Here's Lincoln

This sweet little boy is Lincoln. He will be 19 month old very soon. He has a Mommy, Daddy, and big sister waiting for him in the US. They worry about him all the time. He is very small for his age. Like the other children in the Bac Lieu orphanage, he has very slow growth. The family gets regular measurements, but they do not change much from month to month. They can't wait to bring him home. They know that he can flourish in their home with the love and attention of a family all his own.

The Mission

Beginning late this summer, volunteers are mobilizing to travel to the orphanage where thirty Vietnamese orphans are living. Most of the children have been living in the Bac Lieu Child Care Centre since they were newborns and are now quickly approaching their second birthdays. This is a critical time period in a child's development. Studies have shown that children living with little stimulation in institutional settings often suffer substantial and widespread developmental delays, including physical and motor delay, cognitive impairment, and delayed language development. The rule of thumb, in fact, is that children typically lose one month of developmental skills for every three months they live in an institution.

Pairs of volunteers, including unemployed college graduates, hopeful adoptive parents and hopeful adoptive grandparents will take turns traveling to the orphanage. The volunteers will be purchasing fresh food at the local market to supplement the rice porridge the children eat now. The volunteers will work with the children to introduce them to solid food and help them develop chewing skills. It is expected that the introduction of solid food will also help with the slow growth seen in all the children.

The volunteers will also bring simple learning toys to use in interacting with all the children. They will participate in activities to build and develop their fine motor skills. Currently, the children are not permitted to have toys out on the floor, so this will be an important and exciting experience for them.

The Background

The laughter of a child is one of the sweetest sounds ever heard. For 23 families whose children are still in Bac Lieu Vietnam, that sound has never been experienced. While referrals were given in January 2008 through August 2008, the wait to bring our children home has continued and the pains to be united with them have grown immensely. The experience of receiving a referral is one of joy, relief, and unimaginable love. We all thought the journey to our children was almost over. Our hopes remained steadfast as days turned in to weeks and then to months and a year or more. We have had to celebrate holidays without our children and endure first and in some cases second birthdays with sadness instead of joy. For most, each day begins with the hope that very soon we will get the call that it is time to travel to meet our children and bring them home. At the end of each day, we have to go to bed at night knowing that we have lived one more day without our children.

Pictures and monthly updates from our agency are precious to each of us. Through the photos we have seen our children cut teeth, learned to sit up, crawl, walk and grow up without us. All of these firsts are experiences we thought we would witness. We are not there to encourage our children and celebrate their accomplishments. I think we all like to believe that our children know that we are praying for them and that they can feel the love that continues to grow each and every day within our hearts and minds. In times of illness, we are saddened that we can not hold our children and comfort them with a mothers or fathers love.

Although the MOA with Vietnam expired on September 1, 2008, we all were assured that our adoptions would continue since we received our referrals prior to the expiration of the agreement. While other provinces in Vietnam have continued to process their referrals and allow children to come home to their loving families, the Bac Lieu province has not approved any and we are unsure of the reason why. The director of FTIA has traveled to Vietnam multiple times over the last year to bring resolve to these unknowns and has not received explanations of why the wait continues. The only thing we do know is that they are making 23 families wait to travel to meet their children and more importantly 23 children wait to know the joy of a family and the parents that love them unconditionally.

While the wait continues, an effort to assist our children grow and develop the necessary skills at their age level has become very important. The parents and volunteers who will travel will do simple things such as play with the children, interact with them, help prepare foods, and feed the children along with the centre staff. The children need to continue to develop their motor skills and learn to eat different foods that teach them simple skills such as chewing and swallowing. They have been on a diet that does not require these skills very much and need to begin transitioning so they do not have a disadvantage when one day, hopefully soon-we get to bring them home. If you can find it in your heart to help our children by assisting in part with the parents and volunteers expenses, we would all be forever grateful.

Introducing Jake

Jake is about 20 months old. He has spent most all his life the orphanage. He doesn't know the love of a Mommy and Daddy. He doesn't have toy cars and trucks to play with. In fact, he isn't given any toys at all to play with.

On the other side of the world in the US, a family has been waiting for him a long time. They first saw his face over a year ago. Since then, they have watched him grow up in pictures. They long to bring him home and give him the love, attention, and family he deserves.

How can you help?

Adoption is a loving solution to the problem of caring for orphans around the world. While waiting to be adopted, children are often kept in institutions with the most basic level of care. You can help ease the transition of the children to their new families by supporting the Bac Lieu Orphan Relief Effort.

Beginning late this summer, volunteers are mobilizing to travel to the orphanage where thirty Vietnamese orphans are living. Most of the children are officially matched with US families, but their paperwork is caught in a bureaucratic delay. Most of the children have been living in the Bac Lieu Child Care Centre since they were newborns and are now quickly approaching their second birthdays. This is a critical time period in a child's development.

During this extended waiting time, pairs of volunteers, including unemployed college graduates, hopeful adoptive parents and hopeful adoptive grandparents will take turns traveling to the orphanage. We volunteers will be purchasing food to supplement the rice porridge the children eat now. We will also bring simple learning toys to use in interracting with all the children and building their fine motor skills. Currently, the children are not permitted to have toys out on the floor, so this will be an important and exciting experience for them.

Do you have a heart for children and a resilient sense of adventure? We are seeking additional volunteers to go to Vietnam for a three to six week stay. Accomodations will be at a basic hotel in the nearby city of Ca Mau. The daily schedule will include traveling to the market to purchase food, then taking a taxi for the 30-minute drive to the orphanage outside the city. We expect to spend almost every day at the orphanage, rotating among the three rooms of children, each housing approximately 10 toddlers.

Or, do have a heart to support this effort financially?

Once volunteers arrive, the cost of purchasing additional food for the children, meals, lodging and transportation is expected to run $75 to 100 per day for each pair of volunteers.

Click on the DONATE button to the left to donate tax deductible funds securely. Click on the EMAIL link at the left to contact Angela if you are interested in volunteering.

Meet Thomas

Little Thomas is quickly approaching his 2nd birthday. He has a Mommy and Daddy waiting for him in the US and they wish they could celebrate this special day with him. They first saw his sweet face in April 2008. In their hearts he has been their son ever since. Red tape and complications have greatly delayed their plans to bring their boy home.

Thomas is very small for his age. He doesn't know about the wonderful home and family waiting for him in the US. He will soon know the love of his new mommy. Angela will be traveling to the orphanage soon. She, along with other volunteers, will be working with the children on their motor skills and helping to increase their nutrition with fresh foods from the local market. The families are still looking for additional volunteers and donations to fund this trip. They know that this mission can make a big impact on the lives of Thomas and the other children.