Dare to get involved

We're not all called to adopt, but I dare each of you to get involved!

The following is a cut and paste from www.voiceoftheorphan.org


Did you know...

143 million children worldwide have lost one or both parents. i
At least 16.2 million children worldwide have lost both parents. ii
16 million children were newly orphaned in 2003. iii
Armed conflicts orphaned or separated 1 million children from their families in the 1990s. iv
Two to five percent of all refugees worldwide are children living without their parents. v

The proportion of children who are orphans generally increases with age. vi
12% (17.5 million) are 0-5 years.
33% (47 million) are 6-11 years.
55% (79 million) are 12-17 years old. vii

Where the orphans are living
87.6 million orphans live in Asia. viii
43.4 million orphans live in Sub-Saharan Africa. ix
12.4 million orphans live in Latin America and the Caribbean. x
Almost 1.5 million children live in public care in Central and Eastern Europe. xi
More than 800,000 children pass through America’s foster care system each year.

Adoption and waiting children in the U.S.
Between 118,000 and 127,000 children have been adopted every year since 1987. xviii
More than 50 percent of all adoptions are handled by public agencies or come from countries outside the U.S. xix
More than one-third of Americans have seriously considered adopting, but no more than 2% have actually adopted. xxi
Only 4 percent of families with children (1.7 million households) contain adopted children. xvii
118,000 children were waiting to be adopted in September 2004.
Approximately 50,000 children are adopted from foster care per year.
On average, children waiting for adoption have been in foster care for 43.8 months, almost four years.

SOURCES: (So you don't think I'm making this up)
i Ibid, Children on the Brink 2004, p. 7.
ii Ibid, Children on the Brink 2004, p. 29.
iii Ibid, Children on the Brink 2004, p. 9.
iv UNICEF, Aug 2006. From website, “Child Protection from Violence, Exploitation and Abuse.” http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_orphans.html
v Ibid, UNICEF, Aug 2006. From website, “Child Protection from Violence, Exploitation and Abuse.”
vi Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, United Nations Children’s Fund and the United States Agency for International Development, Children on the Brink 2004: A joint report of new orphan estimates and a framework for action, Population, Health and Nutrition Information Project for USAID, Washington, D.C., July 2004, p. 12. http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_22212.html
vii Ibid, Children on the Brink 2004, p. 12.
viii Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, United Nations Children’s Fund and the United States Agency for International Development, Children on the Brink 2004: A joint report of new orphan estimates and a framework for action, Population, Health and Nutrition Information Project for USAID, Washington, D.C., July 2004, pp. 8-9. http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_22212.html
ix Ibid, Children on the Brink 2004, p. 3
x Ibid, Children on the Brink 2004, p. 9.
xi UNICEF, Aug 2006. From website, “Child Protection from Violence, Exploitation and Abuse.” http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_orphans.html
xii Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and reporting System (AFCARS) #11 data submitted for the FY 2004, 0/1/03 through 9/30/04. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/report11.htm
xiii UNICEF, Press Release: As G8 leaders discuss global poverty, UNICEF puts spotlight on children in poor countries. http://www.unicef.org/media/media_21421.html
xiv Global Partners Forum convened by UNICEF with support from UNAIDS. The Framework for the Protection, Care and Support of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS, July 2004, p 5. Global Strategic Framework: http://www.ovcsupport.net
xv Global Partners Forum convened by UNICEF with support from UNAIDS. The Framework for the Protection, Care and Support of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS, July 2004, p 5. Global Strategic Framework: http://www.ovcsupport.net
xvi Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, United Nations Children’s Fund and the United States Agency for International Development, Children on the Brink 2004: A joint report of new orphan estimates and a framework for action, Population, Health and Nutrition Information Project for USAID, Washington, D.C., July 2004, p. 11. http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_22212.html
xvii Global Partners Forum convened by UNICEF with support from UNAIDS. The Framework for the Protection, Care and Support of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS, July 2004, p 7. Global Strategic Framework: http://www.ovcsupport.net
xviii Fields, Jason, Living Arrangements of Children, at pg. 9, Current Population Reports, P70-74, U.S. Census Bureau (Apr. 2001). [Children encompasses the ages 18 and under. The total includes the approximately 500,000 children living with one biological parent and a stepparent who adopted them.] http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/FactOverview.html#1
xix National Adoption Information Clearinghouse, How Many Children Were Adopted in 2000 and 2001? August, 2004, p.1. http://www.ncsconline.org/WC/Publications/KIS_AdoptStatistics.pdf
xx Ibid, How Many Children Were Adopted in 2000 and 2001? p.1.
xxi Child Welfare Information Gateway, Persons Seeking to Adopt: Numbers and Trends, 2005. http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/s_seek.cfm
xxii U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, National Adoption Month, Sept, 2004. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/002683.html