What is 1 million such a small number?

How can there be over a million orphans in a country the size of Oregon and yet so few available for adoption?

Education--or rather the lack thereof. People don't know it's an option. And people are afraid of it because of traditional beliefs. And some people would rather their children grow up in an orphanage without the love of a family so that the child will then be required to join the family and contribute to the finances when he/she is grown.

But if you go out on education campaigns you would most certainly come up against people who insist that this would be some form of child trafficking, and that you must be profiting from the venture (if people only knew how UNtrue that is).

I can't speak for every program and every agency, but I can stake my life on the FACT that we make NO NO NO money doing adoptions in Ghana!!! None! And even if there were an excess (no, there is not) as a non-profit organization we are required to put that excess directly back into the running of the program or for humanitarian projects within the country.

We're up against those that purchase children as fishing slaves. Can you believe that? Think about it...if you were a poverty-stricken Ghanaian mother who was sitting in the room with one representative from an adoption agency and one representative from a fishing camp, which would you choose?

Maybe you think that's an easy choice--adoption. Nope. Because the fishing camp guy will pay you $300 for your child--and he'll even promise you that your child can come back when he gets old enough so that he can help with the care of the family.

On the other hand you have this adoption agency that says, "What is best for your child? No, we can't give you any gifts or money. No, you may never see your child again. This is something you do to benefit your child, but it doesn't benefit your family."

So lately we've had families that believe we MUST be profiting off of adoptions and must be willing to give them some sort of gift since even the fishing slave folks give $300. When they find out we don't do that--see ya. They'll keep "shopping."What scares me is that there may be agencies starting up in Ghana that will give gifts behind the scenes to biological families (and adoption officials), which perpetuates corruption and the thought that children are somehow a commodity that should be worth financial gain.

It's a hard, hard thing. It's hard to meet a child that you can tell really does live in poverty...really doesn't have family support...and really could benefit from international adoption, only to NOT be given the opportunity to help that child because the adult guardians require a gift. It's a cultural norm in Ghana--the gift thing. But we just can't do it. So we see children in need...within grasp of a new life...yanked away by greed.

These children--these "lost" children--are really beginning to crowd my dreams at night. The visit me to tell me how I have disappointed them--how I "didn't do enough" for them.

I must find a way to do more.