Countering the Effects of Institutionalization Before AND After Adoption

Today on Facebook I saw a link to an interesting series of essays on the risks of adopting called, Why Love Isn't Enough. The author, Arleta James, describes the purpose of the series as an effort to "make clear that today's waiting children -- international and domestic -- infants and older children -- are a traumatized population." The series will cover eight major causes of this trauma, and hopefully offer some strategies for addressing the effects.

The effects of institutionalization are heartbreaking and life changing, but these effects are not just relevant to adopted children. In fact, all institutionalized children are at risk, and none more than those who never will have a family of their own. Living in a small group setting gives children the opportunity to form loving bonds with caregivers and peers and allows them to develop their social skills in ways that the highly competitive and often (surprisingly) unstructured orphanage environment does not. Which -- of course! -- leads me to the impact and the importance of Eagles Wings and similar programs around the world. Our mission is to minimize the effects of institutionalization on all of our children, whether Eagles Wings is their final destination or the place where they take flight.

We are always thrilled when we have news that one of "our" kids will soon be adopted, but we also know that that isn't the end of his or her challenges. Adapting to a new language, a new culture and a new family is a big task. While we can't emphasize enough the need for adequate parental preparation, I believe that children who have developed healthy, trusting relationships with adults and who have experienced family routines and sensitive discipline will have an easier transition.

There is no doubt that a caring, committed and appropriately prepared family is the best possible place for all children. However, approximately 70% of our eaglets will never find families, and for them the staff and other children in Eagles Wings will be their family. Eagles Wings will make all the difference in helping them overcome their early losses and become productive adults.

Donna
Director, Eagles Wings

Chinese Orphans and the Need for Eagles Wings

Adoption Talk: Amy Edlridge of LWB Speaks

This blogger has done an excellent summary of a well-informed speech from a recent adoption conference. THIS is what I saw and experienced in the orphanage and at Eagles Wings. When most people think of Chinese orphans, they picture rows and rows of beautiful little baby girls just waiting for their mommies. The truth is quite different. There is a desperate need for knowledge, understanding and compassion for the thousands of children left behind. I hope you will read the entire article, linked below. Here are some highlights. My comments are in blue italics.

"The landscape has changed considerably from the days when Chinese orphanages were filled with healthy infant girls who had been abandoned because of the government's one child policy and the social preference for boys.  Now, the orphanages are filled with special needs kids, many critically ill.  She reported that 98% of newly abandoned children in China have serious medical needs, which explains why 60% of adoptions in 2010 were special needs adoption."  This is SO true! It is why all of our Eagles Wings children are special needs. Many people assume that most of the children in our care are girls, but in fact we have about equal numbers of boys and girls.

"Special needs children get abandoned because of the stigma associated with disabilities and/or because of medical costs.  Children with visible disabilities will be refused education, and when they grow up will have difficulty finding a job. Medical costs can be too high for a family to bear -- there is no health insurance, no free health care in China.  All health care has to be paid for up front.  Poor families will abandon their children in the hopes that they will receive health care in the orphanage."  Unfortunately most orphanages are also unable to provide the medical care, and particularly PT/OT services, that these children need. Few orphanages are equipped, on their own, to provide education and vocational services to their special needs children. Programs like Eagles Wings are the only hope for these children, who are otherwise healthy and intelligent, to become responsible, productive adults and open doors for a future outside the social welfare institute.

A family is always better than an orphanage or even a group foster home, but the reality is that most special needs orphans over the age of 4 will not be adopted. We are thrilled for every one that is, but our focus at Eagles Wings is on those who will not. They deserve the best we can give.

AdoptionTalk: Amy Eldridge of LWB Speaks

Dreaming Big Dreams

I spent some time tonight sharing stories of "my kids" with one of my aunts. She is a nurse at a major teaching hospital, so she understands the scope of the medical needs of our children. Unlike some foster home programs which specialize in a few of the more common special needs, at Eagles Wings we have children with many different medical challenges. This in itself has me s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g to learn what I need to learn, identify the children's needs and find medical professional willing to help.

That help can take many forms. The most basic need is to have a network of doctors, nurses and therapists from various specialties (neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, urology, etc) who would be able to consult with me when I need to talk through symptoms, test results and discuss potential options. I know that ultimately decisions for treatment will fall on my shoulders but discussing things with a subject matter expert is a huge help.

For those with a penchant for travel and a little more adventure in their lives, we can definitely use people who can come and stay for a few weeks or a month. To do what? Two things really, first is evaluating the children, diagnosing their conditions and creating treatment plans. Second is training our staff in appropriate techniques to follow through on those plans. Our employees have no medical background (and neither do I, other than Dr. Mom!) so people with a heart for training can have an amazing impact.  Subsequent volunteers would then continue to evaluate progress and adjust treatment plans as needed and continue to train and re-train the staff. What a huge difference this can make! 

Anyone interested in spending 3 months (or more!)???  Well, you are very welcome, too!  My dream is to have a medical professional (nurse, doctor, therapist) always on site. Just 4 to 6 people per year who would be willing to come for a few months, well, I can't even begin to tell you how that would change the lives of these children. And many, many more.

So these are the things I shared with my aunt tonight. And now with you.

Donna

Director, Eagles Wings

Adoption News!

We had news today of another one of our little ones being adopted. This is just so wonderful. Previously only a few of our full-time kids had been submitted for adoption. I think this represents a change in perspective from the SWI, and I am very excited for more of our children to find forever homes. That means there will be places for new children to come and stay for a season or longer depending on their needs.


As children leave and we make room for new children, we do need to be ever mindful of finding sponsors for every child. At this point we only have about half the amount of sponsorship that we need. Thanks to one time donations and God's grace we are able to keep Eagles Wings open and serving approximately 70 children. If you would like more information about sponsoring a child or a staff member (CRITICAL!!), please see our Eagles Wings Website.


One of the less common aspects of Eagles Wings is its program for older special needs children, most of whom will never have the option for a forever family of their own. For them, Eagles Wings is their home and we are their family. Most programs focus on babies or very young children with correctable needs -- children who will have a good chance for adoption. This is wonderful and necessary! Only a few foster home programs bring in children with more significant needs, including cognitive disabilities and severe cerebral palsy, and Eagles Wings is one of them. For many of these children, just surviving is a miracle, but at Eagles Wings, our mission is to move these children from surviving to thriving!

All Better!

There was a measles outbreak a couple of weeks ago. Sad and scary when it's so preventable here. But things are different and sometimes we have to ride them through. Happily our kids are recovering and there have been no new cases for a week. We have the houses affected in quarantine and will lift that later this week. Here are two cuties who look none the worse for their experience!

Babies Are Home!

DangDang and Zhe Nan are back at Eagles Wings. Both got a slight fever on the long trip home and are being taken care of. We heard from the doctor who did the repairs, that Zhe Nan's former repair not only didn't hold but wasn't done correctly on the inside and, if the stitches had held, would have resulted in lack of movement of his lip. We are so fortunate that this team came at this time to take care of our little ones.

Thanks for everyone who continues to pray for our babies' complete healing.

Donna
Director, Eagles Wings

Surgery Update

DangDang and Zhe Nan and their two dedicated ayis are on their way home! Because of the change of venue, they have an 11 hour train ride from Yulin to Xian and then three hours to Zhengzhou and THEN a 2 hour ride in the van back to Jiaozuo. Such a long trip for two little babies and two very tired ayis.

We are so very thankful ...
...for the team that did this great work, under less than ideal conditions.
...for those who planned and prepared for a YEAR to make this happen.
...for everyone who raised funds for the trip and the surgeries.
...for everyone who has prayed for safety and good health for team members and babies.

I'll post photos as soon as I get them!

Donna
Director, Eagles Wings