Advocacy Efforts Needed for Waiting Children Referrals Returning to the CCAA
We are requesting your prayers and advocacy assistance regarding four of our current China Program waiting children who are waiting for their forever families. Jonathan and Andrew have been registered with America World for roughly one year, but sadly little to no interest has been expressed in them throughout their time with America World. Ben and Abigail recently turned 13 years old and have a limited amount of time to find their family as children can’t be adopted after they turn 14 years old.
Therefore, America World will be returning Jonathan, Andrew, Ben and Abigail’s referrals to the CCAA on October 31st, 2008. It is the hope that the CCAA will place these children on the shared list or with another agency to try and find them families. Before the referrals are returned, we wanted to inform families so that there is the opportunity to come forward and inquire about their adoptions. Please see the attached PDF document for biographies and photos of these four children.
Please read below for brief biographies of these precious children. To view photos and more biographical information, please contact America World and ask to speak to a China Family Coordinator or click here: http://www.awaa.org/waitingchildren/china/. To receive the password, please email waitingchildren@awaa.org.
• Jonathan is a friendly and outgoing 9 ½ year old boy who has club feet and hands that are deformed. Despite these special needs he is able to use his hands to write and feed himself and is able to walk. He gets along well with other children and enjoys studying and singing. Jonathan is well liked by his teachers and caregivers.
• Andrew is a boy with an active personality who is 5 ½ years old. While he has protrusion of his eyes, his vision is stated as normal and he enjoys reading. Andrew has a great memory and can recite various children’s folk songs and poems. He enjoys helping his caregivers with different tasks. He loves to run and jump and play outdoors. He also likes cartoons and enjoys listening to music.
• Ben is a smart 13 year-old boy who has cataract disease and lazy eyes. Despite this diagnosis, Ben can see as he has been fitted with an artificial lens. He loves school, is one of the best students in his class, and likes to help the teachers. Ben is described as active, outgoing, and is very interested in basketball. Ben’s orphanage reports that “he feels sad sometimes because most of the children in the orphanage get adopted except for him. He really wants a family.â€
• Abigail is an active and healthy 13 year old girl. She is described as active and talkative. Her caretakers state that she insists on going to school everyday and likes learning Chinese. She is good at verbal expression, language development, and loves to write. Abigail likes to watch TV after finishing her homework in the evening.
America World has resources available for families who would like to consider adopting one of these children. The resources include but are not limited to:
• Updated referral information in additional to the original referrals. Referral information includes medical reports, the child’s history and the orphanage and their photos.
• Contact information for references of families who have adopted older children or children with similar special needs to those of these 4 children.
• List of international specialists who can help review the child’s referral. A family that reviews the referral is not committed to that adoption. The review process allows time to consult medical professionals to decide if your family can care for the child’s special needs and make the decision to decline or more forward with the adoption.
Families who are interested in learning more about Jonathan, Andrew, Ben or Abigail can contact a China Family Coordinator by emailing waitingchildren@awaa.org or calling 888-ONE-CHILD prior to October 31st, 2008.
Thank you for joining us in praying for these children and the plan the Lord has for them.