Waiting Children!

These children have loving families!

Hi all,

This really is my personal blog so I try not to make it solely about my work with AAI, but this news merits sharing!!! For the first time EVER in 4 years I would say that we have a "waiting child list." This is so bitter sweet. Bitter to know that these precious ones do not know the love of a family right now. Sweet that they have been freed for adoption by Ghana Social Welfare and will know the love of a family as soon as we find them!!

Now that I have a 10.5 year old, I realize how young a 6, 7, or 8 year old is. But in the world of international adoption, anybody older than 6 has much less of a chance to be adopted than kids under six years. I understand why that is a reality. Families adopting "older" children need to be prepared for the realities of that challenge. But OH (!) what a blessing it can be when the right kids are matched with the right family! If you've been blessed by older child adoption I encourage you to post a comment so that others can be encouraged by you!

I can't speak about older child adoption but I can speak about Special Needs adoption!!! Among our waiting children are 3 precious young girls that are going to bless the socks off of their future family! Seriously folks, adding "special needs" to your life doesn't have to be a big deal. The thing is, once you know your child as your child, the special need becomes smaller in your mind. You somehow see past the g-tube, or the swolleness, or the immobility, or the threats, and instead just see your child. And you would do anything for your child! Just like older child adoption, obviously, a family needs to be prepared for the realities of the special need. But OH (!) what a blessing it can be when you open your heart to someone that may not be "perfect" on the outside but is perfect in every way that matters!

Right now AAI has been asked to advocate for 10 children that we don't currently have families for. Let me share a bit about them...

REGULAR ADOPTION PROGRAM:

Lynn is a 7 year old girl. She is healthy and beautiful. She is living a great private foster home in Teshie. Her adoption will go through in Accra Region.

Bea is a 6 year old girl. She is healthy and adorable! She is living in a fabulous group foster home in Teshie. Her adoption will go through in Accra Region.

Jo-Jo is a 7 year boy. He loves to pose for the camera! He is healthy. He lives in the same great group foster home as Bea. His adoption will go through Accra Region.

**Lynn, Bea, and Jo-Jo are from the same tribe and same area. It's possible that two of them could be adopted together (families with 4 or less children preferred if being placed together).

Corey is an 8 year old boy. He is healthy and seriously cute as a bug! Corey lives at Great Mission International Orphanage (aka CKO). His adoption will be completed in Volta Region.

DeeDee and Ceelo are siblings! DeeDee is 10 years old, and a great big sister to her baby brother. Ceelo is just 4 years old. These wonderful kids are healthy. I hear great things about them, especially DeeDee. They are living at GMI (aka CKO) and their adoption will be completed in Volta Region.p

Toby is a 6 year old boy. Because of paperwork delay, Toby has already been waiting for her family for over a year! He is absolutely precious. Toby is healthy, and lives in a great foster home in Bolgatanga. His adoption will be completed in the Upper East Region.

SPECIAL NEEDS PROGRAM:

Tess is such a sweetheart! She is a 3 year old girl living with CP (we believe it is minor). We're told that Tess scoots around on her bum because she is THAT determined to be mobile! We're told that she has typical cognitive abilities.

Anna is a winner! She is a 4 year old girl living with CP (we believe it to be moderate). Anna also suffers from seizures sometimes. We're told that her cognitive abilities are normal. Tess isn't mobile, but she sure looks happy in her stroller!

Mae-Mae is a survivor! She is a one year old, living with hydrocephalus. Mae-Mae was abandoned at the hospital as a baby. She had surgery to place a shunt at 8 months old. The shunt is doing a beautiful job of draining the excess fluid off of her brain. In the last few months Mae-Mae's appearance has changed greatly (although she was always beautiful).

**For the special needs children, biological families will not be involved. They are "wards of the state" in Ghana. We will expedite the adoption process as much as possible, and fees are reduced. Ghana does not have faith that we can find families for these children, but *I* believe with all of my heart that their families are out there!

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED....

AAI cannot "hold" children for families. However, if you have an approved homestudy or can update your homestudy VERY quickly, and are interested in adopting any of these children, please email me at aaighana@gmail.com. I have photos of all of these LEGALLY FREE FOR ADOPTION children and would be happy to share them privately with seriously interested families.

If you are interested but haven't begun a homestudy, it won't be possible to match you with one of these children at this time. HOWEVER, we always need families for older (than 6) and special needs children!!! You can get started today! [And you never know. Several of these children may still be waiting when you are ready.]

IF YOU ARE AN ADVOCATE...

Please consider forward info about these wonderful and deserving children to your blog, FB, yahoo groups, or personal email contacts. There ARE families for these children. It's all about getting the word out. I am glad that our program has expanded, but having a "waiting child list" is not what we want. These children deserve families RIGHT NOW!

Love,

Anita