Helping Children Escape the Sex Trade

Rachel Lloyd, an escapee from the sex trade, wrote a book called Girls Like Us that tells about her experiences as a child sex worker.  She is also the founder of a program in New York that helps children survive sexual exploitation:  Girls Education and Mentoring Services (GEMS).  Ms. Lloyd was recently a guest on the Diane Rehm Show discussing child exploitation.  You can listen to that interview or read the show's transcript here.

Moju Project: Selling Merchandise to Benefit Orphans

My name is Jessica Smith and I am the cofounder of MojuProject.com.
The Moju Project is a website where we sell t-shirts and other merchandise that save lives. Since our site launch in 2008 we have provided over 17,000 meals to orphans in Africa and have currently formed a new partnership to also shine a light on the subject of human trafficking.


Our heart is to be a voice for social injustices and to allow a way for people to make an easy and tangible difference just by the purchases that they make. We believe that we can truly change the world by changing the way we shop! By simply making the decision to use our buying power to make a difference we could easily see hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives being saved!


I may sound like an incredible optimist and idealist but just check out this fact:
Last year Threadless.com, a popular online t-shirt store, made over $30 million dollars in sales and generated $10 million dollars in profits- and that is just from the sales of t-shirts online…I can’t help but think what that kind of buying power could lend itself to if people started focusing on shopping that “gives back”!


As passionate lovers of Jesus our desire is take care of the orphans & widows, loose the chains of injustice, bring hope, restoration and healing to those who need it most, to unite the Church and to make the name of Jesus famous throughout the earth! We believe that Moju Project is a platform where we can help make this happen!


We believe with all of our hearts that Moju Project is a vision from the Lord and we are humbled that He has entrusted us with this.

jessica@mojuproject.com

Grace Landing First Annual Foster Care/Adoption Summit April 9 in Osceola Co.

Grace Landing, a mentoring ministry for young adults , is sponsoring their first annual foster care & adoption summit this Saturday, April 9, at Heartcry Chapel in Kissimmee, FL.  The main speaker for the summit is Doug Sauder from 4Kids in Ft. Lauderdale and author of The One Factor.  He is an amazing speaker and has so much to say about helping kids in the foster care system. You can go to www.gracelanding.com for more information and also to register.

Adoption Institute's Report on Changes in Ethiopia's Adoption Process

REPORTS OF ABUSES LEAD TO CHANGES IN ETHIOPIA'S ADOPTION PROCESS


Recent reports of fraud and corruption have caused concern about adoptions from Ethiopia among child welfare organizations and the U.S. State Department, reports Peter Heinlein in a December 14 VOANews.com article titled "Under Pressure, Ethiopia Plans Crackdown on Baby Business." Earlier in the month, the State Department issued a statement cautioning prospective adoptive parents against "malfeasance and abuse" and announcing delays in the adoption process in an attempt to ensure that all adoptions are ethical and in the best interests of the child. Ethiopian officials report that they will close orphanages that only serve as "transit homes" en route to adoption, and re-accredit all foreign adoption agencies in an effort to impose higher ethical standards. To read the article, go to: http://bit.ly/eWXZWi . To read the State Department notice, go to http://bit.ly/bqj5wI  and scroll down to December 6, 2010.

Chinese Infant Adoptees Form Attachments Quickly

As reported by Adoption Institute -
RESEARCH SHOWS CHINESE INFANT ADOPTEES FORM ATTACHMENTS RAPIDLY


A Canadian study of attachment development among 32 adopted Chinese girls (mean age at adoption = 13 months) found that although adoptive mothers reported more inhibited behaviors initially in their infants, after six months, the reported rate was about the same as for mothers in a comparison group of non-adopted infants. "The Emerging Attachment Relationship between Adopted Chinese Infants and their Mothers," by Mirella Pugliese, Nancy Cohen, Fataneh Farnia and Mirek Lojkasek, is in the December issue of Children and Youth Services Review (Volume 32, Issue 12). The study also reported no variability in adopted and non-adopted children's avoidant or resistant behaviors or in maternal nurturing or rejecting behaviors, concluding that the moderate deprivation these infants experienced before adoption did not interfere with their forming new attachments. To access an abstract, go to: http://bit.ly/h3JGkN.

Adoption Tax Credit

From Adoptive Families Magazine -
Parents who finalized an adoption in 2010 may claim a maximum credit of $13,170 for adoption expenses. The credit is now refundable, allowing lower-income families to claim it. If a family’s “qualified expenses” (adoption fees, legal fees, traveling expenses, and so on) exceed their tax liability, they will receive the difference in the form of a tax refund.

Update on Mother Who Returned Adopted Son to Russia

Torry Hansen, the Tennessee woman who adopted a little boy from Russia and then sent the 7year-old back, alone, with a note stating she no longer wanted him, is preventing him from being adopted again in Russia.  Adoption Institute writes that "Hansen refuses to terminate her parental rights, reports Natalya Krainova in a January 19 Moscow Times article titled 'Boy Sent to Russia Can't Be Adopted.' According to the story, U.S. prosecutors are attempting to terminate Hansen's parental rights, but she is refusing to do so in an attempt to avoid making child support payments. In the wake of the scandal, adoptions from Russia to the U.S. were slowed and a new bilateral agreement governing such adoptions is being drafted. For the article, go to: http://bit.ly/gAHZcr . For previous coverage, go to: http://bit.ly/dnHOgt  and http://bit.ly/ekxfbJ . To read the Institute's press release calling for the "thoughtful, expeditious" resumption of Russia adoptions, go to: http://bit.ly/9XiMl3.

Record Low in International Adoptions

Adoptive Families Magazine reports that 2010 was a year of record low international adoptions.

The number of intercountry adoptions by Americans fell 13 percent in the past year—from 12,753 to 11,059—to reach a 15-year low, according to data from the U.S. Department of State. Adoptions from China continued to head the list, with 3,401 adoptions to the U.S. in 2010. Rounding out the top five sending countries are Ethiopia (2,513), Russia (1,082), South Korea (863), and Ukraine (445).

Latest Adoption Cost and Wait Time Data from Adoptive Families Magazine

Adoptive Families Magazine has released the results of their annual survey on adoption costs and wait times.  It includes both domestic and international adoption.  It seems the least expensive way to adopt is through the U.S. Foster Care system and the most expensive is adopting from Russia. 

Read the survey results here.

Joint Council on International Children's Services' Emergency Campaign for Ethiopian Children

Because Ethiopia has decided to drastically reduce the number of international adoptions, JCIC has undertaken an emergency Ethiopia campaign.  If you would like to help, they have a petition and suggestions for other things you can do here.