Nicky has a family!

Of all the lovely children featured on Reece’s Rainbow little Nicky was one of the first to touch my heart. He looked so sad and lonely, and yet I had a feeling that this little guy could be the greatest treasure just waiting to be discovered. But where was his mummy and daddy? I just wanted to go and snatch him right away and take him home and love on him, just like any adorable little baby boy deserves!

Sad little Nicky got a special place in my heart.

And then the wonderful thing happened! I saw his new photo! And…I saw that someone had committed to adopting Nicky! YAY!! Soon you will go home to your mummy and daddy! 🙂

If you wish to help Nicky’s mummy and daddy bring him home, you can donate to them through Reece’s Rainbow here.

 

143 Million Orphans

It’s still stuck in my head that number. 143 million. That’s seriously A LOT of orphans. That’s as many people as live in all of Russia! Or in Great Britain and Germany together. It’s over 6 times as many people as live in Australia. It’s too big a number to really understand, and in many ways it’s making it even harder to figure out where to start. What can I do to help and make a difference? I’m not at a stage of life where adoption is a possibility (yet), and I most certainly will never be able to adopt 143 children!

When I was a kid I wanted 20 children – at least! Then I learned how children ‘arrived’ and figured I might have to revise my plan. That was when I first thought about adoption.

Right now many families (though probably far from 143 million) are in the process of adopting children from all over the world. I admire them. One day I hope to be like them too!

However, you don’t have to adopt to help! There’re still many things you can do to help an orphan or a family in the process of adopting. Even if you can’t possibly find the space and money to adopt 143 million children, you can still make a difference!

– You can make a donation to a child on Reece’s Rainbow. (Or through any other adoption agency you know and trust)

– You can advocate for a child, tell your friends about him/her and post his/her story on your blog or facebook.

– You can help the families who have committed to adopting a child by donating to their adoption through Reece’s Rainbow.

– You can spread the word, tell your family, friends, and colleagues about orphans, and show them that even the tiniest gesture will make a difference for a child.

 

Don’t they deserve a family too?

   

 

Reece’s Rainbow

In my last post about Down Syndrome I didn’t actually mention why I was all of a sudden thinking about children with Down Syndrome. It has been altogether too long since I have had the pleasure of working with a person with Down Syndrome, so that’s not where my inspiration has come from. However, while I have been lagging in updating my own blog, I have been spending time surfing the internet! And, on my great adventures into bloggy land, I have come across a place combining two of my passions – children with special needs and adoption. The site is called Reece’s Rainbow and basically helps find families for orphaned children who are harder to place (special needs, HIV etc.) mainly from Eastern Europe and Asia.

From their mission statement: The mission of Reece’s Rainbow is to rescue orphans with Down syndrome through the gift of adoption, to raise awareness for all of the children who are waiting in 25 countries around the world, and to raise funds as adoption grants that help adoptive families afford the high cost of adopting these beautiful children.

Reese’s Rainbow is there to help children find a loving home, and in a world with an estimated 143 million orphans, they are needed! They also help other people help, which makes it even better. 🙂

No child deserves to be an orphan. Sometimes children with special needs are not wanted and therefore abandoned. They are seen as a burden and a shame, and sometimes even hidden away without getting the love, care and treatment they need. They have not deserved that. They need a loving mummy and daddy just like any other child!

All of these children are orphans and in need of a loving mummy and daddy. Is that you?

     Heather

 

     Katie

 

     Cain

 

Reviving the Blog – and Down Syndrome

So, life caught up with me – or rather, work did – but I’ll attempt to make a new start here in bloggy land. Because lately something has been on my mind.

Working with people who have special needs has given me a unique opportunity to experience life from a different view. When you meet something that’s different from you, you see it, you notice it, and you act. Some turn away and run, others embrace the different and learn, no matter how scary the different can be. I’d love to say that I do the latter, but truth is, I’ve done both, and I think that’s the case for most of us.

I have met people who are different from me in so many ways. Some physically, some in the way they act, think, talk or believe. I’ve met people who see life in such a different way and who have such different values from me that I sometimes wonder if we live in the same world! And yet, they are just like me. They eat and drink, laugh and cry, and get angry and upset. And just like you and me they love and are loved.

And yet, not everyone are willing to embrace that difference.

Did you know that over 90% of parents chose to abort their unborn child if they discover it will have Down Syndrome?

Logically, I understand that some parents are scared and unsure about what to expect, both for themselves and their baby, but 90% is a lot. That’s nine out of ten. Nine out of ten who decide not to have a child with Down Syndrome because of…what?

– They do not have the money to support a child with medical needs, who might require surgery, medication and therapy?

– They are not capable of caring for a child with Down Syndrome – but would be good parents if the child has no disability?

– They are afraid having a disabled child will take so much of their time, love and care that their other children would suffer?

– They are afraid a child with Down Syndrome will get teased and excluded by other children – more than a child with red hair, freckles, glasses or an awful taste in music would?

– A person with Down Syndrome might not be able to drive a car or get a job?

– A person with Down Syndrome might not be able to become prime minister, a lawyer, doctor or scientist?

Is that what we are afraid of? Is that what those 90% were thinking when they decided not to let their baby with Down Syndrome be born? Are those the things that matters most to us in life – money, education, achievements, … normality?

What about the laughter, the happiness, the eagerness to live and to achieve. What about the extra kisses, the jokes and the tickles at 5am in the morning? What about the desire to love and be loved? And what about the baby, the child, the person behind “Down Syndrome”? Did they not deserve to live and to make their own decision about what matters most in life?

I’m not saying having a child with Down Syndrome is a dance on roses, but…90%! It makes me sad.

Down Syndrome is about happiness and laughter, kindness and friendship, stubbornness and personality. It’s about love and life.