Maidan

I hadnt seen this post, thanks for the information. But I knew.

I am a single woman who adopted two ukrainian Children. One boy in 2002 and one girl il 2005. I have been in Ukraine numerous times. I am familiar with all this. I can totally believe it. I had information from several other parents who visited "specialized orphanages" as they were referred very sick children and spoke about the situation there with appallment.

In fact my own son comes from a very poor and backwards orphanage distant from cities and I could witness that most of the children in his group in 2002 were close to BECOMING handicapped for life. I will remember my entire life what the dinner for the 4 years old was: a bucket was brought into the room with "compote"(in fact very thin fruit tea) and a plate with mere slices of dark bread. The kids RUSHED all together to the plate to GRAB one slice, the weakest got nothing.

The kids would play on the bare floor with no toys. They had no books, no pens, no papers. I bought on the next day for 100 dollars worth of colored paper, pencils, water colors, scisors etc for the kids and brought it to the orphanage, where I donated it to the group, and ordered it into one of the cupboards. On the next day EVERYTHING WAS GONE (I suppose either the caretakers or director stole it). The children never benefitted from donations. The orphanage is still among one of the poorest "normal" orphanages in Ukraine

In my son's group, which I visited again two years later, several children had already been sent to "specialized orphanages" because they were called "handicapped"; I remembered exactly which children already seemed "handicapped" at 4 years old but I suspect they were MADE to cripples with the total lack of care. They would come to me, unable to speak, and try to hold me, screaming to hold my hand, with water runninig down their mouths trying to kiss me, a foreign woman who had come there to adopt one little boy. I will NEVER forget.

I adopted my son from there in 2002 at 4 years 9 months of age. He could speak well, sing, but had obvious motor delays. I thought I could fix it. He has been home for 4 years now and has been diagnosed over these four years with following troubles: ADHD (with attention deficiut +++), behaviorial disorder, ODD Opposition Defiant disorder, NLVD (Non Verbal Learning difficulty, also called "visuo spatial dyspraxia" which is a neurological disorder where the link between brain, eye and hand is permanently dammaged), anxiety disorder, mild attachment disorder and fear of abandonnement, passive agressive behavior, as well as sequels of sexual abuse in the orphanage. I know the list will get longer, he is only in 2nd grade.

I wrote many letters to the international adoption community in 2002 to SCREAM about what I had found out about this orphanage. NOBODY ever answered, but Cathy harris (from "Ukrainian Angels", she was the only one!). I made numerous attempts at having the Embassies, consulates, gouvernments aware of what was going on there. No avail

So I am SOOOO glad that AmericanExpat is finallly posting this, this is ALSO the truth. Many people adopt from orphanages that really are only raising future adoptees, these orphanages get 40 or more adoptions per year, they receive a lot of money from the PAP, agencies have contacts there and help extra, the kids have music classes, piano, bubble therapy, massages. In the orphanage where my son is from the kids had and still have NOTHING. But in the orphanage, they are so much better than the ones that were kicked out at age 4 or 5 and were sent to the "specialized orphanages".

In 1945, the world said they didnt know; WIll you now still be able to say you dont know?

Deborah