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| | remain here rather than move out of the
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| In the early hours of Dec 26th 2004 the
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| | area.
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| Western world awoke to the unfolding
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| | The local administration has asked those
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| horror that we came to know as the Asian
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| | interested in adoption to send in
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| Tsunami. Those of us still recovering
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| | applications. But they are in no hurry to
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| from obscenely large amounts of food and
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| | move these children out.
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| drink from the previous day sat
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| | Around 60 children have been put up in an
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| transfixed as we watched a horror story
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| | orphanage run by the Zion Church in
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| of biblical proportions unfold before our
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| | Nagappattinam.
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| very eyes.
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| | Parvathi lost her parents but has
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| The United Nations estimated that the
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| | returned to the school to take her
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| Asian Tsunami left more than five million
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| | examinations. She visits her relatives
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| people homeless, including about 1.5
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| | once a month and says she prefers to stay
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| million children most of whom became
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| | in Nagappattinam.
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| orphaned. The outpouring of emotion from
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| | Local charities and social activists have
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| around the world was of mixed benefit as
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| | lobbied hard with the government not to
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| far as the region was concerned in that
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| | "give away" these children for adoption.
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| yes we all dug deep into our pockets and
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| | Aftab, a young activist, says he learned
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| yes we all lobbied our Politicians to
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| | a lot from the aftermath of the Gujarat
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| something about it and yes bizarrely this
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| | earthquake in 2000.
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| tragedy may have had some knock on effect
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| | He says that in the past two months there
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| in the movement to alleviate Third World
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| | have been several instances of
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| debt and poverty but the blessings were
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| | representatives of organisations trying
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| mixed as far as the people on the ground
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| | to "forcibly" take away orphans.
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| were concerned.
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| | Nagappattinam was one of India's
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| Since the disaster, adoption agencies
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| | worst-hit areas" The local community
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| around the world have been fielding phone
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| | objected and expressed its willingness to
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| calls from well-meaning families wanting
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| | take care of such children," says Aftab.
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| to adopt a child from one of the
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| | "None of these children want to be moved
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| countries hit.
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| | out," he says.
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| Adoption experts say the best thing
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| | The local administration, Aftab says, is
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| people can do is to donate money to
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| | still not clear about what it wants to do
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| causes that directly help the children.
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| | with them.
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| They say it's wrong to take a traumatized
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| | He has met representatives of different
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| child away from the environment that they
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| | villages who back the idea not to move
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| have grown up in.
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| | them out.
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| "Adoptions, especially inter-country
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| | "Why should these children be sent to
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| ones, are inappropriate during the
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| | orphanages and homes far from here?" he
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| emergency phase as children are better
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| | asks.
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| placed being cared for by their wider
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| | Efforts by individuals like Aftab seem to
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| families and the communities they know,"
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| | have had an impact.
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| said the charity Save the Children in a
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| | The local administrator's office has
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| statement released Jan. 6, 2005.
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| | decided against any hasty decision.
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| International Adoption needs to be well
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| | One official summed up the dilemma faced
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| planned
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| | by the government: "The issue of children
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| "The last thing they need to do is be
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| | is a delicate matter in any community...
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| rushed away to some foreign land," said
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| | one wrong step and we will invite the
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| Cory Barron of Children's Hope
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| | wrath of the people."
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| International, an American adoption
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| | Adoption experts are hoping the
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| agency. "We have to think of the child
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| | outpouring of interest in adoptions from
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| first."
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| | the tsunami disaster might translate into
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| Adoption by some well meaning couple in
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| | adoptions elsewhere. The real tragedy is
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| the west flying half way round the world
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| | that the tsunami doesn't even dent the
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| bearing large sums of money to whisk the
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| | numbers of orphans worldwide, the real
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| child away to a life totally alien to
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| | numbers are unfathomable. Most adoption
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| everything it has known isn't always what
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| | specialists say the number of orphans
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| is in the best interests of the child.
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| | globally may be somewhere in the range of
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| It is worth bearing in mind the following
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| | 40 to 60 million-13 million in
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| facts after any tragedy like this:
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| | sub-Saharan Africa alone due to the AIDS
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| • Children will be experiencing an
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| | crisis there, and many more in Russia,
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| immense sense of loss and grief.
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| | China and Latin America. Only a fraction
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| • They will need to know what they feel
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| | of those children are in official
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| is normal and that they're not going
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| | adoption pools.
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| crazy.
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| | "We are hopeful that the tsunami-affected
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| • They need to be with people they know
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| | countries will eventually have an open
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| and to feel as safe as possible.
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| | mind to international adoption," says
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| • They need to establish a daily
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| | Thomas Atwood, President of the US
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| routine as soon as possible to reduce
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| | National Council for Adoption. "But we're
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| their fears.
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| | also hopeful that parents will look to
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| • They should play with other children
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| | adopt children in other parts of the
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| to have time away from their fears and
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| | world. There are thousands of children
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| allowed to have creative expression such
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| | available for adoption right now. For
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| as materials to draw.
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| | those whose hearts have been tugged by
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| • Those separated from family members
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| | the tsunami, perhaps this is a step in
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| need to be registered as soon as possible
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| | their journey towards another child."
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| and reunified quickly.
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| | So perhaps even after the darkest and
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| • Putting children in a temporary care
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| | most terrible of tragedies there can be
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| facility or an orphanage should be the
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| | some positive long term benefits and
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| last resort.
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| | these are that whilst a large number of
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| Around 200 children were orphaned and
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| | people may ignore the need or desire to
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| many more lost one parent when the
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| | adopt from within their own communities
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| Tsunami struck the district of
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| | in favour of adoption with an
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| Nagappattinam in Tamil Nadu state, the
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| | International dimension this raising of
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| worst-affected region in India.
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| | the Adoption Profile and the inherent
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| The local administration has handled
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| | potential problems may well bring some of
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| scores of queries from individuals and
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| | those new to Adoption back to considering
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| organisations wanting to adopt the
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| | Adoption from within their communities.
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| children.
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| | The other benefit that can be taken from
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| But fears of human trafficking have made
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| | this whole affair may be the overall
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| the government tread with caution. The
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| | increase in the awareness of the concept
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| emphasis now is on rehabilitating these
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| | of Adoption itself. If this in turn leads
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| children in the local communities.
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| | to more children being partnered with
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| Suryakala, a district social welfare
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| | Adoptive Families then that can only be
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| officer in Nagappattinam, says many
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| | considered good.
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| children they talked to preferred to
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