednesday. But by 3^rd grade we’re all splitting off into groups, everybody isn’t friends anymore. Proximity no longer makes for a strong relationship and as we get older and older the number of people we make those close connections with less and less people.

Besides having trouble developing personal relationships the symptoms of RAD can affect other areas such as delaying learning, poor self-esteem, delinquent behaviour, anti-social behaviour, anger issues, eating problems, depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol addiction, frequent job changes, and even inappropriate sexual behaviour.

It is very difficult to diagnose an infant or child with RAD the child must meet certain criteria as spelled out in the Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), a book which is published by the American Psychiatric Association.* The main criteria for the diagnosis of reactive attachment disorder must include:

- “Disturbed and developmentally inappropriate relationships beginning from age 5 but not due to developmental delay.”

- “Failure to respond to or initiate social interactions, or being inappropriately friendly or familiar with strangers”

- “failure of early caregivers to meet the baby’s or child’s emotional needs for comfort and affection, failure of early caregivers to attend to the child’s physical needs, or repeated changes in the child’s primary caregiver.

The psychiatrist must also rule out other possible causes for these symptoms. Other possible diagnosis’ are PTSD, Anxiety, Adjustment disorders, Autism, Social Phobias, or ADHD.

The most important thing for parents looking at a child with RAD seems to be to understand the child’s limitations and be open and willing to work on them. Treatment for RAD is long term and requires a willingness to work from both parent and child.

The goal of treatment are to help ensure the child has a stable living environment where he or she has chance to develop positive interactions with their parents or caregivers. Treatment can include:

- individualised psychology counselling

- Education of parents about condition

- Family Therapy

- Medication for other complications (anxiety, depression, hyperactivity)

- Residual or inpatient treatment

*The Canadian Mental Health Association also uses this manual.

Inspiring People: Róisín De Búrca

2010-07-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

The following is the article from the Irish Times.

Sitting your Leaving Cert, moving away from home, going on to further education, being named student of the year. These are all major milestones, but especially so when you have Down syndrome. Not that that stopped one inspirational student, writes Vicki McKenna.

NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD student Róisín De Búrca has had a busy year. One of the few people in Ireland with Down syndrome to have completed a full Leaving Certificate last summer, she then became part of an even smaller group by proceeding on to further education. On top of that, De Búrca recently won Bank of Scotland’s student of the year award. “I felt proud of myself, something I can accomplish in life, something that belongs to me alone instead of the family,” she says.

De Búrca has just finished a Fetac Level 5 course in Business Administration at Galway Technical Institute (GTI). She chose this course because: “I wanted to see how the business environment worked and wanted to see if it was the subject I wanted to get into.” As a native Irish speaker, she spent two weeks on work experience in the office of an Irish-speaking creche, based in Muintearas in Leitir Mór. “It was easier working there because everyone knew me there and I was able to communicate through Irish because it is an Irish-speaking organisation,” De Búrca explains.

This work experience involved administrative functions, counting cash and bagging it for lodgements, filling in forms, including menus and Garda clearance forms.

De Búrca has a confident, easy going personality and loves creative writing, a pursuit she devotes much of her spare time to. “I usually write about love and death. I just want to do something to take my mind off things. Now, I am hoping to do a script for a play,” she says. “My favourite novel is Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I just love vampire novels, that is what I am trying to do with my book to bring vampires in as a plot towards the start.”

English and Irish were her favourite subjects in school, and she mentions her particular love of Shakespeare’sRomeo and Juliet , King Lear and Macbeth .

She also has a keen – and varied – interest in music, listing favourites including Luke Kelly and the Dubliners; sean-nós singers including Nan Tom Teaimín; Irish country singer John Beag; popstar Hannah Montana; and folk giants Joan Baez and Bob Dylan.

THE CONSIDERABLE SUPPORT De Búrca received helped open the world for her and has enabled her to live independently, says her mother, Eileen Kenny. “It is very important that people with disabilities get the help they need.

“Róisín’s level of achievement is exceptionally high, and that’s partly because of the level of opportunity she got. If she had never been put in for the Junior Cert, then she wouldn’t have achieved it. Likewise, the school could have put her in for the Leaving Cert Applied only, but they didn’t; they offered her the full Leaving Cert. Children with disabilities are often as much handicapped by the low expectations of their carers and those around them as they are by their disabling condition. Roisin has been lucky.

“The opportunities always came from the school. Anyone that did help her – teachers and the education psychologist – have always been impressed by her abilities. She had to work harder than average to achieve the same result, so she was very tired at the end of the day. She is very diligent and hardworking, so she was prepared to put in the necessary time.”

De Búrca’s secondary school principal, Máire de Bhaldraithe, says, “Róisín had drive and enthusiasm for learning from day one in Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiaráin. Her confidence and single mindedness won the hearts of her fellow students and of the staff.”

Gráinne Murphy, independence officer with Down Syndrome Ireland (DSI), notes that De Búrca’s achievement broke new ground because she did “a full Leaving Cert and passed six subjects”.

“She would have been in the minority of people with Down syndrome in her age group to attend secondary school.”

From a family of five brothers and one sister, De Búrca credits the support of her family with helping her on her journey through mainstream education.

Of her move away from the family home, she says: “Once you get into the rhythm of living in Galway away from your parents, I found it relaxing. There is a great student life here.”

It is vital to have support systems in place for people with Down syndrome, DSI president Claire Leonard says. “I would be very much in favour and I would always encourage parents to try mainstreaming, but if the classes are very big and if they do not get enough support, then they are going to get lost in the system,” she adds.

“The earlier you get stimulation and the earlier you get intervention going, the better their prospects for later on.”

There are far fewer people with Down syndrome going into secondary school than primary school, Leonard, says. “I think a lot of them going would tend to veer towards special schools at that stage,” she explains.

FOR THE STUDENT OF the year award, De Búrca won a €1,000 scholarship from Bank of Scotland Ireland.

Explaining the reasons the bank selected De Búrca for the scholarship, Rhona O’Connor, charity manager for Bank of Scotland says: “I met Róisín at the Down Syndrome World Conference in Royal Hospital Kilmainham last August where I was terribly impressed by her achievements and personality. She was not bigheaded and was modest in her success.”

“I was very proud of her,” her mother Eileen says, “particularly as it was not an award restricted to people with disabilities. I was glad that the amount of effort she had put in was acknowledged.

“I also feel that Róisín is breaking new ground for people with Down syndrome and therefore increasing the opportunities for people who are younger than she is.”

Down syndrome explained

Among the most common characteristics of Down syndrome are developmental disabilities, where motor skills can be a problem and there is a slowed and/or incomplete mastery of physical coordination.

Down syndrome is a set of mental and physical symptoms that result from having three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two copies. That is why Down syndrome is also referred to by the name Trisomy 21.

Symptoms of Down syndrome can range from mild to moderate to severe/profound. Róisín De Búrca has Standard Trisomony 21.

Between 90 and 95 per cent of all Down syndrome is Standard Trisomy 21.

Money Talks.

2010-07-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

If money is all that is keeping you from adopting there are some amazingly sizable grants for waiting children on Reece's Rainbow. Including 5333$ towards the family who adopts one of the gorgeous older boys with Down Syndrome that can be found on this page. There is over one hundred thousand dollars waiting for these children to be adopted. Children with the largest grants have been compiled on this page.

"Yuri"

That sad little face just breaks my heart. Yuri is in an orphanage where the children who are considered low functioning by the staff are separated from the high functioning children. Children like Yuri are placed in a “laying room” where they are given little stimulation aside from the diaper changes and feedings. Some of these children are drugged to keep them quiet; this drug is NOT recommended for children or regular use so these children are at a great risk. Yuri was worn in 2007 and his records indicate that he was born with Cerebral Palsy. There is some suspicion from other photographs he may have some level of hydrocephaly. A family adopting from the same orphanage as Yuri say he definitely does not deserve to be in any laying room she believes he’s quite intelligent and high functioning and a quite the sensitive little boy. He’s physically able and can sit and stand on his own and pull up on his crib.

Yuri has a 1000$ grant available towards his adoption. Yuri is in Ukraine married couples only are eligible.

“Vika”

I am so in love with this little princess and wish I was in a position to bring her home. Vika is five years old and has Down syndrome. It is obvious from her description and photos that she is well

loved. Vika is quite high functioning and very much like all the “typical” children at the orphanage. She’s said to be affectionate and energetic and just like any ordinary little girl and she’s said to be very sociable and enjoys meeting new people. Vika goes to school and is quite good at her tasks but her moods change quickly and she is often and she can easily be distracted but she knows all of the animals and birds and will name them if you show her their picture. She’s good with other children and is very mothering to her dolls and toys. Vika has no heart condition but she’s said to speak with a bit of a lisp and her photos indicate she may have had a cleft lip that has been repaired.

Vika has a grant of 5018$ towards her adoption. She’s in a region of Russia where single mothers and Canadians are eligible to adopt.

“Connor”

That sweet smile could melt any heart. Connor has just turned four years old. Connor was born with a “typical” twin brother who his mother took home, but she left Connor at the hospital. Connor is another high functioning little boy but he’s facing the mental institution from which he cannot be adopted. It is urgent he be adopted soon. Only one child with special needs has been adopted from this region which means it’s more difficult and therefore expensive than most in Russia. Connor was born with a heart condition but he’s already had corrective surgery and has had no further complications, completely healthy! He’s strong and active and can walk and even run all on his own! He’s sociable and affectionate and would make a wonderful son for any family whose willing to take a leap of faith.

Connor has a 10,000$ grant available towards his adoption. His adoption should be expected to cost minimum 35,000$.

“Oleg”

Of course Oleg has to be mentioned. Oleg is still waiting and his condition is still getting worse. You can read all about Oleg here.

Please consider one of the many wonderful, deserving children!

Dr. Wakefield Loses His License.

2010-06-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

If you don't know who Dr. Wakefield is he is the doctor who convinced millions of people with his 1998 study that autism could be caused by the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. Last week his licence to practice medicine in his native England was removed.

Dr. Wakefield's study published in UK Medical Journal The Lancet in 1998 studied 12 children suffering from a gastrointestinal disease called Colitis. The paper claimed that the Colitis was caused by the common vaccination for measles, mumps, rubella commonly known MMR. Causing millions of parents who believed Wakefield's research and believed that vaccinating children could cause their children harm did not vaccinate against the deadly childhood disease. Since the papers publication a resurgence of the Measles virus has been seen in the UK, Europe and parts of the US with a measles outbreak in the UK every year since 1998.

Latter studies have shown no correlation whatsoever between vaccines and either colitis or autism and ten of the papers original authors have renounced the study. In spite of this over 5000 families have filed claims seeking compensation for children they claim were affected by the vaccines.

In his study which was only finally retracted in February of this year the medical board voted that Wakefield showed a callus disregard for the children in his studies. He was found guilty of "serious medical misconduct" and stripped of his rights to practice medicine last week. As a Gastroenterologist working at London's Royal Free Hospital Wakefield did not have the approval to conduct any studies into the link between either colitis and autism or vaccinations and autism.

The study was constituted unethical based on multiple undeclared conflicts of interest, manipulated evidence and breaking of ethical codes. In one part of his study Wakefield took blood samples from guests at his son's birthday party for 5 pounds a piece.

Still operating is a clinic in Austin, Texas established by Wakefield and based on his research even though he is not legally able to practice medicine in the US. He quit the clinic earlier this year. The clinic promotes the idea that:

Autism is an epidemic
Autism is a disease
Autism is not psychological
Autism effects bodily organs and not just the brain.
Children with Autism have dysregulated immune system
Autism can be cured by a new diet and vitamins
Children with Autism have Gastrointestinal problems which cause their behavior.

Although the refuting of the Wakefield paper and removal of his licence is a step forwards the damage has already been done and many anti-vaccination parents will continue to use the now debunked research as argument.

With a heavy heart....

2010-05-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

I am asking for Prayers for Chrissie and her family. Today her 29 day battle for her life ended.

Chrissie is no longer in pain, her heart is healed and she is forever surrounded by the love of all who knew her.

I cannot think of what to say. Just please pray and send good thoughts to her family in this time of such grief.

Great Link!

2010-05-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

McMaster University in Ontario has come up with a very interesting and informative website for identifying the facial abnormalities in a child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects.

You can look at all of the symptoms at once or individually move them from normal to FAS.

Check it out: http://www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/pblonline/fas.htm

Bad Bad Blogger

2010-05-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting my blogging duties lately, I know, it's been almost 6 weeks! There's been a lot going on for the past couple months. I finished up my semester in April and then up until last week I was working on application packages and projects for a couple different colleges and programs.

"ADOPTED"

IMDB

I happened across this little Documentary today. I thought it was a little look at how attachment plays into adoption. The documentary follows one family who adopted a Korean baby girl twenty something years ago and one family who is in the process of adopting a baby girl from China. While the family from China is a pretty straight forward adoption story, the other however is a look at the struggles a Korean girl in a white family has.

Jennifer is 32 and her adoptive parents are dying. This triggers not only her need to form a bond she never had with her adoptive mother but also brings up feelings of anger and sadness towards her original abandonment and losing her Korean self. As well as dealing with being the outsider in a white family and a white community. It's interesting to hear that Jenny found it very upsetting not being seen as different by her family, and how she wishes they had of acknowledged her as an Asian women before she became one.

It is a very poignant look at the struggles an adopted child can face and is very difficult to watch at points but also very eye opening. Apparently the film came with a companion DVD called We Can Do Better the point of both videos seems to be to get adoptive parents and future adoptive parents to really consider and know how to deal with the issues that come with adoption, especially the child's dealing with grief and developing racial identity.

Oleg!

I haven't posted in a long time about Oleg/Owen because there hasn't really been a any updates on him. But today there was a new picture! Oleg is three years old now and growing growing growing! Oleg has Saethre-Chotzen syndrome, a cranio-facial disorder which effects his skull shape and facial make up. Oleg most seriously is effected by acrocephaly or a "tower skull" his skull is growing inward and upward giving a boxy tower appearance. This needs to be looked at by a specialist very soon as Oleg's cranial bones may already be fusing and this can move or compress his brain causing delays and difficulties.

As well due to having Saethre-Chotzen syndrome Oleg has a wide lower jaw and small upper jaw and Ptosis which means he has droopy eyelids. Oleg does not like many bearers seem to have any abnormalities in his fingers or toes. They do not seem to be either stunted or webbed.

Some people with this disorder suffer from hearing loss, but this is not documented for Oleg. I do not know if this is because he does not suffer from any hearing loss or because that information has simply not been made available.

Oleg is a healthy baby boy who seems to be growing well. He is still at a great age for intervention and would make a wonderful son. If anyone is thinking of adopting from Russia please consider Oleg!

Film: Bulgaria’s Abandoned Children and Bulgaria’s abandoned children Revisited.

2010-03-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

In 2006 Kate Blewett spent 9 months at the Bulgarian Social care home in a village called Mogilino. A care home for unwanted children with special needs. It follows three teenagers, three of the over 200 children living there. Originally the film aired in September 2007 on BBC Four and it caused outrage throughout Europe, almost immediately a need for change was seen and set into play. In 2009 Kate Blewett returned to see how these changes had effected the formerly institutionalized from Mogilino.

Watching these two film is torture. Terrible, disturbing images run across the screen as the narrator tells of the lives they live everyday.

Almost all of the children, some teenagers even are too small for their age. Small enough to be toddlers.

They are nothing but bone. I cannot imagine how they are moving since there is no muscle on many of their tiny little legs. Just thin stretched skin over thin little bones, their wide chests hunched over their waists so they are nearly bent in half because their heads are too heavy. Knees that jutt out like little boxes tied to twigs and shoulder blades that push out from little backs like the wings of a bird. Sweet babies, living skeletons.

The children suck on their fingers, and sometimes their entire hands because of a lack of nutrients. To suck is a newborn child's first instinct, and children who are nursed for long enough never suck their thumbs as toddlers or preschool age children. But these are not babies missing their mothers breasts, these are people looking for some, any comfort.

Blewett finds a boy with an amputated thumb, cut off because he sucked it too much and it got gangrene she is told as she watches the thumb on the other hand go in and out of his mouth. The caregivers tell her that nothing is being done to prevent the same thing from happening to the boy again, he is not sick, so the nurses do not see him. He is a bedridden child, those whose fate is possibly the most horrible.

Bedridden children are most likely to die and each year some of them will be moved from their prison to the graveyard, which sadly, for some of these children is an improvement. The bedridden children are the most malnourished of all and if they can move at all they are tied down. These are the children who don't rock, but throw themselves against the walls, the bed frames or anything else around them. They whimper and cry but they are ignored by the Institution workers. The only time anyone touches them is to change their diapers and to change their sheets. At this point the worker might check for temperature. If the child's temperature is too low or too high then and only then will the nurse come to visit the child.

The Subjects:

Didi is high functioning teenage girl with autism who at 18 moves from lving at home with her mother to the institution and begins to deteriorate and become institutionalized over the 9 months she is documented.

She's smart and loves to talk and read magazines when she arrives with her mother on Nov. 30, 2005 a date she quickly spouts off. But Didi has no one to talk to, almost all of the children have such mental deterioration that they cannot communicate and do not understand her. Didi wants someone to play with, but there is no one, so she writes to her mother constantly. The letters are never mailed, they remain in a small handbag Didi has managed to hold onto from her life before Mogilino. Her mother has made it very clear to the director she wants nothing to do with Didi.

After a few months Didi begins to show signs of becoming institutionalized. Her magazines, the connection to the normal world disappear and during the day she sits with the other girls in her group and simply rocks, the intelligent girl just sits and rocks insistently all day long.

2009 visit:

When the filmmaker returns Didi is living in a dormitory with a friend at a school for adults with learning disabilities. Over the three years the students there learn social and life skills and the skills as well as regular school subjects such as math, Didi's favourite subject and literature where again she reads the books she loves. No longer does Didi rock, instead she is very similar to any other young woman laughing and joking as friends help her with her hair, gossiping as she walks from her dorm to class, and buying lunch or junk food from a street vendor. After the three years some of the students will live on their own and find jobs, while others with more needs, like Didi, will move into small group homes where she will live semi-independently.

Another older teenager, Milen, one of the few children at the orphanage who actuall looks his age is also followed throughout the documentry. His mother had a disease called Oligaphrenia and so he was diagnosed with it too, this is an old Soviet term non-exsistant in the western world. It means Mental retardation. Milen has never seen a specialist so they don’t really know. Milan is mute, and communicates with pictures and sign language. At one point the filmographer captures a man abusing Milen and his friend hitting them and slapping them because Milan tried to help with the laundry. Milen seems to love to help showing care for the other children and to help the institution workers with chores. But this assistance seems to only get him abuse if he is not ignored outright.

2009 visit:

Outside of Mogilino Milen has a job. And lives in a group home for persons with disabilitys with a friend from the institution. Milen is considered a very good worker, and the year before he was visted by the filmmaker again he earned a vacation for himself and his friends. At the home Milen’s help is not only accepted but encouraged that all housemembers help with the day to day chores as a way to use the life skills they learn. Milen takes part in the same activities as any young man his age living in Bulgaria, sports, vacations and spending time with friends. He still cannot speak, but his communication is much better. And it shows on his face that he is happy at last.

The third child chronicled is Vaski, a tiny, skin and bones blined girl, diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy as an infant but like Milan this was never confirmed by a specialist. When she came as a young adolecent, they say she sang but now she is bound to a chair or bed. She is minuscule for a teenager and her legs and are thinly lined covered in skin. At one point, when being bathed little Vaski’s leg is broken, her nurses ignore her cries of pain and when they finally do acknowledge the broken leg some time later it is simply tied to a make shift splint and she is left bedridden. They claim that this is not something unusual, her bones are weak and breaks cannot be helped but it is obvious Vaski does not have a brittle bone disorder, her bones are too weak because she is so extremely malnourished.

2009 visit:

Vaski lives in a home for the blind. She has gained weight and she is dressed in pretty clothes. Her legs are still small and thin, but it is obvious she is cared for, she goes to gymnastics where her caregivers hold her and help her to do her exercises. She sings with the other children, she claps and plays. Vaski still needs a lot of help due to her physical disabilities, but now when the caregivers dress her and feed her she talks to them happily and they listen to what she wants and how she feels.

Been a While.

2010-03-26T17:05:00.001-07:00

I've not been posting lately. I've had a lot running through my head and none of it has really been coherent enough to talk about.

And well, my buttons have become outdated since I've been away so I thought I'd update. Removing Hunter because he's home!

And so is Olive!

And Anastasiya and Sandy will be finally be coming home in the next couple of weeks.

I've also removed Nadia because her family, unfortunately, could not complete their adoption.

Jeremiah is still here, and I've added Alec and Zhenya, Benjamin, Anna and Tanner, and Vera. Click on their buttons and learn a little about their new families and maybe donate a dollar or two to help bring them home.

Facebook is NOT activism. Rant.

2010-03-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

This has been on a couple of my friends pages today and it is making me see red because these are not people who do anything to help children with special needs. It's not like any of my friends with children who have special needs or people who themselves have one have made this their status.

“People need to understand that special needs children don't have an illness, they are not looking for a cure only acceptance. 93% of you probably won't copy and paste this~will you be in the 7% that will and leave it on your status for at least an hour. Special Education week March 22nd to the 26th. Go on copy and paste. Please!!!!!!”

No. I will not be one of the 7% that reposts this in my status. Instead I will keep going out every day and telling anyone who will listen the injustice these people face everyday. I will keep showing people the horrible way we treat those who are different from us. I will keep fighting for their rights and fighting to make their lives better and I will keep working with and beside them.

So don't tell me I am insensitive for not liking your status.

It's not that these types of statuses are damaging in any way, it's just they never actually make anyone aware, or change anyones minds. I'd love to just see a status that says "It's Special Education week, I'm thinking about what I can do for people with special needs today." but instead they're copying and pasting a bunch of words with no real thought to it and reposting it and not actually doing anything.

Also, it annoys me because it is wrong. Many, many people with special needs do have an illness, and do need us to fight and work towards finding them a cure to make their lives livable. You could make the statement that people with autism just need acceptance, but not all people with special needs are just a little different. Some are unable to carry out daily tasks, basic needs, some are dying. And they need much more than acceptance.

Goodbye Sweet Baby.

2010-03-12T17:03:00.001-08:00

I found out today that the reason one of the children whose taken hold of my heart was removed from the Reeces Rainbow site is because he died a few weeks ago.

His name was Dane and he was from Serbia. Dane was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and thought to be autistic. He was abandoned when he was just a baby and lived out his life in an orphanage.

A family tried to adopt Dane not long ago, but they were told they could not as he would just be a burden. He was well loved by many from afar, all I wish is that he could have known that love up close.

Rest now precious baby and know that you are loved.

Well...

2010-03-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted for over a month. It's not that I have nothing to say, it's just that I can't say anything useful or informative. It still makes me feel sick to read stories about Haiti and my heart still breaks. I can't write the way that the stories deserve, so I'm not going to try.

I will still write about orphans and special needs, I've just felt guilty about not focusing on Haiti right now. Along with not having a lot to talk about right now. I'm focusing on building my skills for school.

Bless.

A little good news

2010-01-20T00:50:00.000-08:00

I still can't bring myself to write anything about the earthquake. I go into a fit of wracking sobs everytime I try, so I figured I'd post something wonderful I'd forgotten to write about.

I wrote about Timosha a couple times here. A sweet 2 year old Russian boy with Down Syndrome. Last time I posted it was about how Timosha's birth family had decided that they needed to battle through Russia's stereotypes and doubts and take their son home and raise him like any other child.

Well, last week the paperwork was finalized and Timosha went home to his momma and papa. He is doing very well and bonding with his two older brothers (I can't share the picture of the three but it is heartmelting I promise.) His parents are receiving quite a bit of support from parents of children with down syndrome abroad.

This could be a small step changing the way people in Omsk, and all of Russia view special needs children. I wonder if Timosha knows what an innovator he is?

Thank God.

2010-01-17T14:27:00.000-08:00

I got this e-mail this morning:

"The last information I received from Raymond Cloutier was that Gertrude and

the children all survived. The buildings are destroyed/unlivable. I am not
sure of anything else at this point. Raymond is working on sending in
medical professionals to help and they will make contact with Gertrude at
some point."

They are safe, thank god.

Another day, more nothing.

2010-01-16T23:52:00.000-08:00

Again, no news from Notre Maison today. I've contacted their feeder organization again in hopes that someone will contact me and tell me they are alright.

Anyone who reads this please think of and pray for Gertrude and the children, Christina (2), Gus (10), Kethia (7), Lovely (5), Jonathan (1), Esperance (5), Valencia (5), Junior (16), Jude (5), Marven (12), Cade (6), Olguie (10), Jefte Espoir (4), Natalie (9), Roseline (13), Joseph (12), Arlain (6), Woodmayer (5), Carly (3), Christine (4), Brilner (7), and Jean Daniel (5). These children all have severe mental and/or physical limitations, and if they are hurt will likely not survive in Haiti's harsh environment. Please pray for their health and safety.

Two Days without news.

2010-01-16T01:51:00.001-08:00

There's still no news from Gertrude or the Notre Maison Special Children's home. I'm so very worried.

The amount of support for Haiti right now both makes my heart swell with happiness and makes me sad. I know that come a few weeks when the news stops people will forget about Haiti again, just as they did after the hurricanes. I wish people had thought about this before, so much damage could have been prevented if people had just been looking at Haiti's building codes after the last earthquakes. I feel slightly angry at friends who join facebook groups saying they support Haiti who've ignored me over the past two years. I

know their donations are needed, but it just seems somewhat hypocritical. Maybe it just hurts that they have something to give when I have nothing.

I still don't know what to do with myself. I wish I could be out there, I wish I could give something. I have approximately 18$ to my name.

I'm trying to get over my guilt by passing on as much information as possible. People can get details of the earthquake from the news but I can give them information on what Haiti needed before that. I know organizations that will stay after the disaster part is over, that are trying to rebuild Haiti from the inside. It isn't working. I still feel heartbroken and guilty.

For thought, these photos are from before the Earthquake.

credit United Nations Photo - Nov. 6, 2009 credit Jan Socher -March 30, 2009Credit Jan Socher - March 9 2009credit Fabio Luis Vio Lyon - August 25, 2009

Speechless.

2010-01-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

5 pm January 12th an 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti. They haven't got any idea how much damage there is but it is a catastrophic disaster. A low ball estimate by the government puts the death toll around one hundred thousand.

I've heard from one orphanage that they are far enough inland that there is no damage, but a missionary and her two sons are missing. I have contact both of the other orphanges I support, I hope I hear from them soon, I can think of little else.

My heart is so heavy right now. I have no words. Please keep the citizens of Port-au-Prince in your thoughts and prayers.

Updates:

- Heard from a second orphanage. The building swayed and there was a lot of broken glass but no major damage and everyone is alright. However they are all very frightened.

- Note from HODR at 4 pm there are a few minor injuries at St. Josephs but most of the kids are okay. The building is seriously, possibly irreconcilably damaged. Their pastor is in serious but stable condition at the medical centre next door.

HIV travel ban lifted!

2009-12-31T00:03:00.000-08:00

The Center for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) lifted the ban on travel and immigration to the US for people with HIV on January 4th. The CDC no longer listed as a communicable disease which means a whole world of difference for foreign nationals wanting to visit, or move to the United States.

As one of my positive friends said "I have two options when I visit family in California. I can either hope my friends there are on the same meds as me and pawn off them, or I can hide my prescriptions when crossing the border."

Removing HIV from the communicable diseases list means that an HIV test is no longer part of the medical examination required for immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees wanting to permanently come to the United States. As well, visitors can have their HIV status on their travel insurance and carry their medications with them.

According to U.S. Federal Regulations foreign nationals deemed to have "communicable diseases of public health significance: are inadmissible to the United States. The CDC defines the list of which diseases make this list. They adjust the list when new diseases emerge, as well as when new information about a disease currently on the list comes to life.

To make the CDC Communicable diseases list a disease has to:

1.Listed Diseases: active tuberculosis, infectious syphilis, gonorrhea, infectious leprosy, chancroid, Lymphogranuloma Venereum, and Granuloma Inguinale

2. Quarantinable Diseases Designated by the Presidential Elective Order: (Currently) Cholera, Infectious Tuberculosis, Diptheria, Yellow Fever, Small Pox, Viral Hemorrhagic fevers, SARS, and novel or re-emergent Influenza (pandemic flu), and Plague

3. Diseases reportable as public health emergency of international concern to the World Health Organization (WHO) under the International Health Regulations from 2005.

Foreign nationals who meet any of these categories are inadmissible for permanent residency.

The CDC added HIV to the list of communicable diseases for public health significance in 1987 just six years after the disease was discovered, and two years after a blood test was discovered to diagnosis it. At this time it was not known how HIV could be spread, but since we have known for more than 10 years now, why is the CDC just removing it from the list now? When Bill Clinton tried to remove the ban in 1993 the government created new rules so that he couldn't.

HIV cannot be passed through casual contact, and therefore does not fit any of the CDC's communicable disease criteria.

HIV cannot be passed through shaking hands, sharing dishes, sharing a toilet, being coughed or sneezed on, or kissing. HIV can only be transmitted through blood to blood contact, the most common being unprotected sex (vaginal or anal), sharing needles and from mother to child. It is less common but HIV is sometimes passed through oral sex, breastfeeding, or being tattooed or pierced with dirty infected needles, or direct blood to blood contact such as cleaning up a nosebleed with an open wound. HIV was once passed commonly through blood transfusions but is now very rare. Blood goes through rigorous testing before being used in transfusions now.

Although it should have been eradicated years ago, the United States is moving (slower than we'd like) towards eliminating government imposed discrimination.

Immigration and travel for people with HIV is currently banned in the following countries:

Russia

Iraq

China

Saudi Arabia

Libya

Sudan

Qatar

Brunei

Oman

Armenia

Make note that in Libya, Sudan, Oman, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, and Brunei it is illegal and punishable by imprisonment from between 2 and 10 years to be homosexual.

An Open Letter to Ben Stiller.

2009-12-27T21:06:00.000-08:00

Mr. Stiller,

I came across an interview on CNN about your fundraising project StillerStrong and I am not amused.

It isn't this "Haiti thing" Ben Stiller. This is a big deal. It isn't a joke.

I get it Ben Stiller, I do. You are a comedian, and this is your way of raising money and it's working! 122, 389$ raised is incredible, but why does it all need to be a joke? Your message is a good one, and people listen to you so why don't you tell them about it?Of the 9 videos on your front page only this one tells me about your school, and about Haiti.

Tell me what you are doing Ben Stiller. I'm listening. Tell me. Don't just tell me "buy a headband and I'll build a school" I need more information. I already know Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, but most people don't. Most people cannot even point to Haiti on a map, and neither can you according to your video with Bill Clinton. Why aren't you using this opportunity to inform them? Tell me more about why these kids need a school, and maybe I'll send you more than a dollar or two. Maybe I'll be inspired to do more.

Why does your page on the project have the smallest font possible?

Put more faith in the people you are asking for help from. Maybe they will donate because it is a good thing you are trying to do, and not because you are funny. Isn't that what you want?

So what's with the yellow headbands? Well, besides my homage to the great Lance Armstrong... I had this opportunity to visit Haiti this summer. It's an incredible country, with amazing people and a vibrant culture. It is also one of the most impoverished places in the western hemisphere. When I was there I visited a school in Cévérine, which is in the Central Plateau region.

With Save the Children, because I assume they know how to save kids, we are raising money to expand the school, dig a drinking water well there, and set up a self sustainable crop field to help the residents keep the school going for years to come. It is only one school, but hopefully our efforts will lead to greater awareness for the education needs of the children in Haiti. If not, maybe it will bring the headband back into fashion

Slavery in Haiti in the News again.

2009-12-27T20:21:00.001-08:00

I've talked about Slavery in Haiti before, and I think I've exhausted all of the factual information on Restaviks, but the subject is worth noting again. Or, at the very least CNN thinks so.

CNN reported on a Study they have done this Christmas eve. I don't know if this is the same study that CNN's Sanjay Gupta was working on in Port-au-Prince back in July. It is a study by the Pan American Development Foundation.

The report says that there are approximately 225, 000 children live as unpaid domestic servants. Two-thirds are female, and almost all with face physical or sexual abuse.

They conducted this study by going door to door to 1,458 homes in some of the poorest cities in Haiti. They found that 22% of children were living away from home and 30% of homes had restaviks.

The study recommends that foreign aid be used to eliminate poverty in Haiti, poverty being intricately linked to restaviks and better education be made available.

I'm not really sure what the point of this study is, as there have been recent studies in the same area, I'd like more information on what they are actually doing, but their website doesn't give up much.

Clicking on either "Restavik" or "Slaves" in the tags below will take you to my posts on who and what restaviks are.

Dan Savage on gay adoption.

2009-12-13T22:46:00.000-08:00

Parenthood is a basic human need that does not go away because of a persons sexual identity. There are tens of thousands of children waiting for homes in the United States, and there are homes waiting for them if the state would just get with the times.

I do not expect international adoption to open up to gay couples any time soon, but I expect it from the supposed land of the free.

Just think on this:

It was only in 1993 that segregation of whites and blacks ended. That a lawful, equal country was established. Thats only 15 years, and yet in 2002 they opened adoption to gays, in 2003 they gave gays the same rights as same sex couples, and in 2006 they performed the first legal same sex marriage. Making them the only country in Africa to not only legalize gay marriage, but the only African country to make being homosexual legal at all.

All I want for Christmas is Kirill's Family

2009-12-13T22:36:00.000-08:00

Today I went to visit the Reeces Rainbow sight and saw something beautiful, a new picture of Kirill.

Kirill is the 5 year old Ukranian orphan I am head over heels in love with. He was transferred to an institution called Torez in July. Torez is a harsh mental institution in Ukraine meant for adults, but Kirill is just a baby he should not be there.

Transfer to the institution means that he has been bedridden for the past 6 months, and will be for the rest of his life. He is not allowed to get up and play, he barely has room to stretch out his legs. Kirill is no longer receiving what little therapy he had, and is no longer around other children to interact with.

Kirill has already begun to seriously regress. This smart, bright boy can no longer even sit himself up without help. He appears to have also developed strabismus (Crossed eyes). And this is all because he was born with Cerebral Palsy. With physical therapy Kirill would be able to develop his physical skill to the point where he may even be able to walk, and skip, and even run one day, he just needs a chance.

Kirill has some learning delays due to living in orphanages and mental institutions his whole life but he has no mental retardation or delays, he is a smart little boy.

I would give anything to see this little boy in his mothers arms. Someone, please save sweet Kirill from a life of emptiness. No one deserves to live this way.

The heart, it swells!

2009-12-09T18:44:00.000-08:00

Since Andrea opened the Christmas Angel tree project at midnight October 31st thirty-one children with down syndrome have gotten commitments to adopt from families. Thirty one! In just over a month.

Along with these children finding families, approximately 32,325$ has been raised towards the cost of the adoption of the children still waiting.

Incredible.

Mehico!

2009-12-03T23:07:00.000-08:00

My fundraiser this year isn't going so well. I've managed to raise 20$ and get one person to participate in my other donation ideas. I'm completely dry when it comes to ideas too.

Because I have nothing new to add about my fundraiser, I figured I'd write a little about an adoption program that's caught my interest.

MEXICO!

Mexico has always been a difficult place to adopt from. However, since its Hague accreditation it has become somewhat more understandable.

Mexico is considered a difficult and confusing place to adopt from because each state makes its own adoption regulations. There is no central office for adoption in Mexico, each state has its own Procuraduria de la Defensa del Minor which is a branch of the he State System for the Full Development of the Family (Desarrollo Integral de la Familia, or DIF) which takes responsibility for all abandoned and orphaned children and decides what is in their best interest.

The basic outline for adopting from Mexico is:

- Married couples,and single women or men(!) excepted. Some states only allow married couples.
- Travel is required for both parents. Trips are between one and three weeks.
- Both parents must be at least 25 years old and no older than 55 years.
- Parents must be 17 years older than the child they are planning to adopt. (exceptions for married couples)
- Small families with less than 5 children preferred.
- Children as young as 4 months available, as well as special needs children, and siblings. Children over 14 years of age must consent to be adopted as well as to their adoptive family.
- Approx. 9months to 1 year from when dossier arrives in country.
- Very affordable, under 18,000$.

Mexican officials first try to place children with relatives, then within Mexico then when these efforts are exhausted children are open to international applicants.

One of the major deterrents of adopting internationally from Mexico is a mandatory 6 month trail period to make sure the child and family are a match. It is up to the judges discretion to decide if international families may have this period waived. If the period is not waived then families must live in Mexico for 6 months to complete the trail period and care for the child. The family must complete this period before the child can leave Mexico.

For a parent who is a non-Mexican resident the child they are trying to adopt must be legally considered an orphan, an orphan is a child who has been orphaned through death of parents, abandonment, or have had parental rights released. In some states foreigners are required to get permission to adopt from the Secretary of the Interior.

Reece's Rainbow currently has four children from Mexico available for adoption. Couples married at least 3 years only are accepted for these children. There must be no history of mental or physical illness in the parents.

"Lucy"

Lucy is four years old, she turns five on December 20th! She has Down Syndrome and Strabismus(crossed eyes) but otherwise is completely healthy. She is considered quite smart and attends a school for special needs children as well as receives therapy. She is described as happy and playful.

"Mary Margaret"

Born on Christmas Eve, Mary Margaret is almost 7 years old. She has Down Syndrome, but is healthy. She is considered somewhat delayed in her academics, and does not have much speech but she is easy going, happy and very social. She attends school which is good with children who have Down Syndrome.

"Cara"

Cara is five years old. She has Down Syndrome, she's healthy and very high functioning. She is a very social and happy little girl with a positive outlook. She has very high self esteem. Cara receives therapy and attends school with Mary Margaret. Cara was abandoned at birth and has since lived in the orphanage.

"Ernie"

This five year old boy with Down Syndrome never fails to put a smile on my face. Ernie is considered lower functioning than either Cara or Mary Margaret, and has some issues with self aggression. However, he is considered to have great potential. He is small for his age, but healthy. He attends school with Mary Margaret and Cara and receives therapy.

Ernie's low self esteem and self aggression both get far, far better when he is given one on one attention. When Ernie's "foster mother" is around he is much happier and more playful. With a mothers love he would really flourish.

To see any of the children's profiles visit ReecesRainbow.com. They are all currently on the Angel Tree which is raising money for orphans this holiday season.

This is why I do what I do.

2009-11-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

Timosha, who I wrote about in October and was Reece's Rainbows October child of the month has found his family, his birth family.

If you remember I wrote about how Timosha's mother visited him frequently and had contacted RR for help. Well this week his father agreed that they should bring him home.

Raising a special needs child in Russia is not easy, it is going to be a difficult job for Timosha's parents, and he is going to be judged and persecuted for having Down Syndrome for the rest of his life, but Timosha's mother has decided to advocate for her son, and for all DS children and perhaps slowly, togther mother and son can help change perceptions.

His parents are currently working on his paperwork to bring Timosha home, but once he is home his mother has vowed to keep RR updated on the other children at the orphanage in hopes that they too can find homes.

She sent this letter to Andrea:

"Andrea, I thank you for your prayers. Yesterday my husband has told that we will take away Timosha home!!!!!!! Since Monday we will start to make all papers. Also I hope that Christmas we will meet all together. I yet don't know, what will be our life, but I trust the Lord and I believe that with the Divine help at all of us it will turn out. All not casually also can children from our region can find family. I will do the utmost to update photos of other children. This smallest that I can make for them. I thank you, Andrea and if the help which I in forces to render is necessary to you, I will make it with pleasure."

Congratulations to Timosha and his family.

Hooray for updates!

2009-11-11T21:58:00.001-08:00

I've found an orphanage that I would like to raise money and collect supplies for this year. It is in Port-au-Prince, the capitol city of Haiti. They have 20 children all with varying special needs, ranging from blindness, to Cerebral Palsy, to mental retardation. Last year, their founder and sponsor died, so they've been running off of the funds of a small boarding house. I'm waiting for a reply on their specific needs, but I am thinking of holding a cloth diaper collection and a raffle to raise money.

I am probably going to set up a paypal account, and hopefully get some donations. I'll ask the orphanage if I can post their childrens pictures, because, after seeing their faces I can't imagine anyone couldn't want to help somehow. I will keep updated on fundraisers and collections.

I've added the REECES RAINBOW Christmas Angel Tree button to my blog. It's over to the right, click on it to see the beautiful babes who need families, or whose families need help to bring them home. If you've got a few extra dollars, please donate to them! I personally can't help but smile when I see the faces of Timosha, Charlie, Vika, Ashleigh, Ernie or of course, Lera. (all still need families, Ernie is in Mexico, Vika,and Timosha in Russia and Charlie and Ashleigh in Ukraine)

Lera needs a family NOW! - Update A FAMILY HAS COMMITTED TO ADOPT LERA!!!

2009-11-11T21:22:00.000-08:00

Meet precious Lera. She's a sweet, beautiful healthy 4 year old girl with Down Syndrome and within the next few weeks she is likely to be transferred from her orphanage to a mental institution from which she cannot be adopted.

An institution in Russia is not the place you want to be. She is a smart, high functioning normal little girl other than a few medical problems but if she is transferred she will not be able to go to school, or do any of the other things a 4 year old girl should be starting to do.

She needs a family to commit to her now, within the next few days. Even if you are just starting the process of adoption you can commit to Lera and the baby house will keep her until you can come and get her. You DO NOT need to be paper ready or have all of your funds together yet, you just need to commit.

If you:
-are over 25 (or at least 16 years older than Lera)
-a heterosexual married couples or a single woman
-Are legally a US or Canadian citizen (BC)
-Meet UCIS income requirements
-And have health insurance to meet Lera's medical needs

Then you can commit to Lera! There are no family size requirements for Russia, and the upper age requirement is 60! Adoption from Russia in total is around $27k although Lera is in St. Petersburg, which is a good city to find cheaper travel deals.

Look at this face
Does this look like a little girl who can't learn to read and write? Who can't offer love and affection? Who deserves to be locked up in an institution for the rest of her life?

This beautiful little girl, who loves to play with other children and dolls, who loves to climb, and play and dance is going to be plucked from the home she's always known.

A place where they treat her like any other little girl, where they feed her three square meals a day. They bathe her, they play with her, they take care of her with everything they have to offer. Where there are other children, and a small playground, and toys and books, and scheduled naps.

The water they are scrubbed down with is cold, the food is sparse, and the hugs are infrequent, but when Lera is transferred she will be a baby in a world of mentally unstable adults. Where she'll have her own bed, but that's all. They'll feed her occasionally, and bathe her even less. And she'll be monitored by caregivers who are overwhelmed, and have no time for her.

And sweet Lera will regress. She'll forget that she knows how to walk, that she's potty trained, that she can talk and is just as intelligent as all her peers. Because no one will care about Lera. You can see what her life may be like here.

But you can help to stop this. Lera is such a smart girl. She learns alongside her typical peers and goes to school with them. Developmentally she is normal. The only thing that keeps Lera from a family is an extra chromosome.

Lera needs to be saved. PLEASE, please save her.

Lera has a 5000$ grant to help offset the costs of her adoption.

Secondhand Orphans.

2009-11-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

It's a long article, but very interesting. Full transcript below. None of this post belongs to me, I am simply sharing an interesting article. I've posted the full article below because I find the information interesting and informative. I have not changed anything about the article below and the following belongs to:

Article by Ekaterina Rozhaeva http://www.ufa.kp.ru/daily/24367/550927

Translated by Alex Krutov http://alexfaithful.blogspot.com/

Why increasingly more frequent foster parents pass orphans conversely in the orphanage

A saleswoman urgently needed a child. She quickly processed the paper work and came to the orphanage in Moscow region. The fact is that every eligible parent must bring a document that he/she has no criminal background record takes over a month this woman was able to get it in few days. Lena was a lucky girl who went to be with this woman because she fit the criteria. Unfortunately in less than a month poor Lena was back in the same orphanage. Initially this woman took Lena only because she knew that the state was going to give her some financial tax break as a result of doing some charitable work by adopting orphan Lena. However, Lena did not work out for this woman so she simply returned to the state institution as if she had borrowed a book from the library.

Such case is not a lonely one. The government officials or orphanage staff would typically say, “What can we do?! The responsibility to control how former orphans are being raised in a family is not my task.

Double orphan statusHumanitarian catastrophe is becoming to sound more frequently in the Russian society. Since when did we come to a point when thousands of former orphans who were adopted are now being returned back to orphanages?

There was an incident that sparked this humanitarian catastrophe. In March a family returned a boy who was HIV positive.

When he was born his mother abandoned him right away. For the first year and a half of his life he was in a specialized kindergarten until the medical examination had shown that he was healthy. He then was transferred into a normal orphanage. On one of his birthdays he received a gift, which was a family that adopted him. It was a young couple who had a newborn child and they decided to adopt Mark as well. In less than two months the parents have filed a termination of parental rights because they found out that Mark was HIV positive. They claimed that the orphanage hid the information from this couple.

Well, it is actually not true. Based on a new law since 2008 a family that has more than two children can receive a onetime state financial compensation in the amount of 300,000 rubles ($10,000). Furthermore, the state was going to give them additional maternal federal capital compensation, which is another 250,000 rubles ($8,333). As soon as they knew that it was the case they quickly went to the bank to get a credit in order to purchase a new house. Well, the bank had denied their request so the very next day the family had returned Mark to the orphanage because they could not get the credit or the state financial compensation.

The orphans who have been adopted by Russian families lately have been returned to the orphanages more than ever. The director of a charitable organization had said that they suspected that such catastrophe can happen especially when families adopt orphans just to get a bigger housing and as soon as they get it they no longer need an orphan so they return their adopted child back to the orphanage. Unfortunately there is nothing could be done. Furthermore, according to the law this orphan has no right for this housing since these adoptive parents are no longer his/her parents. Our government does not punish families for returning an orphan or abandoning him/her for the second time even if adoptive parents had a legit reason for termination.

Orphan dowry
The specialists who are responsible for the orphan catastrophe are convinced that the biggest disturbance that caused this dilemma was a new bill that came into effect as of September 2008. From four forms of social care (adoption, guardianship, foster care family and private orphan care) in all cases except for adoption a financial compensation is paid to parents.

Today if you want to adopt a child any person can do that with legit documents and no criminal background history. Most private orphan care parents have never seen the children and do not know how to raise them so they take them without a clue. Children are chosen based on one database that takes into consideration the preferences of parents for the child they would like. Once the child is outside of the orphanage the state officials have no interest whatsoever how he/she is being raised. There is a different government entity that is responsible to control the care of children in the private orphan care system. How parents supposed to raise these children is no one’s problem except a headache for parents who now have a child.

In the past there was one adoption system and database. A minor child was under one government and specialist supervision: psychologists, doctors, social workers, etc. Today this has been divided into many different government entities or organizations and for the most part it is just unnecessary paperwork. The papers get shifted from one place into another and from one organization into another.

Domestic adoption among Russian people is the least popular form of social care. If it is politically correct to say it is also the least economically “profitable” one. If you do adopt then the state will pay limited 8,860 rubles ($295). According to statistics at the beginning of July 2009 only 5,554 orphans were adopted whereas in 2008 more than 13,173 were.

The majority families prefer to use a guardianship form of social care. This is when they take orphans into a family as a guardian. Guardians will be paid a limited financial compensation in the amount of 9,592 rubles ($325) and depending on the child’s age the state will pay monthly compensation anywhere from 5,410 rubles to 6,160 rubles ($180-$205). This does not include other compensations from different local government entities that could be as much as 300,000 rubles ($10,000). Thus, in 2009 more than 38,000 orphans were taken into guardianship form of social care whereas in 2008 more than 75,000 were taken into the same form.

But even at such “profitable” guardianship form less people are now taking orphans from orphanages. Last year through all forms of social care for orphans more than 65,000 had found new families whereas this year only 44,000 did.

It might seem that there are fewer orphans in the orphanages, but it is an illusion. From year to year there are more orphans coming into the state system. The statistics are brutal: based on how many orphans there are for every 10,000 young children in the country, Russia has one of the leading places in the planet.

Furthermore, even in 2002 we have exceeded the level of orphans after the main meat grinder of the XX century-World War II, had left in the entire Soviet Union 678,000 orphans! Today there are more than 800,000 orphans and that is just in Russia!

Dear and kind citizens, what is wrong with us?
What has happened to the society? To whom was the Bible commandment written “Do not forsake and look after orphans and widows”? How is possible that as soon as we building ourselves nice lodges in the outskirts we quickly return orphans back to the institution? Who allowed for orphanages to be overcrowded because the ones that used to exist were either closed or simply given to someone else for other needs?

Can you really blame the financial crisis for this catastrophe?
The government officials basically speculated. They begged citizens to take orphans by tempting them with various financial compensations-the chairman of the Russian children’s fund and the author Albert Likhanov is convinced of that. I know that in different departments for unemployed people the officials would agitate citizens take children from street shelters or orphanages because it was a good thing to do and the pay was good. For awhile adoption movement was truly active. The children were given to citizens in groups/packs without carrying who parents were. Orphanages were being closed and former boarding schools were sold and given to private entrepreneurs.

Based on conviction of Likhanov, “the distribution” of children into “good” hands up to a certain point was a good thing especially for the regional government budget.

He states that he heard with his own ears that a governor of a large region on the territory where there are more than sixty orphanages said that it was “profitable” to place orphans into families cause it was cheaper for the state than raising orphans in the orphanage or a shelter.

It is true that in order to raise one orphan in the state institution it cost from 150 to 200,000 rubles ($5,000-$6,666) per year. Whereas if a child is raised in a private orphan care even with the best financial compensation it still cost the state three times less. It seems that everyone is gaining: an orphan has a family, there are fewer orphanages, which is a positive statistics for the reporting) and the state budget has saved some funds.

Citizens have quickly realized that orphans are far away from being angels. Many orphans have enuresis, or have bad habits, or some their genes take it course. Then financial compensation was delayed; thus, the children were being returned back to orphanages. But wait, where you should place double abandoned orphans? Orphanages have been shut down as soon as the bureaucrats have reported that the orphan problem has been solved. Thus, they are being placed into already overcrowded orphanages and shelters.

According to sociologists the last year more than 6,000 children have been returned to orphanages or shelters. This year this number is going to be at least double that.

Of course the Ministry of Education and Science has its own statistics
In 2008 the government has terminated more than 1,216 cases of families who have taken orphans into their family, but did not do their job. This was said by Aleena Levitskaya the Director of State Politics Department in the sphere of education and social protection of children. All together there were over 3,000 cases.

Torture of babies
According to Levitskaya after the series of tragic death of children who were adopted by foreign citizens serious precaution and control steps were taken. In 2008 about 4,125 children were adopted from Russia, which is a lot less than the year before.

Let me remind to you the murder in May 2006 by an American adoptive mother Peggy Sue Hilt who killed a two-year old Vica. As a result the state had made some significant changes to the foreign adoption procedures. In 2008 a new series of negative and critical critiques were expressed by government officials toward foreign adoptees. This happened due to another case of two adopted boys who were killed/died. Only a lazy one who would not feel that it was his duty to scream “Shame to Russia! Our children are being killed and we are quiet.”In the entire history of foreign adoption for all adopted children there were only 18 registered cases. Now for justice let us count how many of our own children have been brutally beaten, tortured, handicapped, raped and killed by Russian adopted parents. According to the Ministry of Health Department only in 2006 there were 1,220 deaths in adoptive families. Let us be honest with ourselves that not all these children died as a result of negligence, but…

This year has been a horrible one with different stories of murder or torture of children. In the Primorie region a woman had killed a four year old Polina who lived with her new adoptive mom for just a few weeks. Let’s remember four year old Gleb who had the worst burn degree ever. A sadistic family that had starved two brothers to death in a basement. There is another investigation that is still going which states that a family had sold a year old son for organs. Three year old Danila was starved and tortured for many days. Then while he was still alive he was thrown into a river tied with an old accumulator.

Here are some more statistics: in 1991 there were 40,152,440 children in Russia, in 2008 there are 27,000,000. Yet there are more orphans now than ever…
Horrifying numbers
Shelters, orphanages and boarding schools are more now than after World War IIIn 1998 in the orphanage and shelters there was only 87,000 children whereas in 2007 there were more than 735,000 and in 2009 there are more than 800,000.
Annually there are 120,000 children come orphans in Russia. About 80% of them are considered social orphans kids who are without a family yet they do have parents, but raised in the state institution.Forty percent of orphans upon emancipation become alcoholics, drug addicts or criminals. A true number of girls that end up in prostitution is unknown. In 2009 more than 15,000 children or teenagers were part of some kind of criminal activity.

Orphanages of Russia
10% do not meet simply sanitary and technical conditions, 48% need a capital renovation of buildings, 5% are considered in emergency stage condition.

This info was released from the report by the Minister of Internal Affairs-Rashid Nurgaliev, Moscow, 2009How is it there?

In foreign countries traditional state institutions have become a history since 1950’s. In America for instance, a child who was taken away by social services from a family that neglected him/her will be placed into a foster care family. This can be a temporary one - a few months or sometimes even weeks or until a better more permanent family will be found. What is the most important thing here: the child is constantly placed in a family atmosphere.

Why is it like that? The research had shown by doctors and psychologists that a month of stay for a child in a state institution significantly slows the development by three times. The further stay will delay it even further. The delay in intellectual and psychological development is even noticed among the children who before a shelter or an orphanage were perfectly healthy and developed faster than their peers

A view from a sixth floor

A few years ago the president who was shocked by the number of orphans in institution has order to urgent resolve such complicated and unusually difficult social dilemma. The bureaucrats have promptly responded to this request best to their ability by active imitation. Later on many reports began to flow stating that we shut down so many orphanages and this many shelters. Children were quickly shoved into families without even carrying who was who and if that family was even fit to raise this child. Financial compensations were paid out and the only thing that concerned the state that the parents would not use funds for alcohol.

It was not important for the state to prepare adoptive families to accept new family member. Yet according to specialists this has to happen at least six months prior to finalizing adoption or any other form of social care.

Where is the control by social services for how the children are being raised in a new family with dad and mom? Inspectors with low salaries in social services have no time to do anything else except for dealing with piles of papers that are constantly getting bigger on their desks. Sometimes they have no time to even visit an orphan in the orphanage; thus, they will never visit him/her in a new family.

For many years I have been collecting this data how social orphan issue is being solved in Russia. The latest statistics show that for the last couple of years massive returns of children into orphanages and shelters are happening everywhere from Karelia to Sakhalin. Of course, it is so much easier to blame the financial crisis for all of this. But it is not the case. If a child has truly become one of yours then will you ever try to measure that on the material level? Very rarely when adoptive parents or guardians return a child & shamelessly say the pay was low. Typically they say that they had hoped that there would have been some social perks, divorce of parents, big conflicts and fights especially during teen age. Many of these problems could be solved if social services and other organizations would prepare and teach families how to raise children who were in the orphanage. Unfortunately we have decided to save money on that because we see no value in that.

Letter to Haitian Orphanage sent along with my supply donation.

2009-10-08T02:58:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Gods Littlest Angels Baby Ministry,

I have collected some items and am sending them to your orphanage in hopes that they can be of some help to you. I know that in the scheme of things a few cans of formula and a couple baby wipes aren’t going to change the world, but even if they help for just one day I figure they are worth it.

I don’t know how it came about but Haiti has a special place in my heart. I hope one day to see it for myself. I had hoped to come this past summer to work but it just wasn’t the right time in my life. Haiti found its way into my heart sometime about a year ago. I have always felt called to adoption, and although I am not old enough to adopt a child yet, I decided that I wanted to help make it possible for other people, and so, around last September I came across the listing for a little boy in Haiti. I didn’t know anything about Haiti at the time, but something about the little boys face and his story grabbed me and refused to let go.

I sent e-mail after e-mail to the orphanage director where he was staying, asking how I could help, what he needed, what I could do for him. And then, in a few weeks later, he died. I remember reading the news and not having much reaction, then about five minutes after I had walked away from the message it hit me and I broke down. I had been in love with this little boy, I loved him and now he was gone. I had never met him, I had never held him, and I knew that even if he had lived I probably never would have. But I still knew that in some way, I and this little boy were inexplicably linked he was meant to come to me, and I was meant to be led to him.

Upon learning of his death was what lead me to learn about Haiti. I didn’t know anything about the country, other than that it was in the Caribbean but now I needed to know more. I needed to know why a baby boy who would have not have died here, in Canada, had died of something so treatable. So I read, and I researched, and I learned about the Hurricanes and the storms that had crushed Haiti, and I learned about the poverty, and the malnutrition, and the spread of disease. And I knew that these were a people, a children, that needed help, and that I wanted to do it. Whatever little change I could make, I wanted to do it. Then I learned about the children’s homes, and the people who actually did what I was longing to.

So, because I knew it wasn’t my time to come to Haiti I collected these items, and I made this package. I had some help from some friends and relatives, whom I would like to thank here. Sasha, Lon , Tanya, Tess, Tamara, and of course my mother and father Scott and Shelly who helped me pay for the shipping fees.

Sincerely Yours,

Mary Olivia

Vancouver, Canada

Part Two:

Included in this package is:

- A 900 g can of Similac regular powdered formula.

- A 55g can of Penaten crème

- Two 60 ML bottles of Step One hand sanitizers

- One bottle of 50 g Zinc Oxide cream

- One 250 g bottle of Zinc Oxide Cream

- One box of Nestle Oat Cereal, Stage One

- One box of Nestle Rice Cereal, Stage One

- One 50 mL bottle of Enfamil baby iron drops

- One 30 g tube of Equate Clotrimazole cream, 1%

- One 800g can of Isomil infant formula, Soy for infants with sensitivity or allergy to milk

- One bottle of Clorox disinfectant wipes.

- 3 newborn Gerber Baby bottles, with rubber nipples

I hope some of these things can be of assistance to you

Timofey

2009-10-05T00:03:00.000-07:00

First, Reece's Rainbow has a new blog to keep everyone updated on their kids, adopting families, and living with Down syndrome. Check it out: http://reecesrainbow.blogspot.com/

Although I do write about Down syndrome, and support organizations that support people and families with down syndrome, and organizations that further knowledge and acceptance of people with Downs, children with the syndrome just don't seem to call to me the way HIV positive, or children with CP do.

That is, till Timofey (Timosha) popped up on adoption sites. That sweet smile is just irresistible, and it is hard to look away from his huge blue eyes. This boy just tugs away happily at my heart strings.

Timofey's story is a heartbreaking one. His mother was heartbroken when he was born, because she knows that in Russia, there is very little that can be done for Timosha. Things like Down syndrome, birth defects, or other life long conditions are treated in Russia today, much the way they were treated in America in the 1950's. While discrimination hasn't completely gone away here, things in

Eastern Europe are dire for children born different. They are tucked away in orphanages and mental institutions and rarely spoken about. Some parents just want to forget about their (seemingly) imperfect child and move on. But not Timosha's family.

His mother knows that he has no future in Russia, and so she came forward to Reece's Rainbow in hopes that someone would see her son and see his potential. She knows that there is a bright wonderful future out there for her little son and she is doing all she can to help him find the family to help him accomplish it. Timosha is visited by his mother and grandmother frequently, and knows the touch of love. Which seems even more heartbreaking than the children who were simply abandoned. It takes a lot of strength to give up a child you love so dearly because you know there is something better for him, a lot of strength and a lot of love. Characteristics I am sure little Timosha has inherited.

Since Timosha's family is involved in his adoption, there is a good opportunity for family history and medical information. It is also likely his mother will want some continued contact in the form of photos and updates.

Baby stats:

Timosha is 2 years old.

Born: May 15, 2007

Timofey is healthy and has no heart condition or other medical complications

He is in OMSK, a destination region in Serbia.

Blonde hair and Blue Eyes he is a good size and weight

happy disposition, quiet,

Since Timosha is in Serbia which is much farther out than Moscow or St. Petersburg and since Omsk is a destination region travel and stay in Omsk to adopt Timosha are higher which may put more strain on families wanting to adopt him.

Or make a family wanting to adopt from Russia pass him over because of the added cost.

Please consider giving a dollar or two to Timosha's adoption costs, then maybe his family will see him! It is really easy to donate since Timosha is Reece's Rainbow's child of the month. Click the banner to the side to be taken to his sponsor page, or click here.

Max!

2009-09-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

Max's family got him from the orphanage so I've taken down his sponsor button.

I fell head over heels for Max the first time I saw him and am so happy he has come home to his family.

Congratulations to the Licandro's on their new addition!

Lost Little One

2009-09-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

A while ago I sent a couple messages to Children of the Promise about their little boy, Conrad who had Hydrocephalus.

I had hoped I could help them get him a medical visa, and tried to find someone who would take on a medical charge. They said they had it covered.

Yesterday the site reported the Conrad had died. Apparently he was examined and not a candidate for surgery. Apparently they were able to make him comfortable until he passed. He was small and sweet, and very, very young. It breaks my heart. Conrad will be in my thoughts for a time.

I am not allowed to post pictures, someone from the orphanage saw my blog and made me take Edison's picture down (I was heartbroken) or I would show you the sweet little one.

I have been thinking about Haiti a lot lately. I had hoped to go this past summer, but then things came up and it wasn't the right time for me, I wasn't in the right place. I am hoping to get a Halloween seasonal job, and perhaps, depending on my shifts I can go in November or December.

Buddy Walk = Bust

2009-09-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

Today I volunteered at the Greater Vancouver Down Syndrome Society's Buddy Walk and I wish I could say it was a walk in the park but it wasn't; frankly, it stunk. Now, don't get me wrong, it seems like a wonderful event, but volunteering was pretty terrible.

It didn't help that I started the day out on the wrong side of the bed. I foolishly stayed up late last night chatting with some friends, so even though it was an early night by my standards it wasn't pleasant getting up only three hours later. You see, the volunteers had to be at the park at 8:30. This park was about an hour and a half from my house, so with leaving in time to get there and having time to make myself into something other than the were-troll from beyond the grave I woke up at 6, ugh, I am so not a morning person.

The weather was NOT on my side this morning. Although it is a beautiful, sunny, slightly chilly day now, when I left the house it was pouring with rain. It was raining so hard, that in fact, it wasn't my alarm that woke me it was the rain pounding down on the roof. And I'm on the bottom floor. Lucky for me my mother offers to drive me to my boyfriends house, you see he goes to school a couple blocks from the park and, well, its a sketchy area, he said I wasn't going anywhere near there alone. So, once I get to his house I run up and knock on his door but nobody answers. I wait five minutes, knocking and attempting to figure out my phone (it is broken, did I mention that?) before running back to the car and asking my mom to drop me at the gas station to make a call. Luckily while driving to the gas station the boyfriend calls my moms cell and we head back. He'd slept through his alarm.

So, by this point it is too late to get a ride with my mom, since she's got to be at work. So I go in, and he starts getting ready since he had JUST woken up. Well the bus, train, then other bus weren't actually bad. They were probably the most pleasant part of the trip.

Once we get to the park, well, it is pretty much chaos, without any reason for it. Now, admittedly I was already having a bad day but poor organization really annoys me. Not just being unprepared to go to the movies, that's fine, but anytime you are organizing something that actually affects other people you should be organized. I was signed up to do set up, set up tents, and tables and such, well, they had people to set up the tents, no problem. So we decided to set up the tables around the course. Except, the tables aren't there yet. Nor are the water jugs, or really anything else. So there was standing around for about 45 minutes just waiting for something to happen until finally someone with food shows up. So all the volunteers go and help her move the food from her car.

Then some woman decided we were going to set up the water stations, fine with me, but who are you? This woman was not in charge, she hadn't even discussed things with the woman in charge but she took five of us volunteers and started setting up the water stations. Then she told my boyfriend to stay there and I had to go with her to set up the other tables. I don't care if it came across as rude but I told her right there and then I wasn't leaving the boy alone. I told her he wasn't actually a volunteer and leaving him was not going to happen. She acted like I had just told her to do it all alone! She had three other helpers!

Well we got told to stay and watch the table until the run started, at noon. It was 9:45. So we just sat, in front of a table with two water jugs under it for two hours. Because people are really going to steal water jugs, the sarcasm is dripping there.

After the two hours of guarding the table, and occasionally deciding to fill cups. I went to find the organizer to see if we could get another volunteer to take our place so we could go home. Once I finally found someone with any idea what was going on we left. The participants were starting to show up at this point; it looked like good fun. There was a band playing and a bouncy castle for the little ones, and of course more beautiful little faces than I could stand. But we were exhausted, so we didn't stick around.

All in all, I still think I'll go next year, just as a runner, not a volunteer.

A job to do!

2009-09-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

Next Wednesday I have my first volunteer job with the Lower Mainland Down Syndrome Society. It is just bagging things for the upcoming Buddy Walk but I am rather excited.

A Good Day to be Gay

2009-08-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

The ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) voted on Friday to allow gay and lesbian pastors to lead parishes without stipulations.

ELCA has around 4.8 million followers in the US, making it the countries largest denomination to allow gays without restrictions (some allow gays, but they must be celibate).

Article

I haven't really updated lately. I have quite a few topics I would like to talk about but can't seem to put them down in words. Will update again soon.

Daisy has her family.

2009-08-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

I've removed the button for the gorgeous little Ukrainian girl with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome because today her family officially gained custody of her!

Daisy will be the first girl for the Brawdy family, who have five boys for her to join back home.

Congratulations to the Brawdy's on their beautiful daughter!

Haitian Disabled Kids Discarded

2009-08-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

I try to check the Haitian news as often as I can, especially right now, as it is storm season and I want to be aware as soon as it happens if another Hannah, Ike or Noel strikes, checking up today I found three articles with the header "Haitian Disabled Kids Discarded".

The articles were all very brief, one only a paragraph and all said the same thing. The number of children with special needs and disabilities being abandoned is growing.

The Miami Herald starts out with the story of a nine month old with mental retardation, left on the steps of the Hospital of the State University of Haiti,

``We find them on the streets, in the hospitals, in sewers,'' Dr. Questly Bonne-Anne said amid the wails of bedridden, diaper-clad children confined two and three to small cribs. ``We guess their age, we give them their names.''

It is estimated that there are 50, 000 children in orphanages in Haiti according to UNICEF. Many of the children abandoned with disabilities are sent to state hospitals because orphanages don't have the resources to care for them.

``Most of the children in the Abandoned Baby Unit are handicapped, mentally challenged, past the legal age of adoption or have terminal illnesses. This makes it nearly impossible for IBESR to find homes in orphanages for these children,'' said Susie Scott Krabacher, the American philanthropist whose nonprofit Mercy and Sharing Foundation finances the unit.

``We are not asking for anything unreasonable, just for us to be able to use the resources we already have to do something, to make it as normal as possible for these kids,'' she said. ``I want the government to take responsibility.''

Krabacher has started a letter writing campaign in attempts to get the Haitian children to make disabled children a priority, including sending letters to UN special envoy to Haiti, former US president Bill Clinton.

While the article in the Miami Herald does touch on the stigmatising of the mothers of "imperfect" children, it doesn't go into how many healthy children are being abandoned every day too. Yes, disabled children need more attention from the government, that could be said about many countries but it is only a small part of a bigger problem, not enough care for mothers and children.

Well, of course Haitian mothers are abandoning disabled kids. Most have absolutely no way to care for them. There is no support for children with disabilities in a country where most healthy children don't make it to five years old. There isn't a way for mothers who can barely pay to feed themselves to buy medicine for their sick children, and there is nowhere for them to go to get therapy for the kids who cannot walk, or talk.

Who am I to judge a mothers of 6 other children to care for and feed, when she leaves her child somewhere she knows he will at least survive?

And what about those babies that are disabled and mothers die, where are they to go? Prenatal care is so unavailable to Haitian women, and carrying a disabled child can do damage on a pregnant woman's body. We cannot say care for disabled children is the problem, the problem is care for children.

Now, this isn't to say I don't think that anyone who seeks to achieve getting care for special kids isn't a blessing, because for these children it is a life saver. It is important work, no doubt, I am just saying, it is one aspect of a very large issue needing to be addressed.

Krabacher's organization, found here at Haitichildren.com facilitates the care of Haitian peoples in need in many different areas. Their projects include:

- An orphanage (for non-disabled children)

- A medical center offering pre and post-natal care, an orphanage for disabled or terminally ill children

- A sponsored infant room in the Port-au-Prince hospital

- A school in Port-au-Prince, which offers a hot meal program to all of its students

- A school in Cazeau, again provides a hot meal as well as uniforms and school supplies to all students.

They also employ Haitian workers, always a good thing.

Here is Krabacher's blog.

One Heart to Haiti

2009-07-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

A Couple days ago One Heart Bulgaria got back to me. Their program sounds lovely, but you have to be 21 to take on an internship with them, which I am not. So it looks like that option is out.

I contacted an orphanage in Haiti today, the one Edison is from. They have a little boy, about five months old in their care who has hydrocephalus. Their website says that they will be taking him to Haiti's capitol city Port-Au-Prince to have him checked out as soon as they can but not much can be done in Haiti. I asked how I can help, either raising money for his surgery (to have shunts put in his head, this relieves the pressure on the brain as hydrocephalus is a buildup of water) or helping him get a medical visa to get his surgery elsewhere. I hope they contact me back.

Edison has been on my mind more often than usual lately. I redesigned his bracelet into something prettier and more wearable. My mom said she thought it was weird since its a picture of a deceased child with a fun bracelet, but I don't mind I think that he should be around happy things.

I read this comment a couple days ago and it really made me feel somewhat better.

"I never got to meet them, never got to hold them but they were mine."

Its from an adoptive parent who was in the process of adopting two little girls when the countries laws changed. A few months later, they died. It is incredibly sad, and I cried when I read her story, but it also made me feel better about my story. I'm not alone, I am not the only one who feels like she lost a child when she well, lost a child. Its so hard for some people to understand, and it makes me feel terrible sometimes. But I did lose him. I never held him or got to meet him, but I lost him.

CNN on Restaveck's

2009-07-25T03:54:00.001-07:00

CNN is doing a study on Child Slavery in Haiti. Can we get on the same page CNN? I wrote about this back in December.

Timoun se moun (children are people too)

CNN's chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta was in Haiti last week to investigate the Restaveck (Child Slaves) situation in Haiti.

Gupta spent his time following around a 15 year old Haitian girl named Deena. He apparently stood in Port - Au - Prince one morning and watched as the children left the houses carrying buckets to collect water. Most buckets held five gallons about forty pounds, and were carried by the children a half a mile back to the houses. They do this seven times a day.

Deena then cleaned the house, washed the floors, emptied the chamber pots and washed the dishes while the family watched. And this wasn't even the family that Deena works for.

Gupta briefly discusses that Restvecks are not paid, but meagerly fed with scraps and usually beaten and sexually assaulted on a regular basis.

He then mentions Jean Robert Cadet. A former Restaveck who escaped from slavery himself 40 years ago and now works to make sure that children now, and in the future do not have to go through the hell he himself went through so long ago. He created the Jean Cadet Restavek Foundation which helps to improve the lives of Haiti's children living as slaves.

Cadet and the foundation have helped reunite slave children with their families, and help Restavek's to attend school; a chance they would otherwise not have.

Not all Restaveks are slaves, it is true, although many are mistreated. The children who become Restavek's come from incredibly poor families. The children are intended to stay with a wealthier family given a roof over their heads, some food, and sometimes the opportunity to go to school in exchange for this they do domestic work. This leaves many, many children open to abuse. They are beaten, underfed, sexually abused or denied the right to attend school.

This is exactly what Gupta's article leaves out. That there is a reason these children are forced to become Restavek's. Haiti is poor. Restavek's are ingrained in the society of Haiti, a society of poverty and violence. The key to solving the slavery problem in Haiti is not to throw money at it. Its to solve the problem in Haiti.

To help Restavek children behavior and attitude in Haiti need to change. Violence is ingrained in the culture, and law is not present enough to stop it. You cannot stop slavery in a culture that does not see it as wrong. Cadet's program not only aims to spread worldwide knowledge of the Restavek situation, but also invests in Haiti. The program operates out of Haiti, using Haitian citizens, supplies and materials. Investing in Haiti is investing in its children.

It should be noted that:

- 80% of Haiti's population is below poverty level
- Haiti has the highest maternal death ratio (523 deaths per 100,000 live births
- One out of fourteen children will die before their first birthday, one in eight before their fifth
- Less than 2% of Children finish Secondary School
- Unemployment is 50%
- It is estimated 300,000 Haitian children are enslaved in child labor
- Most Restaveks are from isolated areas, with no schools, electricity, or running water
- Restavek's are three times more likely to be girls than boys

Haiti is calling again. Oh, why must I be so torn?

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

2009-07-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

Someone asked tonight what the facial features of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome are, since we are always saying they are so distinctive.

Here's what I wrote.

"Some of the facial features of FAS are....
- A low flat nasal bridge
- Thin upper lip
- Flattening of the philtrum
- epicanthal folds
- Flat midface
- Short nose
- Ear anomalies

There is also a chance of Microcephaly with children who have FAS.

As well there could be a growth definiency in children with FAS, usually putting them in the 3rd percentile.

Many children with FAS have a simian crease, a single palmar crease instead ofthe normal two. Children with Down Syndrome also have this. "

Daisy pictured in one of the buttons down the side of my blog has FAS and is a good example of the appearance.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or FAS doesn't only effect the appearance. Some of the possible results of exposure to alcohol in the womb are....

- Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD
- Developmental Delays
- Mental Retardation
- Feeding or Swallowing issues
- Little or no ability to retain memory
- Poor Adaptive skills
- Lowering of IQ or intellectual potential
- Compromised Life Skills development
- Behavioural Problems
- Emotionally maturity below chronological age
- Inability to predict consequences.
- No Social Cues
- Little or no Moral Judgement
- Reactive Outbursts
- Autistic or Asbergers traits
- Inability to understand abstract ideas
- Tourettes like traits
- Depression, Manic Depression, Bipolar disorder, or sociopathic behaviour
- Night terrors and other sleep disorders
- Incredibly high pain tolerance
- Sensory issues, including sensitivity to touch, taste, smell or sound
- Fine and Gross motor skill problems

Some of the other disorders related to FAS are....

- Cerebral Palsy
- Deafness, or hearing problems
- Blindness
- Heart defects or Heart failure
- Developmental speech and language
disorder
- Cleft Palate
- Asthma
- Immune system malfunctioning
- Epilepsy
- Tremors
- Rigidity
- Liver Failure
- Genital deformities
- Kidney defects or failure
- Slack Muscles
- Estropia

Now, normally I'd talk about how the disorder comes to be, but this is pretty simple. Drinking during pregnancy.

Their ba-ack!

2009-07-22T23:12:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I posted group of pictures of a bunch of little ones with Down Syndrome in Nizhny-Novograd who I remembered from Reece's Rainbow, but were no longer listed. A few of my readers contacted me to say Hey yeah! I remember them too! and then someone figured out that they had been a part of Andrea's Christmas project called "the Angel Tree".

Well, as of this week they are back up on the site! They are available for adoption, and hopefully their families can find them soon! There are also a bunch of other little kids listed in that region too! That must mean things in those parts are moving!

Including this little girl, who I found when I was looking for information on Oleg.

Beautiful, isn't she? Very distinct. Andrea says she likely has Crouzon syndrome. Which seems plausible based on the facial features.

She's four, and appears to be healthy.

I had to write about her, she has stuck in my mind for ages. We even have the same name! But since she doesn't have a name on RR to go by, I think I will call her Moriah.

Also, a couple days ago a friend came up to me and asked how she could help "All the babies". Well I've got support! Looks like I am in need of a project.

One Heart Bulgaria

2009-07-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

Someone linked me to this site a few days ago. And I'm finding it really rather fascinating, so I thought I'd share.

The site is One Heart Bulgaria. A site that dedicates itself to improving the lives of orphans living in Bulgaria. They have many, many different programs and projects and I am entirely impressed by every single one of them.

Example:
Opportunity Homes.

A life skill building program aimed at helping orphaned children, especially young women once they have aged out of governmental care. The program hopes that it will help its young people from becoming involved in criminal activity or engaging in anti social behaviour.

The program attempts to teach 18 year old orphans how to live successfully on their own. They are taught social and work skills, money managing, housekeeping and problem solving. The program also hopes that teaching in these areas will help its young adults gain confidence and self-esteem.

The learners live in one of the opportunity homes for one year. During this time they are expected to hold a job in the community, help out with household upkeep, and participating in social activities and community service. Upon starting the program they must sign a contract saying that they will adhere to the rules and morals of the program. They will live in an apartment nearby their house parents, persons who will be available around the clock to assist the young people in their program when social workers are not available.

House parents are expected to:

"
(1) Supervise the orphans in general (maintain curfew
and appropriate activities and enforce house rules, etc.) (2) Hold weekly group (family) meetings (3) Help plan a
monthly community service project (4) Plan a monthly group recreational/educational
activity (5) Conduct Saturday cleaning checks in each apartment. (6) Be available
to the young women as mentors and friends. The house parents' apartment
would also be the central meeting place for activities, group planning meetings,
celebrations, etc. The house parents should create an “family” atmosphere."

At the end of their program they will recieve a starter kit to help them adjust with their new living situation. The household essentials.

The long term goal of the program is to reduce risks in former orphans. Suicide, alcoholism, prostitution, addiction, joining gangs or the mafia, or other criminal behaviours.

The first year of the program is estimated to cost $49,650 for 25 orphans.

Along with a list of programs going on in Bulgarian orphanages, they list all of the orphanages in the program. And a brief description of the orphanage, along with orphanage sponsors and needs.

2 of the orphanages house special needs children. Vidrare housed completely to capacity with 95 special needs children. 28 bedridden, and 30 over 18 (aged out). While I don't know any details, it appears Vidrare sees no other safe, positive place to house their aged out orphans and so allows them to stay, which is heartwarming considering many countries would send them to institutions. From visitors it sounds like this is a very loving place where the children are well cared for. They have one physical therapist, but wish to hire another, as well as a speech therapist. Wouldn't that be wonderful for these children? The cost of hiring a therapist for a year is only 1,200$. I'm thinking this might be a good fundraiser to work on.

Vidrare page also has pictures!

the orphanage

some of the bedridden orphans

I requested an application to intern in one of their orphanages yesterday, lets hope it works out!

Edie, and some potential endevours.

2009-07-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

I am having some minor success trying to come up with ideas for what to do to enrich my semester abroad. I am not however having any luck finding a job.

Best Potential Endeavour So Far: A 6 week intensive language course, with home stay family in St. Petersburg. -- sounds awesome from the website description, but I would want to find some student reviews before signing up for anything. It also costs about 7,000$, which I suppose isn't THAT much for 6 weeks of schooling, housing, and food but its still a lot :(.

Now, on to Edie.

Edie is a 3 year old girl from Ukraine. Poor dear, look at that face.

Edie doesn't have much to smile about, she is a very sick little girl. From the photograph her severe hydrocephalus is obvious. She would need shunts to drain the liquid were she ever to live a normal healthy life.

Edie also suffers from other complications
congenital nervous system malformation, subcompensated form, rickets, mental delay, right micropsia, acoustic meatus atresia - Goldenhar syndrome, delay of physical development.

Poor child. What Edie really needs is a family that will love and care for her, and give her the opportunity to reach the goals she is capable of.

However, I have inquired if it would be possible to get Edie a medical visa, if so, working towards getting her life saving surgeries she may just survive.

Decisions, decisions

2009-07-16T00:25:00.001-07:00

Its official.

I won't be going back to school until January. Even though it was my plan from the beginning, once I got into thinking about going in September that plan kind of got pushed back and September seemed more likely. Well now I'm back to January and I just don't know what I'm going to do for my five extra months!

I know its the best plan, really, I spent a lot of time in high school. Too much time, three more years than I had intended, and the idea of getting back into a classroom so soon was making me anxious. I have always that the most

important learning happens outside the classroom. And going back in September would only give me a few short weeks of real life learning!

I've started the search for a job, a better job at least. My hours at the bakery have been waaay cut down since Christmas. So far, my efforts haven't even led to one follow up call, damned recession.

I'd still like to go abroad for a few weeks sometime this year. Since I'll be working up until August, and I thought I'd be back in September my Haiti trip wasn't planned for execution, but its not hard to arrange should I choose to do that sometime in the fall. However, my heart is leading me more and more to Russia and Ukraine. Perhaps because I see

the faces of the children there every day, its harder to say no to a pleading face.

I'd especially like to go to Torez, where Kirill is housed. However, I feel that my feelings about Torez are more about Kirill than about the place, or the institution itself. I love the boy. I've never met him but I do, and I know that I would do anything to save him. But I also know that simply going there would do nothing. If I were to go to Torez I would either need to figure out my feelings and decide it was the institution itself that I am going for, or come up with a specific way to help Kirill.

Nizhiny appeals too, so many special needs children! But from Oleg, I learned they do not much want outside assistance.

I'm looking for a project right now, or a program, something to do with Eastern Europe and special needs kids. If you know of anything that would fit this please tell me!

Here's a picture of Kirill at Torez, seeing those blankets is heartbreaking. This is the bed he'll spend the rest of his life in if his forever family doesn't find him soon!

Gah. This post is more about me than about informing people of anything. Sorry.

Again, I'm at a loss for posts.

2009-07-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

Again, I don't really have anything to update about for this week, so I'll just add some new buttons.

Nadia from Russia and Joseph from Eastern Europe. Please click on them, learn about their stories and there families, and send some good vibrations their way. If you can, the buttons lead to the childs sponsor page aswell where you can donate to their adoption.

I also removed Aleksey's button. Aleksey's family is currently in Kiev,

Ukraine to bring him home! His court date was yesterday and he should be on a plane home to meet the rest of his loving family within the week.

Aleksey coming home is really somewhat thrilling for me. I remember coming across his photolisting just before his family commited to him and falling for him. I remember the day his family announced they were committed to adopting him, and I have been following their journey ever since. Aleksey is the first child whose homecoming I've had the chance to follow from beginning to end. Hopefully there will be many, many more on the way.

I am so happy that his family has allowed me to watch them on this amazing journey. They are a wonderful large family built by adoption. Even though I have always known I wanted to adopt, they have still inspired me to it with their positivity, warmth and open hearts.

Welcome Home Aleksey!

New Buttons.

2009-07-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

New buttons for adopting families.

Samantha from Africa

Max from Ukraine

Ruslana from Eastern Europe

Anastasiya and Sandy from Eastern Europe

Buttons are the nifty little pictures on the right hand side of the blog. Click on one and it will take you to the families blog, or sponsor page. Please help these families bring home their children!

Kirill has been transfered.

2009-07-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

I've written about Reese's Rainbow here often, and a few times written about Kirill. I absolutely love him. Today, I got a message saying he had been transferred from the orphanage to an institution.

Look at that sweet face. Does that look like a worthless little boy?

He is five, and he has Cerebral Palsy. CP is caused by damage to the developing brain.

Cerebral Palsy effects the muscles. It causes tightness of the muscles, and uncontrolled movements. It makes gross motor skills (walking, running) and fine motor skills (writing, speaking) difficult, though they can be helped with therapy and the amount of difficulty with these ranges from people who cannot move their arms and legs, or speak or eat on there own, to people who can do everything that people without CP can, just in a different way.

Cerebral Palsy is caused by brain damage. Which may lead to other conditions such as seizures, learning disabilities and developmental delays.

CP is not progressive, though it may change over time. Sometimes getting better, such as someone who has tight muscles in her hands being able to write, and dress herself, or get worse, tightening muscles may make some lose an ability.

Does any of this sound like it makes a person useless? Does the inability to walk make you unable to be a bright, contributing member of society? In Ukraine, where Kirill lives, it does. Kirill is only five years old, but if he isn't adopted soon, his life will be over. This is because he in Ukraine, if you are different and an orphan, you get sent to an institution when you stop being a baby. Kids like Kirill, with Cerebral Palsy, don't get therapy to develop their skills, and learn how to use their differences to their advantage. No, they don't go to school, they don't play with other children, they don't go to the park or the zoo, or just out to get ice cream. Orphans with CP in the Ukraine don't even go in the back yard. You see, CP is seen as a death sentence, even though people with CP have normal lifespans. If Kirill isn't adopted, he like all the children with CP in this institution will remain bedridden for life.

A family adopting another little boy from the orphanage he lived at before his transfer described him as:

" I'm a sucker for Blondie's and this little guy with his green-brown eyes is adorable! He smiled and wanted to interact with me when I came into the room despite the cries of his neighbor. His smiles were brief but heartwarming and then he was curious about what I was up to. Each time the camera flashed he rewarded it with a great grin! Except it was always right AFTER the flash so I couldn't capture his sweet smile."

Kirill cannot sit up or walk, but he has lots of potential! If you or anyone you know is looking into adoption please consider Kirill. He is a wonderful, beautiful boy, who has so much untapped potential! Who wouldn't want this smiling boy laughing away in their living room?

Visit Kirill's profile here.

I have absolutely the worst luck in love.

Concerned, Confused, and Conflicted.

2009-07-06T02:33:00.000-07:00

So, I out of high school, I am no longer working towards Oleg`s plan and I`m completely lost. I have been looking at courses at my college, and there isn`t anything that greatly interests me. Well, thats not entirely true, there are many classes that interest me, but you have to be in the program to take them.

ASL - need to be in Translator program

Change and Development -need to be a Child Family and Community services

Support across the lifespan - can be taken by anyone

Disabilities in context - must be a disabilities and behaviour student

Applied behaviour interpretation - same as above.

So, I am considering taking a semester or a year off. My non-enthusiasm towards college is only part of the reason.

I just don`t know what to do instead.

If you had a year to do anything you wanted, what would you do? Take money, practicality, responsibility, all of that out of the equation. What would you WANT to do?

Breaking up is hard to do....

2009-06-29T14:11:00.001-07:00

After talking to Victoria (Russian coordinator), and Andrea(runs RR) it appears that Oleg and Angelina are inaccessible. The region doesn't seem to want to provide any information AT ALL, and doesn't seem to want to accept help either. It appears we will have to move on.

My heart is broken. I feel like I'm failing, I feel like I'm giving up on my boy! But I'm trying to remember that I'm not giving up, I'm just moving my efforts to where they can do the most good. I feel horrible, and can't even think of putting all of my time into another child right this minute, but I'll find something, sometime.

I do have a couple prospects. A girl in Moscow, and an orphanage in Ukraine. I will comment on them more when I have more information.

Please keep Oleg, Angelina and all the children in Nizhny in your thoughts.

Just a curiousity.

2009-06-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

I know a couple people from RR read here, so I was wondering if anyone had any information on this. When I was looking through the Nizhny children listing I came across a bunch of children I recognised.

Did these kids used to be part of RR or am I imagining things?

Chernobyl Hearts.

2009-06-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

All through this film all I kept thinking was, “Oh, my h

eart breaks”.

This is an Academy award winning film about Irish founder of the Chernobyl Children’s Fund International on her journey through Ukraine and Belaru

s 20 years after Chernobyl to get a better understanding of how the incident still affects people living in infected zones.

5 minutes in I was gone, in tears, unable to cope with seeing so many children in so much pain. But I sat through, and I watched the whole thing. At one point, in the first half of the film we see a baby in the orphanage, a small, thin girl with nothing on her bones and a look of anguish on her face. The nurse goes to change her diaper and pulls the little girl up be one of her pencil thin legs, then throws her back onto the bed. Adi Roche founder of Chernobyl Children’s Project was obviously disturbed and told her to leave the child

for another nurse. I would have burst into tears snatched the girl from the nurses arms and tried to take her home. But obviously, Ms. Roche knows she can do more good when not in prison. Perhaps I’ll need to get my emotions in check before visiting any orphanages.

Then, Roche visits an institution outside of Minsk, and helps with some of the children’s daily care routines then gives each child a lolly a special treat for poor European children. Then the camera turns to their nurse, who has worked there 19 years she appears shaken by the child’s cries. And as she is asked about her feeling on working there she begins to cry and laments that she cannot handle seeing all of the sick children.

They visit more and more children. For many of the deformed, and the nurses tell of how they were abandoned upon birth, and how their mothers could not handle them.

At the end of the documentry they showed one of their missions. A team of American surgeons came in to Minske and performed much needed heart surgeries on a group of children. They particularly focus on one girl, of about twelve, who had been told by Belrussian doctors that there was no hope for her. And she would die with, or without surgery. When the surgery was finished and the girl smiled up at her parents they fell to pieces praising and thanking the doctor.

And his reaction was this "I know this is like a miracle to them, but its my job, its my job." had the little girl been born in America, her heart defect would have been fixed immediately, but in Belarus, its just a death sentence.

I am beyond words. I don’t want to feel, I don’t want to care, I don’t want be human. I just want to hold every one of the children in my arms, and hug them to my chest, and kiss their foreheads and their cheeks and sing to them and read to them and tell them how beautiful they are and that I love them with all my heart.

I believe, to live a life of pain is horrible, but to live a life unloved, that’s just beyond what my heart can handle.

Bolno Ruskie!

2009-06-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

I found another girl in Oleg's region who may be in serious need of a surgery. I think, it might be a good idea to add her to my efforts. I've been looking through the Nizhvy-Novograd region, for other children with special needs. 20 kids per page, 196 pages. Wow. But then think this is only ONE region, and these are only kids born between 1993 and 2008. And, its not including the Downs Syndrome/Autistic/CP/ect. kids over 5 who've already been sent to institutions.

God, my heart breaks. I wish I didn't know some days, I wish I didn't care. My heart wouldn't ache so much.

This makes me want to go to Russia. I've been trying to decide where to go, to volunteer in an orphanage. Haiti or Russia. My grandmother has even decided to give me money for my trip as my graduation gift. So I truly believe I will be going now. But where? Where does my heart want to take me?

I have no updates on Oleg unfortunately. I tried to contact a hospital who house a charitable ministry that offer surgeries to orphaned children. I will try again, but its the weekend in Russia now.

Cerebral Palsy, Part Two.

2009-06-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

Last night I posted about Reece's other angel boys still searching for families in the Ukraine, today I'll post about the girls.

"Diana"

Girl, age 5. Cerebral Palsy, feeding problems.

Look at that swe

et babies face. Diana spends her days tucked in a bed, her only contact is with the orphanage workers the two times a day when she is fed, and her diaper is changed. Diana is tucked away in a corner where she cannot even see the other children.

Diana will likely not survive transfer to an institution, but with a loving family she has a chance at a wonderful life. If you or anyone you know is willing to adopt a child with Diana's complications, please visit Reece's Rainbow, or contact me for more information immediately.

"Ariana"

Girl, age 5. CP, EPI syndrome, microcephaly (small head)

Not the greatest picture but this is little Ariana, what a happy girl she is!

"Olga"

Girl, age 5. CP, there are other medical complications but the orphanage would not disclose them.

"Lorena"

Girl, age 4. CP, defect of the brain development (hypoplasia of right hemisphere, cerebellum, mosaic body), spastic syndrome, secondary microcephaly, hip displasia, secondary microcarpathy, mental delays.

Quite the laundry list for one little girl. :(

And now, for a beautiful Czarina! Beautiful little girls with CP from Russia. Russia has a great program, one I'm hoping to utilize in the future. Russia had no family size requirements, no upper age restrictions (but adoptive parents must be 16 years older than their prospective adoptive child), multiple unrelated children can be adopted simulatiusly.

The cost is a little steep, and 25, 000$, and it requires two trips but otherwise, it seems lovely.

"Natalie"

Girl, age four. Mild CP, gross motor delays, cognitive delays, strabismus

Natalie didn't learn to walk until she was two, but now you can't get her to sit still!

Natalie just so happens to be in the same region as Oleg.

Cerebral Palsy, Orphans

2009-06-24T23:49:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about Cerebral Palsy lately. I keep coming across children waiting for families with Cerebral Palsy. In countries in Eastern Europe, between the ages of 5 and 10 orphans with CP are sent to the mental institution. Where many of them don't live out the first year, if they do, they will be strapped to a bed, where their only interactions are when the workers come to feed them and change their diapers.

But people with Cerebral Palsy are not lost causes! Although they are considered mentally inferior people with CP range from Cristie Brown of My Left Foot fame, to Last Comic

Standing winner Josh Blue, to Stephen Hopkins who famously stated while signing the American Declaration of Independence, "My hand trembles, but my heart does not".

On Reece's Rainbow, which I frequently talk about here, I join in in the community and donating to children and families. Well, they have many children with CP, and each and every one of them has been pulling on my heartstrings lately.

Unfortunately for all of us single ladies, they are almost all located in the Ukraine which only allows married couples. They also require two trips and rather long stays, and are considering closing to international adopti

ons :(. On some good points about the program, they have very lenient age restrictions, and have no family size restrictions either.

Here are a few of them:

"Reid"

Boy, age 3. CP, epilepsy, physical development delays, mental retardation, hypotherosis,

"Kirill"

Boy, age 5. Cerebral Palsy.

I am madly in love with this little boy. Something about his smile and the way his eyes light up. Screw practicality, I would

adopt him in a heartbeat if it was in any way possible. My heart absolutely

breaks to think of him being strapped down to a bed.

"Evan"

Boy, age 6. Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, Significant Mental Retardation, tight/spastic

muscles

This child will be transfered to an institution in only a few short years.

Evan and Reid are at the same orphanage and can be adopted together.

"Bobby"

Boy, age 5. Cerebral Palsy, mental delays, secondary cardiopathy.

Bobby is at the same orphanage as Reid, and Evan.

"Anthony"

Boy, age 4. Cerebral Palsy, secondary miocariopathy, and Tuberculosis.

Wow, this list took longer than I had anticipated to make, so I've only included the boys. Tomorrow I'll do the girls, and hopefully, also have some new news about Oleg.

Congratulations!

2009-06-24T23:40:00.000-07:00

My friend John graduated from college today. He got a degree in Special Needs Education Assistant, he'll start work in a school with an autistic child in the fall.

Congratulations John!

musings

2009-06-22T20:08:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately, about my Edison. I don't know what it is, but lately he's been on my mind, almost all the time. I miss him, and I don't understand it. After all how can one miss someone they never met? I made this back in January, during one of the nights I couldn't help but cry. I thought I'd share.

Note: click "edison" in the labels,to read more.

June 22, 2009

2009-06-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

So, I contacted Oleg's adoption co-ordinater and she's seeing what she can do. She said, that she might have an idea about getting a missionary group to help out which the orphanage would approve of. Unfortunately, they work at a different hospital than Dr. Belchenko's clinic. But perhap, the group knows of another doctor I could contact.

I've added a few new buttons to the blog. One for Jeremiah, and one for Daisy, they are children whose families need a little help getting then home. The new buttons are under the "blog archive" .

No news.

2009-06-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

I've got no updates on Oleg this week. :(

I'm going to contact his adoption coordinator to see what she says about calling Dr. Belchenko. I have to go through all the right political channels if I want to get anything done it seems, and I'm terribly worried about saying the wrong thing.

My friend is going to come over and help me work SKYPE to call if they agree to accepting help. Apparently its the best way to make long distance calls. I should ask him if you can recieve calls from it too, since, if the doctor is willing to talk to me about Oleg, he will likely not have time during a regular work day.

I'm not sure what I'm going to say, how much Russian am I going to need to know. The World Craniofacial foundation representitive I spoke too informed me that the doctor was trained in America and speaks English, which is very lucky.

Haiti-U.N. Conflict

2009-06-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

Gerard "Jerry" Jean-Juste, Catholic liberation theology priest for Haiti's largest political party, Fanmi Lavalas was laid to rest this past week. On Thursday, thousands of supporters flooded the street to help carry Jean-Juste's casket, and hold an impromptu pro-Lavalas demonstration.

Then suddenly, the procession and demonstration were called to a halt when gunfire opened just around the corner. UN Peacekeepers had opened fire after attempting to arrest one of the mourners.

The UN is denying the shooting, claiming the mourner was killed by a rock, or other blunt instrument thrown into the crowd. But Haitian witnesses claim they are simply trying to cover their asses as they know it will cause even more tensions in the election, said to be held today. After all, many of the demonstrators carried banners and shouted cheers of "No election without Lavalas!".

The UN has offered no evidence proving their "rock" theory but do acknowledge that the soldiers fired warning shots while attempting to arrest the deceased, but cannot say whether they were live rounds or rubber bullets. They also fired shots into the air while arresting another demonstrator later that day. While rubber bullets are less dangerous, they are still a harmful and possibly lethal projectile.

Another article reports that the UN began following the protesters in front of the Catholic church where the funeral was being held and fired 6 shots when arresting a protester, and two more once he was in the vehicle. The man was discovered, dead, just after.

The man remains unidentified but has been dubbed by spectators as "Junior".

Haitian conflict with the UN has been ongoing. On Wednesday, protesters incensed by the presence of foreign troops burned a UN vehicle in a nearby neighbourhood.

Baby Steps.

2009-06-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

I got an e-mail from the World Craniofacial Foundation on Monday evening. They recomended a doctor who I should contact to take a look at Oleg. Along with the name they provided an address and phone number.

I'm not quite sure how to go about using this information yet. Does the good doctor speak English? Should I barrel through with my minimal Russian? Find a translator? Call or write? and do I tell Oleg's orphanage yet?

Well, if anyone has any ideas.

Calm before the Storm

2009-06-07T00:13:00.000-07:00

Flood season is upon us. While here in Vancouver we sweat it out in the hottest spring in memory in Haiti they await the hurricane season that will continue unless this global warming trend changes.

Haiti hasn't even brought itself back from last years storms as it prepares its major cities for the upcoming damage. The 30 day hurricane killed 800 people, left thousand homeless and caused millions of dollars in damages. Many Haitians have accepted, that their country simply cannot handle another such situation.

Haiti is more prepared for the storms than last year. Dispatching heavy machinery to major cities such as Genovese, the place where dozens of bodies washed up onshore after hurricane Ike.

The disaster coordinator asks "Are we ready" as volunteers span out with bullhorns in hopes of warning the people of oncoming disaster. Already this year, storms have killed a dozen, left 600 homeless, and washed out an important road used by the UN to deliver food to the impoverished Baie d'Orange.

While Haiti is preparing for the storm, they treat the symptoms, not the disease. It is hoped that Haiti's infrastructure, and flood preparedness will be improved with a 155 million dollar campaign over the next five years. But for now, it is a wait and see situation.

Oleg, Oleg

2009-06-06T23:19:00.000-07:00

I sent a message to a Craniofacial society tonight. It will likely be a while before I get a response. It is hard dealing with the politics of what can I say, what can't I say. I always come out with a headache at the end of writing a message.

Its a miracle I'm trying to accomplish, and I'm not sure I believe in miracles. A long shot, and hard work, I'm not sure if I've got it in me to be honest. I will keep working though, I'm just not sure how I'll take it if I fail.

Politics, politics

2009-06-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

So, I e-mailed the volunteer co-ordinator in Oleg's region, to ask her if there was any way to help him. Well, I got a reply back and (luckily) her English is much better than my Russian.

Well, she wants to know how I can help, and what I do now. There in lies the rub, just saying you want to help is easy; saying HOW takes some manouvering. How do you say "It appears he needs medical care" whithout sounding like you believe they cannot take care of their orphans? How much can I say about the charity organization I work with without getting them in trouble?

Perhaps I need to learn newspeak.

Oleg Update.

2009-06-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if there is anything I can do, but since Oleg is the only one of the the children I've fallen in love with this year that hasn't found his family and isn't coming home. So I've decided to put my efforts into helping him in any way I can.

I've found an address that I can contact someone in his region who organizes assistance for orphans so I am currently translating a letter into Russian in hopes she can give me some more information.

Money Matters

2009-06-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

Apparently, philanthropy must be becoming quite trendy on the interwebs because I've seen many a "do you donate time or money to charitable organizations?" poll in the past month, and the feedback, actually surprised me.

While most of the answers fell into the range I was expecting people who either do, do not, or do work for local organizations. However, it was the reasons some people were giving for why they don't donate that got me thinking. Many people said that they didn't donate money to charitable organisations because "only a small portion of the money goes to the cause". Which, is somewhat true.

For example, World Vision, probably the most popular child sponsorship program openly admits not all of the money you are sending goes to the pretty little child whose picture they send you in return. The truth is, that World Vision paints a very pretty picture to get people to help, they do good things, but they can't explain everything they are trying to do so they came up with a marketing strategy that works. See, a lot of people have a hard time grasping the idea of how donating money will help initiate a program. So, by giving them one child to focus on helps people understand what their money is going to. The money really does go to helping the child, but more in the sense of community improvement, than the child actually getting a check every month. But then, you must understand, not all of the money goes into these projects either. Part of the donation goes back into marketing, TV commercials and brochures are expensive after all! So yes, with bigger organizations some of your money is most definitely going back into the organization, but that doesn't mean it isn't doing any good.

If money going back into the organization for things other than initiating and facilitating projects is bothersome then looking into private donation is an option to be considered. I will keep with the theme of child sponsorship to keep things short. We are all aware that there are, many, many needy people in the world, and it is especially heartbreaking knowing many, many of these people are just children. Sponsoring a specific child, exclusively is not an easy thing to accomplish. Help for the community or home is usually something that the person taking your money is going to try to accomplish, so the money goes to the child but also to the betterment of the community they live in. If you would like to donate to an orphaned child its a pretty easy thing to do, all orphanages take donations, but since the internet can broaden their reach to all around the world many have started their own programs for sponsoring a child, some for general needs, and some for helping to provide schooling or medical care. Now, I haven't done any research into how much money goes to the child vs. the care facility but I would think, either way, you are improving the life of the child.

If you are curious about just how much of your money is going into the project, ask, they will give you an accurate percentage of where your money is going. What you choose to do with that information, is up to you.

Any medical types out there?

2009-05-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

Its no secret part of my working with children and adoption is regularly falling head over heels in love with a little one. Right now, many of the children I've fallen for have found families and are going home! But theres one little boy who hasn't and I admit I'd nearly forgotten about him myself until I was shown a new picture of him.

Well here he is:

he's 18 months old. We don't know what the condition he is afflicted with is. Saethre-Chotzen Syndrome, Crouzan Syndrome, Apert Syndrome, and Dandy-Walker syndrome. We cannot find any information on his medical condition(s) unless we are submitting to adopt him. Not knowing his condition makes it difficult to find a prospective family or to advocate for in country care.

Does anyone recognise his cranio-facial characteristics?

Update

2009-05-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

Gah, Arrrggg! No, no I haven't turned into a pirate, though that would be pretty cool I'm just frustrated. I haven't had a lot of time lately what with this being the end of the school year with me about to graduate.

So, university applications aren't going so well. I'm basically having to advocate for myself, which I'm not used to doing. I mean, I can write up a dozen looooong letters on why a child I've never met should get an oppurtunity but can't come up with a couple paragraphs to support myself. Oy Vey.

I've seen a lot of negitivity towards donating money lately and have a big long discussion post in my head about it, but no time to write it. Aw well, only three more weeks til' schools out.

Oh, and looks like I might not be able to fit working with the special olympics into my summer. I'm really disapointed, but I AM GOING to Haiti, no question in August. Wish me luck on getting a summer job to get me there!

Name Survey

2009-04-30T23:22:00.000-07:00

Well it does have to do with orphans! But mainly I was just bored and avoiding my history homework, so heres the names used by the orphans (Many are likely nicknames)

Girls
used once:
Karine, Gala, Nina, Valeria, Sofia, Evalina, Evangeline, Zukra, Lera, Jeanne, Jeanette, Helen, Victoria, Vera, Rusalina, Patrina, Margarita, Violetta, Nellie, Diana, Dora, Olesja, Angelina, Anastasia, Julianna, Regina, Lyudmila, Lyubasha, Nastenka, Polina, Anya, Slava,

used twice:
Eugenia, Danila, Veronica, Zoya, Sonia, Anna, Olesya, Martha, Albina,

Three and Four times:
Valentina, Ksyusha, Vika, Ksenia, Pauline, Christina/Kristina, Christine, Elvira, Masha, Alain, Tatiana, Galya, Marina, Oksana, Ira, Ann,

Five or more times:
Natasha (5), Katya/Katia (14), Tanya (8), Nastya (12), Karina (6), Lena (12), Lyuba/Luba (9), Nadia/Nadya (9), Vik (5), Lisa (6), Yulia (6), Olga (7), Alina (6), Arina/Irina (6), Dasha (14)

Boys
used once:
Yegor, Yuri, Stanislav, Ilyusha, Alec, Elias, Edik, Fedya, Murat, Timothy, Vladik, Anatoly, Rustam, Feodor, Kirill, Malak, Umid, Dzhasur, Rodion, Mark, Innokentiy, Zahar, Laskovyj, Grigory, Basil, Konstantin, Zhavlon, Oscar, Catkin, Valentine, Zoltan, Hasan, Anwar, Lenochka,
Nikolasha, Kiryusha, Petr, Vitya,

Used twice:
Matvei, Viktor, Vitaliy, Varya, Farid, Herman, Makar, Petya, Aleksey, Arthur, Dmitri/y, Vanya

Used three or four times:
Timur, Ivan, Vadim, Jura, John, Tolya, Stepa, Vova, Jack, Boris, Sergei, Grisha, Vladimir,

Five or more times:
Pasha (5), Misha (16), Andrey (17), Vanya (8), Aleksander (12), Danil (8), Artem (8), Seryozha (18), Alesha (14), Anton (8), Khol (14), Roma (6), Dima (26), Sasha (26), Maxim (13), Denis (14), Ilya (7), Valery (5), Ruslan (6), Igor/Egor (15), Kostya (8), Nikita (11), Oleg (5), Cyril (6), Roman (5), Valera (5), Eugene (11)

Tomorrows procrastination, Ukraine perhaps?

Happy Earth Day! (updates all round)

2009-04-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day readers! I hope you are doing your part to keep our world running smoothly, especially today.

Miami Herald wins Pulitzer

Patrick Farrell of the Miami Herald won a Pulitzer Prize for his photos on Haiti this week. You can see his photos and hear his narration here (warning, disturbing imagery).

A Mothers Day Gift for Mothers and Their Waiting Babes

Andrea Roberts, of Reece's Rainbow has set up a special donation program for the next two weeks where you can sponsor the will-be-mother of a child being adopted through her website. The campaign is for mothers day, you can find the link here. And as always, many children still waiting for their families are available for sponsorship through the website.

OH, Baby, baby, Apples in some trouble

I don't usually comment on abuse, since I already write about so many broad topics on this page that adding one more would just be overwhelming. But since Shaken baby syndrome is initially abuse then later (should the child survive) a special need I figured this was a fitting topic. This passed Monday Apple released a new IPhone 99 cent game called "baby shaker" the game is to see how long the player can hold out on quieting the crying black and white drawing of an infant with a violent shake of the device. Once the baby is "dead" red X's appear over the babies eyes.

The introduction the the game reads "On a plane, on the bus, in a theatre. Babies are everywhere you don't want them to be! They're always distracting you from preparing for that big presentation at work with their incessant crying . . . See how long you can endure his or her adorable cries before you just have to find a way to quiet the baby down!" And although there is also a warning "never, never shake a baby" the below image speaks volumes to why the games release caused a public outcry.

Shaken baby syndrome results when an abuser violently shakes an infant or small child. The motion causes a whip-lash like effect which causes acceleration-deceleration injuries.

Shaken baby syndrome is often fatal, when not resulting in death a shaken baby may have varying delays as a result. From varying degrees of vision impairment, to motor impairment such as Cerebral Palsy, and cognitive impairments and delays, hearing loss, seizures, . Shaken baby syndrome often has no outward symptoms and so can be difficult to diagnos, so there are no real statistics on how many babies are effected by Shaken Baby syndrome the number in the US is somewhere between 600 and 1400.

Apple has removed the application from their website as of this afternoon.

Sarah Palin Confesses

Former vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin shocked campaigners on both sides of the campaign last week when she revealed she had considered aborting her fifth child, Trig, when she learned he had Down Syndrome. Now, it is not shocking that the parent of a child with Down syndrome would consider abortion, after all, raising a child with a disability is not something every woman can handle, the shock comes from Palin's staunchly pro-life stance. Palin who has been a loud voice of the Pro-life side of the heated abortion debate for the past year during the US presidential debate.

So it was a great surprise when she announced at a "Right to Life" banquet in Indiana that she had a fleeting thought of aborting her now one year old son Trig. She said, "There, just for a fleeting moment, I thought, I knew - nobody knows me here. Nobody would ever know," following with "I had to ask myself, 'Was I going to walk the walk or was I just going to talk the talk'. It is easy to think maybe of trying to change the circumstances."

These comments make Alaskan senator Sarah Palin sound pro-choice! A big change from when she told Katie Couric in an interview during the Presidential campaign she opposed the usuage of the morning after pill and she would councel against abortion, even in the case of a 15 year old who had been raped by her father.

Here, have the adorable Trig to make up for the dead baby drawing above.

I got my application package for my volunteer position with the Special Olympics today, woo hoo!!

US Secretary Hillary Clinton on Haiti

2009-04-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm a little late on the update on this but here is what Hilary Clinton had to say at the Haiti Donors Conference last week. Secretary Clinton focuses on the point that the US is not the answer to Haiti's food crisis and instead they plan on helping rebuild agriculture, livihood, and infrastructure.

Heres what she said:
" Well, thank you very much, and I congratulate the IDB, President Moreno and the staff for hosting this important donors conference. I thank Secretary General Ban Ki-moon not only for the United Nations commitment, but your personal commitment with the recent trip that you took with my husband to Haiti. And I congratulate the prime minister for an excellent plan that was laid out and clearly explained, and now presented to all of us. And to Minister Oda, thank you and your government for linking the aid that we hope comes from this donors conference with the effectiveness that needs to be present.

Now, for some of us, Haiti is a neighbor, and for others of us, it is a place of historic and cultural ties. But for all of us, it is now a test of resolve and commitment. Now, some may ask, and I am sure there are some in my country and my Congress who may ask, why a small nation in the middle of the Caribbean should command so much attention. Why should countries in the Western Hemisphere, Europe, the Middle East and Asia offer assistance to Haiti in the midst of a global economic downturn (inaudible)? And I think the answer is very clear. Because what happens in Haiti affects far beyond the Caribbean and even the region. This small nation of 9 million people is on a brink. It is on a brink of either moving forward with the help of the collective community or falling further back. And it, as well as this region, will be shaped to a large extent by the decisions that we make.

On a personal note, my husband and I went to Haiti for the first time shortly after we were married, so we have a deep commitment to Haiti and the people of Haiti. Our homes are filled with art from Haiti. We have friends who hail from Haiti. But it is not only my personal concern that brings me here today. On behalf of the United States, we are here because Haiti is a neighbor and a friend.

Our ties reach back to the early years of both of our nations. They have endured for generations, through our struggles for independence, through the defeat of slavery in Haiti which inspired slaves and abolitionists in my country, to the hundreds of thousands of Haitians who have emigrated to the United States and have strengthened us through their contributions in politics and business and health and education, in science, sports, and culture – the benefits of which I experienced firsthand as a senator representing New York, which has a vibrant Haitian American community.

We are also committed to creating a hemisphere in which every nation, no matter their present level of wealth or their current political circumstances, is moving in the same direction, toward greater peace, prosperity, freedom, and opportunity. With Haiti, we have the chance through global cooperation and collaboration to stand in solidarity with a government and a people who are seeking that way forward, a nation where small investments and assistance from other countries are beginning to reap dividends in economic growth, wider access to education and healthcare, stronger governmental institutions, greater safety and security, and a higher quality of life that results when material conditions improve.

Now, today Haiti is the poorest nation in our hemisphere, with one of our region’s biggest gaps between the haves and the have-nots. But just two years ago, in 2007, Haiti achieved the highest rate of real economic growth since the 1990s. It is on track to reach the completion point for the IMF’s Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative in the next few months. Now, that will mean that significant debt relief is on the way, freeing up approximately $4 million a month, money that Haiti can invest directly in improving the lives of its people and building futures of self-sufficiency and confidence.

Haiti does have the region’s highest rate of HIV/AIDS, the highest rate of maternal mortality and child mortality. But the numbers of maternal deaths have stabilized and the numbers of HIV infections and child deaths are coming down.

Not long ago, from the 1950s until the 1980s, Haiti endured a brutal military dictatorship. The U.S. removed a military dictatorship in 1995, clearing the way for democracy. And after several years of political disputes, common in any country making a transition, Haiti began to see progress. And the national and presidential elections in 2006 really moved Haiti’s democracy forward. What the president and the prime minister are seeking is to maintain a strong commitment to democratic governance which will take another step forward with elections for the senate on Sunday.

Now, like many nations, Haiti struggles against crime, particularly the global scourge of drug trafficking. But reforms to improve policing, strengthening the justice system and fighting corruption are now underway. And a peacekeeping force, led so ably by Brazil, has helped to bring stability to many communities.

Haiti made these strides through the efforts of its government and its citizens and many of the nations and institutions represented here. This represents the full range of resources and relationships, from businesses and universities to NGOs and religious and cultural groups, as well as committed individuals, which is at the heart of smart power.

The trajectory of progress for Haiti, however, has been undermined by the combined winds of hurricanes and the global economic recession. So Haiti is in danger of stalling. This conference gives us all an opportunity to reignite its path to progress by working as a team with Haiti at the helm to advance a comprehensive, long-term strategy for Haiti’s growth, by coordinating hemispheric and international efforts, by targeting clear goals, by setting benchmarks to gauge our progress, and deploying our diverse skills and resources efficiently and effectively.

The president and the prime minister have identified what Haiti needs to stay on track. And with these priorities as our guide, we can make progress. Now is the time to step up our investment in Haiti, not just because the situation is dire and because the consequences of inaction could lead to significantly greater human suffering, but because Haiti has a real opportunity to make substantial progress. It has a plan to do so, and it has demonstrated the determination to carry it out.

Just think, for $150 we can pay to send one Haitian child to school for a year, or we can immunize 15 children. That is a tiny fraction of the costs of solving these problems if they escalate over time. The United States will target our support toward four areas that President Preval and Prime Minister Pierre-Louis have requested, all of which are essential for national and regional progress. First, the Haitian people need and deserve to be secure. They must be able to travel safely to work and school, and participate in civic lives without fear of violence. Second, the country needs stronger infrastructure, particularly roads, which are the circulatory system of any robust economy. And going along with the infrastructure needs is the need for jobs. So we can accomplish two things at once: putting people to work, building roads and other infrastructure throughout the country.

Third, last year’s hurricanes blew a hole in the government’s budget. Now Haiti is facing a huge deficit which will make it harder for them to meet their own goals and the needs of their people. Their debt obligations further constrain their ability to lay the groundwork for the future. And fourth, agriculture – you heard the prime minister refer to it – once again, providing a strong agricultural base for the people of Haiti to become more self-sufficient, as well as to move toward reforestation as part of that agricultural initiative, will give Haiti tools for growth it desperately needs. Now on each of these issues, we will lend our assistance and we seek partners with other nations to maximize our collective impact.

First, security. As you heard, the Secretary General referred to Cité Soleil. It was a no-man’s land. Now there is a new sense of security and freedom in its streets. The Haitian National Police have been supported in their work by the UN peacekeeping operations. Those peacekeeping forces are more than half from Latin American and Caribbean countries. And with Brazil’s lead of determination and skill, there has been an upgrade in both police functions and basic security.

But criminal networks operating in Haiti have not been eliminated. They continue to fight drug traffickers who have made the country a transit point for illegal drugs heading to the United States, Canada and Europe. We will give $2 million to fight drug trafficking through the Merida Initiative, a plan conceived by Mexico, Central America and the United States. This money will fund a secure communications network for the Haitian police, provide a maritime base, vehicles, and operational support for police drug units, provide training to promote cross-border cooperation between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and sharpen the investigation and prosecution of drug crimes.

Once security is established, opportunity can take root, and nations from Canada to Spain to Japan offered generous assistance to help repair the damage from last year’s storms. But now is the time to take the step beyond – beyond peacekeeping and disaster relief to long-term reconstruction and development. Haiti has the highest unemployment rate in our hemisphere. Seventy percent of its people do not have jobs. It also has one of the region’s highest growth rates. Together, these trends have created what Paul Collier has called a youth tsunami. Nearly one million young people are expected to come into the job market in the next five years.

To spur the creation of jobs, the United States passed the HOPE Act of 2006 to give garments made in Haiti tariff-free access to U.S. markets. Last October, we did extend this trade preference for another decade. Apparel is one of the largest sectors in Haiti’s economy, and we see great possibility for job creation in this field, and we are especially gratified by Brazil’s interest in supporting the Haitian apparel industry.

But to build a diversified economy, Haiti needs more than trade deals. It needs an infrastructure to support the flow of goods and services. The roads in Haiti, for anyone who has ever visited, are beyond inadequate. Many communities are isolated, in the year 2009, by the lack of passable roads. That prevents people from holding jobs, children from going to schools, farmers from bringing crops to market. Better roads are essential.

Haiti also needs better roads and tourist areas to promote that sector of the economy. In addition, urgent infrastructure needs include digging water catchments to prevent floods, completing a garment workers training center, and creating canals to help irrigation. As part of the $287 million in nonemergency assistance we will provide Haiti this year, we have authorized $20 million in aid to generate jobs in building roads and infrastructure. And we know that there are other ways we can use this money, but we will be more effective if we coordinate together so that we are all working off the same page, the page of the recovery plan that the prime minister described.

Now even the most responsible government in the world cannot prevent a natural disaster. The hurricanes didn’t just wash away crops and houses. They washed away months of government planning. Haiti is facing an approximately $50 million budget deficit which could undermine its plans. We will provide $20 million to help pay Haiti’s upcoming debt service obligations and to free up other resources, and we invite other donors to join us in taking care of this budget deficit.

Now fourthly, there is an urgent need for sustainable agriculture and food security. The combined effects of rising food prices globally and the destruction of crops of hurricanes have exposed millions of Haitians to malnutrition and destructive effects on health and productivity. We all know the effect of malnourished people. They’re too weak to work. Children are too hungry to learn in school. So food security is not only a source of suffering; it is a direct threat to economic growth and global stability.

Here, we need to be creative. Now, the United States will provide a $15 million in-kind contribution of food to help Haiti as it rebuilds, but that is not an answer. We need to revitalize Haitian agriculture. We need to reforest the upper watersheds. We need to borrow from the intelligence of other nations to learn how, as we help rebuild Haiti, it can become more energy independent.

Brazil has shown the extraordinary energy efficiency of using sugar cane. What other crops could be used in Haiti? We know Haiti, like the Dominican Republic, have some of the windiest areas in our hemisphere. What more could be done to promote wind energy and solar energy? We are ready to partner with any of you who have such good ideas working with the Haitian Government. But think of the people we could put to work doing the work that Haiti needs.

Now, this work is not only a matter for governments, but it is a mission for the people of our country. I’ve heard from many individuals and groups who care deeply about Haiti, but they don’t know how to invest their time and money in a way to make a real impact. We will, through our government, help to create a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that the Haitian Diaspora and the United States can contribute to. And we will help coordinate other NGOs, particularly those that have been started by Haitian Americans who want to give back and are looking for the best way forward.

When I think about all of that eroded bare land that I see when I fly over Haiti – and I can always tell where the Dominican Republic starts, because that’s where the green starts – I think about what other countries have done to reforest. When our daughter was born, a dozen people paid to plant trees in Israel in her honor. Think of what we could do for individuals to pay to plant trees in Haiti, and then to pay Haitians to learn foresting techniques to nurture and grow those trees, and to come with alternatives to burning wood so people can be warm and cook their food. All of this is connected, and we’ve got to start making those connections working together.

Now, we know from empirical data that small investments go a long way, and I’ve seen this for myself in Haiti. In addition to traveling there as a newlywed, I traveled as First Lady. I traveled out into the country to meet a doctor who had emigrated to the United States, joined the United States Air Force, had become a colonel, but then wanted to give back to the country of his birth – return to Haiti to his hometown in Pignon, to run a center for health, women’s literacy and microcredit. They had few resources, but they offered a comprehensive range of services to thousands of clients.

I have visited a family planning clinic, one of the great urgent needs in Haiti, where young people were trained to educate their peers about how to protect their health and prevent teen pregnancy. And I have met with women from a group called Women in Democracy who had attended a global conference on women’s leadership that I helped to sponsor ten years ago in Montevideo. When they returned home, thanks to the Vital Voices network that they joined, they began to help support Haitian women running for office, who wanted to see a better life for their own families. Eleven years later, their organization is growing strong. They hold trade fairs for women entrepreneurs, run civic education programs to teach women their rights, support women journalists and build even more connections to the broader region. These Haitian women remind us of the resilience of the people of Haiti, but also that we will never achieve real progress unless we reach deep into Haitian society.

When I think of the successful Haitian Americans who serve in state legislatures and on city councils, who populate our hospitals as doctors and nurses from New York to Florida, who run businesses, who are creative entrepreneurs, there is no reason that could not have happened in Haiti. Talent is universal; opportunity is not. And it is our task through this donors conference to open the door of opportunity for Haitians and to send a message of what does occur through the power of collaboration.

Every poor nation that has worked hard to gain a foothold in the global economy that has been knocked off their footing is looking to see what we can do together. I’m confident that we will make not only significant pledges here, but we will match those pledges by our follow-up efforts and our coordination, and that we will demonstrate to ourselves as well as to the people of Haiti and far beyond that we can, working together, make a significant difference. Thank you all very much. (Applause.)"

Hillary in Haiti?

2009-04-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

The Clinton's certainly do seem to be showing an interest in Haiti lately. Back in March former President Bill Clinton visited the Port-Au-Prince to speak with Haitian President Préval, now his wife Hillary and current U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be making a journey to the Caribbean nation. Her visit the the countries capitol to meet with the Haitian President. Just two days after Former President Clinton leads the U.S. delegation or International Donors meeting for Haiti.

One of Hillary's responsibilities in her new position is to oversee foreign assistance programs and she is interested in and commited to Haiti's development.

According to The Miami Herald the U.S. Government is expected to announce Tuesday at least $50 million in additional aid. Haiti is seeking $2 billion towards poverty reduction, and to close its budget gap. The country faces a $125 million budget shortfall after last years terrifying riots and April and the two storms which claimed 800 lives last Summer in less than a month, and caused $1 billion in damages.

Clinton's visit is yet unconfirmed by the State Department. And it is unknown what news she will deliver to Préval. While Haitians hope she will announce more aid, while others hope the Obama administration will allow undocumented Haitians to remain in the States until life in Haiti improves.

Before her visit on Thursday Clinton will meet with Haitian Prime Minister Michèle Pierre-Louis, who will chair the Donors meeting.

Spread the Word, 2.0

2009-04-03T22:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the day the Special Olympics committee elected the day to "spread the word to end the word" has come to pass, so I thought I'd update on the reaction I've gotten to trying to spread the word as it were.

To say it was controversial would be an understatement. After being asked by a few members of a discussion group I opened the topic up to discussion. First, people complained that mentally retarded was a perfectly legitimate term to refer to someone who would never live up to a normal intelligence To which I then explained that they were only calling for the end of the usage of the word "retard" as an insult. While many people still argued the banning of words was ludicrous others moved on to different issues they had with the campaign.

The "r-word". Apparently this is unsuitable, the word retard is not something to be pussy-footed around, and being coy about it. I can see the point, the under title does say " Our language frames how we think about others.Help eliminate the use of the R-word in everyday speech." Now, if someone were to just look at that they most certainly might not have any idea what was going on. But, to appose that the word retard is mentioned on the site many a time. Most directly under the header Today, end the word. To me at least, they are obviously trying to push the point that retard is a bad word. Not that we should all start referring to it as the r-word but that we should equate it with other letter words (b-word, f-word) in that it is a bad, bad word, and something we know we shouldn't be using.

The other issue was that we should be spreading awareness on differences, not banning words.

Did they miss this:

Language = Attitude Special Olympics is changing attitudes where lessons of ability, acceptance and inclusion are taught on the fields of competition by our greatest teachers – the athletes.

Changing attitudes is the entire purpose of the campaign! The campaign wants people to think about the language they are using. They want people to realise that when they call someone or something retarded they are calling an intire group of people stupid, and why thats wrong. They want people to share with their friends and family why using the word is hurtful and discrimitory, they want people to understand what it means to actually be mentally retarded, and that that isnt “stupid”.

Well, my attempts in real life to explain the hurtfullness of the term “retard” went somewhat worse. To put it lightly, I was met with antimosity.

World Down Syndrome Day!

2009-03-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Its world Down syndrome day! The day we honour the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of professor Jerome Lejeune’s discovery of the extra copy of chromosome 21 that causes Down Syndrome. Professor Lejeune didn’t discover Down syndrome that was Dr. John Langdon Down who first noticed the condition and for whom it is named. But, until Lejeune’s discovery of the multiplication on chromosome 21 the ultimate cause of Down syndrome was unknown. Both men provided a significantly to our current understanding of Down syndrome, not only for their discoveries but for their tireless work helping persons with Down syndrome and their families. So today we pay tribute to their accomplishments by celebrating the advancements in care, and social welfare of people with Down syndrome in the last fifty years.

Such developments include the elimination of the term ‘Mongol’ through the Down Syndrome Associations rigorous campaign in the mid 80’s and the integration which led to the expectation that children with Down syndrome would be taught alongside their peers.

In spite of all of the advancements we must continue to spread awareness and to fight. Fight for things most of us take for granted, like the right to have a home of their own, or keep a job where they are treated like everyone else. People with Down syndrome don’t have these rights....yet.

Quick fact: World Down syndrome day isn’t any random date, it falls on 3/21 representing the triplicate on chromosome 21.

Sorry for the brief post, but I gotta run!

Spread the Word!

2009-03-18T05:51:00.000-07:00

Participants in the Special Olympics have elected March 31, 2009 "Spread the Word to End the Word" awareness day. Hoping to spread awareness and encourage people to stop using the word "retard" which is derogortory and hurtful. They aim to convince young people to pledge to stop using the r-word.

The effort is led by college students Soeren Palumbo of Notre Dame and Timothy Shiver Yale along with youth and Special Olympic athletes across the US. Actor John C. McGinley of the hit show "Scrubs" is the campains spokesperson. He gave a fantastic interview on the campain on the Bonny hunt show recently. John C. McGinley himself has a 12 year old son with Down Syndrome who participates in the Special Olympics.

The campain started after the Global Youth Activation Summit at the Winter World games this year when they reached out to Bill O'Reilly who's guest Dick Morris on February 9th used to word " name="movie">

Here is Tim Shrivers response.

As someone who both advocates for special needs, and as someone who has long fought discrimitory language I hope to see this campain do well. I mean, think how much we could change if all it took was a little information to end discrimination? What a wonderful thought! Please spread the word about this campain and join the pledge to ban the r-word from our vocabulary.

Go to http://r-word.org/ for more information.

UN focuses on Haiti this week.

2009-03-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

The UN is focusing on the plight of Haiti this week. Which is wonderful news when you consider that Haiti is often a second thought when it comes to international involment and Peacekeeping. On the 9th Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Secretary General BAn Ki-moon will travel to the Caribbean island today, followed by the UN Security Council on Wednesday. Clinton hopes this trip will refocus attention on Haiti to keep the nation from slipping back into chaos.

The pair visited the capitol city to visit with Haitian officials to learn more of the current food crisis the country faces. The trip is scedualed for a short 24 hours, meaning the Former President and Secretary General are likely flying out of the country as I type this. Clinton made no statement while in country. He was greeted by much support by Haitian citizans while visiting with Haitian President Rene Preval (mislisted as former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in some articles) some even greeted him at the airport holding signs saying "Clinton, we need your help."

The orphanage I'm supporting lost another little one this week. I drew his picture, I don't know. I guess I thought if I was thinking about him, even just for the time I was drawing he would *know* someone aknowledged his short life.

Land of the free, unless you have HIV

2009-03-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

Having dinner with a friend a few weeks ago the topic of travel came up, my friend we’ll call him Graham said he was disappointed he couldn’t go on a trip with a friend since it would be too long of a trip for his meds. Confused I assured him that his pharmacy would give him an extended prescription and then he corrected me, it wasn’t that he couldn’t get the pills it was that if he tried to carry them into the United States he wouldn’t be allowed to cross the border. My first thought was “What?” how could a medications prevent you from crossing the border? People do it all the time; his pills aren’t even something they had to worry about him smuggling! They have no street value! Then I learned it wasn’t the pills, it was the disease.

There are 13 countries in the world where people who are HIV positive are not allowed to enter. They are Iraq, China, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Sudan, Qatar, Brunei, Oman, Moldova, Russia, Armenia and more than surprising the 13th is the United States of America. Since 1987 in the USA a policy has banned non residents who are HIV positive from entering the country, as well as barring those already living there from attaining any legal status. This causes not only distress for those sent back abroad, the treat of Aids related death due to lack of medications and Aids related violence, but also causes those with HIV living in the united states illegally not to seek treatment, for fear of deportation.

No other short term restrictions exist in such a way. No other travel medical restrictions prevent people from entering business, tourism, or to attend meeting. No other conditions have people afraid of having their baggage searched for medication at the border, with the chance of being denied or deported. Seriously, these rules prevent people from entering the country for a stop-over, a stop-over.

Highly skilled workers with full health insurance cannot seek legal permanent residence in the U.S. if they have HIV. UNLESS they have either an opposite sex spouse, wait what? You’re allowed to enter the United States if you are married? No, wait let me rephrase that, you are allowed to enter the United States, unless you are gay. The rules were put back on the books in 1987, when homosexuality itself was still grounds for barring entry to the U.S. Hostility was clearly at play when the ban was enacted. Not only *could* deportees status as a homosexual be brought to light along with their positive status, which could undoubtedly lead to violence back home. But along with sending travellers out on their asses they get a stamp on their passports, putting their status out there as a black mark at every port.
Some would be immigrants and travellers are held in the US detainee facility, which reports show do not provide adequate health care, treatment, or support for detainees with HIV. Reports also document that people with HIV who are detained, denied access or delayed often suffer serious health risks. Detention facilities according to the 2007 Humans rights Watch report did not constantly deliver the anti retroviral medications required for health, or conduct any lad tests, ensure confidentiality or protect their detainees from discrimination. The institutions don’t even meet the countries own standards of care! Immigrant who was, for whatever reason, detained by the US detention facility received inadequate care, seriously dangerous to their health to protect its own nationals from the perceived threat while completely ignoring the rights of foreign nationals. To the terrible extent that in 2007, 23 year old HIV-positive transsexual Victoria Arellano died after only 8 weeks in a detention center in California. Arellano was denied treatment and became gravely ill. When finally taken to a clinic for care, she was mocked by medical officials.

Human Rights Watch documented the following deficiencies in the healthcare of migrant detainees:
1. Failure to consistently deliver HIV medications
2. Failure to conduct necessary laboratory tests in a timely manner, including CD4 and viral load testing as well as resistance testing
3. Failure to prevent opportunistic infections
4. Failure to ensure continuity of care, including access to necessary specialty care

Most of these things directly violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN in 1948. The declaration states “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and in Rights”. Compulsory HIV tests, travel and immigration bans are all offenses to human dignity they don’t protect the right of equal protection, non-discrimination, or the privacy and freedom movement. Which the US has long defended. The UN international guidelines state that “any restrictions on liberty of movement or choice of residence based on suspected or real HIV status alone, including the screening of international travellers is discriminatory. HIV related-related travel restrictions raise fundamental issues regarding the human rights of non-discrimination and freedom of movement of people living with HIV in today’s highly mobile world” meaning? People with HIV have FULL human rights, and travel restrictions completely infringe on these rights.

What’s the Beef?

2009-01-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

Which animals to give

First up under the microscope are those damned goats. Goats are considered herbivores but anyone who’s met one knows a goat will eat anything it can wrap its lips around, there in comes the problem.

Introducing an animal to a new eco-system is rarely a good thing, take the rabbits introduction in New Zealand, within a few years their numbers had grown to plague like infestations, stripping the land and taking away food from other grazing animals. When goats were introduced to the Sahel desert they caused very similar problems.

The Sahel has experienced numerous problems due to drought in the 20th and 21st century and goats are partly responsible for the desertification of the region. The goats ate almost all of the plants dislodging the fragile topsoil causing it to blow away, this left the land infertile.

Goats eat 4.5 units of dry matter per 100 units of body-weight per day.

In short: Goats = Bad

Next up to bat those cheeky chickens!

Chickens are notoriously easy to raise, which makes them an ideal candidate for those just starting out with livestock, they also provide an endless supply of food and income.

In 7th grade my class was given the task of raising chickens from fertilization to adulthood, where they would be taken to a farm near the school to enable the next year’s class to do the project all over again. Chickens require very little effort to raise, in fact a makeshift incubator with a light and a cardboard box was all it took in the infant stage. If that’s all it took at the most fragile stages imagine how easy would be when you’re giving a fully grown chicken!

Chickens act as great weed and pest control, which can benefit both the chicken and the farm. Although feeding chickens with special feeds and grains designed for them is the best option for generating the best and most populous eggs, in a third world country chickens will survive and thrive just fine on the grains and insects they find outdoors!

The egg issue: Eggs are a fantastic thing, they are full of proteins and nutrients, in the case of healthy chickens they are a plentiful source of food. The problem with eggs is that they do not keep well, especially in hot climates and eating bad eggs can be a source of salmonella and other food related illnesses.
One other benefit to raising chickens in manure. Chicken poop is full of nitrogen and thus great for creating manure and fertilizer, but not alone. Chicken leavings alone can cause damages to plant roots and ultimately kill the plants. However when properly composted Chicken manure can become “black gold” helping organically grow plants and helping to hold water in the soil as well as providing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to the plants.

I love cows, in my next life I hope to be one.

Cows are fantastic creatures for the world of agriculture in some ways and horrid in others.

First off the obvious, cows are expensive, both to come by and to maintain, one farmer from Arkansas said that it cost her approx. $350.00 per ton to feed her cows. A cow on average will eat 100 pounds matter a day that is $350.00 every twenty days! Some smaller cows such as a smaller cow however, such as a Dexter cow can survive off of grazing on the land. They are also one of the most docile of all breeds. A cow also needs to drink between 25 and 50 gallons of water a day! Considering in many countries in need people walk miles to fill buckets of clean water for themselves this seems like a ridiculous amount.

The benefit of raising cows is of course their food benefits, milk and meat. Meat cows are not usually given, as one cow will produce quite a bit of meat, but is not replenishing the idea of this type of giving is not to give a man a fish, but to teach him to fish. However good dairy cow can produce up to four gallons of milk a day, and can have a calf every year. A Dexter however is smaller and will produce about one gallon a day. The problem again with milk comes down to keeping it cool so as not to make the consumers sick.

Check out Heifer.Org or Oxfam.org

Touch My Sole

2009-01-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

Between the lack of new news and my holiday melancholy I haven't updated in a while. I've just finished my first project, a hamper going to an orphanage in Port-au-Prince which will be officially sent out first thing tomorrow morning!

Last Friday thousands of shoes were dumped by the side of the Palmetto expressway in Florida now a charity has stepped forward to collect them. A Nashville based group Soles4Soles plans to collect and distribute the thousands of work boots, tennis sneakers, sandals, and bath slippers in Haiti.

The mysterious shoes showed up sometime before 8 am Friday and caused hours of traffic problems. The Florida Highway Patrol is still confused as to where the shoes came from they say there is no sign of an accident nor has anyone came forward to claim the shoes. Should a driver come forward to claim the shoes they will have to pay a hefty fee for the cleanup.

Soles4Soles founder Wayne Elsey estimates that over 300 Million people around the world don't own a pair of shoes. But the charity is working hard to reduce that number: it has already distributed 3.9 Million pairs since the Asian tsunami four years ago.

The organization claims a simple concept “they get shoes, and they give them away” companies, individuals and retailers can give donations of new or used shoes.

Trisomy 21, Chromosomally Enhanced

2008-12-20T17:31:00.000-08:00

Andrea and her colour children.
It’s not easy keeping up a blog on a subject that isn’t much publicized even harder when conditions change so drastically that reporting on the conditions from a month ago may be misleading as to the current conditions in Haiti. So today instead of writing a silly three paragraph entry about something going on in Haiti that doesn’t really teach anything I’m going to write an entry about some other issues affecting the world of children. The plight of the developing world isn’t singularly Haiti’s.

After watching a film adaption of the book “the Memory Keepers Daughter” by Kim Edwards, I decided to look up Down syndrome, I already knew about the condition but wanted to make sure I was on the right page. The story is about a nurse who after delivering twin babies, one of whom has Down syndrome, adopts the young child since she cannot bear to leave her at an institution. I wanted to know if babies still ended up in institutions, not here I found out, but all over the rest of the world. This led me to Reece’s Rainbow, which would spur me to investigate international adoption more seriously, and eventually lead me to Edison and Haiti.

It was a link that originally led me to Reece’s rainbow the type people put in their blogs to show associations with other websites. I followed the link and was greeted by a brightly coloured homepage and a line of beautiful little children. I read through the entire site in one sitting and was mesmerized by all the beautiful little ones waiting for their families to find them.

Reece’s Rainbow was started by Andrea Roberts after the birth of her son Reece in 2002. She started Reece’s Rainbow in 2004 as an outreach program serving new families of children with Down syndrome. She travelled to hospitals to talk with new mothers about parenting a child with that extra third chromosome and to help them grieve over not having the “perfect” child they had been imagining. In 2006 she expanded her program to include the international adoption of children with Down syndrome. How the website works is by both helping families find children and allowing those who cannot adopt but still want to help sponsor a child. By sponsoring a child it helps ease some of the financial strain on adoptive families so they can bring these children to a loving home instead of living in sometimes miserable overseas orphanages. Reece’s Rainbow isn’t an agency they do not facilitate the adoption, they make it easier for waiting families to find and bring home their child.

Children with Down syndrome in many of these countries are viewed as having no ability to learn or be functional members of society. They end up in mental institutions hidden away from the world in shame. The rainbow doesn’t only support children with Down syndrome they also list children for adoption and sponsorship with a wide range of illnesses from Foetal Alcohol syndrome, to Cerebral Palsy to Craniofacial deformities, to blindness and cognitive delays.

All about PAZAPA

2008-12-14T10:09:00.000-08:00

I had never heard of this group before opening up Haiti Innovation this morning. I am always happy to plug a good organization and this one seems really quite cool.

There aren’t many organizations that help children with disabilities, at least not in the developing world. PAZAPA is a school in Jacmel that supports approximately 300 disabled children. In Creole Pazapa means “Step by Step” and opened in 1987. A public organization funded by independent donors and other organizations, with support from locals, and volunteers from the America’s and Europe. PAZAPA is able to operate with low operating costs due to the help of volunteers. This allows PAZAPA to offer services to Haitian families which would otherwise be out of reach.

They are partners with many other orginizations helping disabled children and their families, they are partners with Bon Repos School for the Deaf in Port-au-Prince, the Centre Education Speciale in Port-au-Prince, Catholic Relief Services, Ecole St. Vincent in Port-au-Prince, Hôpital Ste. Croix in Léogâne, Hôpital St. Michel in Jacmel and PLAN Haiti. As of January 2008 CURE international and PAZAPA teamed up to offer serial casting, orthopaedic treatment, and surgery for children under two with club feet. Approximately 16 patients are covered by this program each month. They also offer free of charge medications to control epilepsy.

PAPAZA continues to provide clinical evaluations, and orthopaedic, neurologic, and plastic surgery. And occupational and physical therapy and rehabilitation for physically disabled children. Fifteen patients are scheduled for surgery this month.

As for education the PAZAPA school at the jacmel center provides education to approximately 82 students. The school provides four levels education. The Early School (ages 4-10 years) emphasizes motor, language and social skills, as well as helping develop confidence. The Senoir Class continues the academic program, education program and attempts to move them into mainstream school. There are also twelve students with severe handicaps unable to attend the school, they are seen in their own homes.

Support for the deaf has become one of their main focuses after the abrupt closing of the Bon Repos School for the deaf. They currently teach 33 deaf or hard of hearing students.

PAZAPA
Healing Hands for Haiti
CURE
PLAN Haiti

Jails in Port-au-Prince

2008-12-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

I have been unable to find any recent articles on the subject but like most things in Haiti, the problem hasn’t gone away interest in writing about it has. The subject only came up when a Haitian focused clean water group offered up chlorine tablets to Jean Roland Celestin Haiti’s penitentiary administration director this November.

Conditions inside are awful. The facilities are overwhelmed and no longer meet international standards, but we cannot do any better,” said Celestin.

Even though Haiti’s most prevalent crime seems to go unpunished reports say Haiti’s prisons are crammed after a surge of violent crimes. Reports say prisoners live in inhuman conditions often without water, medical care, or enough room to sleep lying down.

Since 2003 Haiti’s prison population has doubled from 3,500 to 7,000.

The UN stipulation soldiers in Haiti have often blamed a dysfunctional justice system in part for overcrowding and hellish conditions in prisons.
While police station cells are meant to hold a person for no longer than 48 hours, many had been held for weeks without being charged or seeing a judge. In one prison’s 2 cells men, women and children were thrown together for indeterminate lengths of time. In June 2007 it was found that 84% of all inmates had not been charged.

The prison which holds half of Haiti’s inmates was built under US occupation in 1915 where nearly 3,000 inmates are stuffed by the hundreds into cells. “Some prisoners sleep standing up—others in a sitting position or take turns lying down –some in the morning, others at night” Said a prison guard.

Celestin says there were .65 inmates per square meter of prison space, when the international standard calls for one prisoner per four square meters of space. Things deteriorated even further in November 2007, when a large number of Haitian criminals were extradited from the US and Canada.

Celestin says the government plans to recruit 400 security officers, build new penitentiaries and refurbish old ones but admits “we’re still a long way away from meeting international standards.”

Canada donated two million dollars to the improvement of Haiti’s prison system in late 2007.

In December 2007 when Haitian born performer Wyclef Jean visited a prison in Port-au-Prince asked the inmates what they wanted for Christmas, some shouted “A CD”, “a Walkman” but then a chorus rang out of “freedom”. Jean apologized in Creole to the prison full of youth aged 11-19 saying “I am not the president, I cannot release you”

Jean was there supporting PRODEV and Jean’s own charity Yéle who were trying to improve conditions in prisons, donating supplies and assisting with education.

These kids should have the opportunity to have beds, to play sports in the prison," he told The Associated Press during his tour. "There should be teachers who teach them how to write and how to read, so if they get out, there's a future.

The prison Jean visited was built to hold half of the capacity it currently holds.

More Care for Pregnant Women Needed

2008-12-10T20:08:00.000-08:00

At an average of 50 babies born a day at one their hospital, the three story Doctors without Borders Jude Anne Maternity Hospital is overwhelmed. This is one of Haiti’s few free round the clock hospitals in a deeply impoverished country with a population of 9 million. Often women will not make it to the plastic covered cots before giving birth; women give birth on the floor, in the hallways or the stairwells. ''Here anybody wearing a pair of gloves will be catching a baby at some point,'' says Dr. Wendy Lai, a French-speaking physician from Toronto. She calls it the floor delivery index: The number of babies born on the floor, in the stairwells or in the courtyard determines the kind of day -- calm, medium or busy -- the staff is having.

But even more than the measure of births the floor is gripped by deaths and the crisis amongst the failing health care system.

[ ''At the moment, as far we are concerned, on the level of maternal care, we are in a crisis,'' says Hans van Dillen, chief of mission. ``We have had cases where women die on our watch because we couldn't observe them because we were all over the place.
`THEY JUST DIED'
''While they were waiting for emergency surgery, and the operation theater was fully occupied, they just died,'' he adds, his voice drowned out by the wails of dozens of women laboring in natural childbirth on benches in the crammed outdoor waiting room. ``They died in our hospital, which is a very difficult thing to swallow, of course, for the family, but also for the staff involved.'' site:Miami Herald.]

Jude Anne Maternity Hospital is located at the crossroads between Cité Soleil and La Saline two of Haiti’s most volatile slums.

The latest crisis occurred when staff at Haiti’s largest hospital the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince went on strike. Two other area hospitals would close temporarily in the wake of the devastation left from hurricane and tropical storm damage as well as the recent political strife.
All of the sudden the staff at Jude Anne Maternity hospital were overwhelmed with a caseload from all over the country. Last month they logged 1,250 deliveries, October had 1,600 four times the number anticipated when the hospital opened its doors two years ago.

According to the CIA world Factbook as noted by a 2008 survey.
Infant mortality rate:
total: 62.33 deaths/1,000 live births

This compared to Canada’s infant mortality rate in 2008.
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.08 deaths/1,000 live births

Earlier this year Canada launched its 6.5 million dollar program to fight maternal mortality. The program will reimburse institutions for deliveries and transportation costs for participating pregnant women and compensates traditional birth attendents who bring clients to the hospital rather than risking at home deliveries.
''Safe motherhood should be a right, not a commodity,'' Farmer said.
Haitian women have little access to proper healthcare, most women rely on traditional birth attendants to deliver their babies but many cannot handle the complications that come with pregnancy.

Why are Women Dying?
More women die here before, during and after childbirth than anywhere else in the Western Hemisphere. The Miami Herald article also stated.
Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal death in Haiti, and is more common amongst Haitians than any other Western society.
Preeclampsia is a condition where hypertension (high blood pressure) arises in pregnancy in association with significant amounts of protein in the urine. Preeclampsia can develop anytime after 20 weeks gestation (anything before 32 weeks is considered early onset.) and its progress differs amongst its sufferers. Most cases are diagnosed pre-term.
It is diagnosed when a woman develops high blood pressure during pregnancy and a 300 mg of protein in a 24 hour urine sample.
Preeclampsia is more common in women who have pre-existing hypertension, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, Thrombophilias (blood clotting), or Renal disease. The most significant risk is to those women who have suffered preeclampsia in a previous pregnancy.
[Preeclampsia is thought to be caused in many cases by a shallowly implanted placenta which becomes hypoxic (inadequate oxygen in the body tissue.) leading to an immune reaction characterized by secretion of unpregulated inflammatory mediators from the placenta and acting on the vascular endothelium. The shallow implantation is thought to stem from the maternal immune system's response to the placenta. This theory emphasizes the role of the maternal immune system, and refers to evidence suggesting a lack of established immunological tolerance to paternal antigens from the fetus and its placenta. In some cases of pre-eclampsia it is thought that the mother lacks the receptors for the proteins the placenta is using to downregulate the maternal immune system's response to it.This view is also consistent with evidence showing many miscarriages to be an immunological disorder where the mother's immune system "unleashes a destructive attack on the tissues of the developing fetus."
In many cases of the pre-eclampsia syndrome, however, the maternal response to the placenta appears to have allowed for normal implantation. It is possible that women with higher baseline levels of inflammation stemming from underlying conditions such as chronic hypertension or autoimmune disease may have less tolerance for the inflammatory burden of pregnancy.
If severe, preeclampsia progresses to fulminant pre-eclampsia, with headaches, visual disturbances, and epigastric pain, and further to HELLP syndrome and eclampsia. Placental abruption is associated with hypertensive pregnancies. These are life-threatening conditions for both the developing baby and the mother.
Many theories have attempted to explain why preeclampsia arises, and have linked the syndrome to the presence of the following:
-endothelial cell injury
-immune rejection of the placenta
-compromised placental perfusion
-altered vascular reactivity
-imbalance between prostacyclin and thromboxane
-decreased glomerular filtration rate with retention of salt and water
-decreased intravascular volume
-increased central nervous system irritability
-disseminated intravascular coagulation
-uterine muscle stretch (ischemia)
-dietary factors, including vitamin deficiency
-genetic factors
The current understanding of the syndrome is as a two-stage process, with a highly variable first stage which predisposes the placenta to hypoxia, followed by the release of soluble factors which result in many of the other observed phenomena. Many of the older theories can be subsumed under this umbrella, as the soluble factors have been shown to cause, for example, endothelial cell injury, altered vascular reactivity, the classic lesion of glomerular endotheliosis, decreased intravascular volume, inflammation, etc. Underlying maternal susceptibility to the damage is likely implicated as well.] Site: Wikipedia

Eclampsia can occur after the onset of preeclampsia. Eclampia is a serious life threatening complication of pregnancy, which is characterized by the appearance of Tonic-clonic seizures (a generalized seizure affecting the brain, formerly referred to as Grand Mal seizures). The treatment of which is preventing convulsions, antihypertensive management, and delivery. To prevent the onset of eclampsia we must first deal with preeclampsia.
Treatment for preeclampsia includes stabilizing levels with magnesium sulfate which forestall seizures while steroids are administered to help with fetal lung development.
Apart from abortion, Caesarean section, or induction of labor, and therefore delivery of the placenta, there is no known cure. It may also occur up to six weeks post-partum. It is the most common of the dangerous pregnancy complications; it may affect both the mother and the fetus

Wow. That took longer than I thought to write, I will write about the need for family planning tomorrow.