The Sad Future

In most Eastern European systems young children live in a “baby house”. At age 4 or 5 most are transferred to an orphanage for older children. Unfortunately, children with Down Syndrome and other disabilities are transferred to “mental institutions”. These facilities tend to be severely underfunded and understaffed. Food, medicine and stimulation are in short supply. Many children die within the first year of their transfer.

In some areas the institutions are closed places, so that the children who go there can never be adopted. Even in open institutions, adoption can be a long and arduous process. Such places simply are not used to the idea that anyone would want a “sick” child.

The idea of any child being condemned to such a place is difficult to bear. We think that it must not be true. Things cannot really be that bad. But would any of us allow our child to go there? Should we allow any child to go there? The thought of Martin ending up lost and forgotten in such a place is breaking my heart.

The worst of such institutions are well documented. To see a video of children tied to cribs, covered with filth, check this link:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26332429/ns/dateline_nbc-international/

To read a more positive, but still hard, description of an institution in another Eastern European country, by an American family who was there just a few weeks ago, check this link:
http://covenantbuilders.blogspot.com/2010/09/lost-boys.html

If you can stand more, the below are also from people who have witnessed such institutions first hand:

http://psalmsixtyeight.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-heart-yep-this-is-long.html

http://bringingcarlihome.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/um-why/

If nothing changes, if no family comes forward to bring Martin home, such a mental institution will be his future.

This is where the rubber hits the road and why we need to find Martin's family and raise the funds that will prevent the financial cost from being a barrier to his adoption.

It costs about $30,000 to bring a child from Martin's country to a home in the United States. Right now Martin has $2,181 in his grant fund.

You can make a tax deductible contribution to Martin's grant fund with Reece's Rainbow by sending a check to that 501(c)(3) organization or by clicking on the ChipIn button on the side of this blog and indicating that the donation is for Martin.