New Journey

I haven't mentioned it yet, but we are on a new journey. I've got a new blog to document our journey. We are knee deep in paperwork again. It has been a long road to get here. Half the time, I'm afraid that it is going to fall apart again. We seem to be on pretty steady ground though. Guess where we are going?





WE ARE HEADED BACK TO INDIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I definitely didn't see us headed back to India again. It just did not seem possible. It is though.
We are meeting new friends along this journey. You see our journey started at Reece's Rainbow. Our minds have been open to a whole new world of special needs adoption. With our brief stop in trying to adopt from Ethiopia, I learned about the spread of HIV through Africa and the huge problems of poverty. I've learned how all this effects orphans. I've learned about child headed families. I still know of a little boy who is 6 waiting for a home with a large grant for his adoption (if you are interested, please email me and I'll give you the information). This information changed how I view the world. It opened my eyes to the greed of the world. Now I'm learning more about EE adoptions. See, there are lots of kids in EE with Down's Syndrome and they are waiting in orphanages. Some of the kids represented by Eastern Europe have other disabilities like CP. They all need homes. Trust me, its not a saintly thing to do to commit to a special needs adoption. Its an adventure. Trust me, I know. I've done it twice going on 3 times.
I want to close this post with a plea. Just this week, a precious angel in one of the EE orphanages died of STARVATION. This is the 2nd child this month. Several others have died this year. This is only in one orphanage. I'd like to ask everyone to consider donating something, even $5, to help stop this. These children could possibly find homes, IF we can just keep them alive long enough. Here is the information that was forwarded to me to help.

We are losing more and more of our children at the special needs orphanage of Torez due to Malnutrition! In the last month alone, 2 children with special needs lost their lives at the orphanage of Torez.
You can make a difference! You can help SAVE a child's life by giving them the food that they need to keep their fragile little bodies healthy. Please donate TODAY by contacting meganf@life2orphans.org or visiting the Life2Orphans website to purchase or donate food. Below is information on Malnutrition. For the cost of a coffee each day you can help a orphaned special needs child see his or her next birthday by keeping them healthy!

What Is Malnutrition? What Causes Malnutrition?

What can YOU do?

You can stop the pain and low mortality rate by donating NOW to special needs institutions like Torez through the Life2Orphans feed the children program! For pennies a day you can help a child with Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and many other special needs conditions nourish their little bodies, so that they will not endure the pain of malnutrition. Please visit HTTP://WWW.LIFE2ORPHANS.ORG" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and donate to Torez a special needs orphanage today. Your love and generosity will help save a child...We have lost too many special needs children so far (several this year) at the hands of malnutrition Please feed a special needs child’s body, heart, and soul today! Begin donating NOW...CONTACT meganf@life2orphans.org or go to Life2Orphans.org and donate online.

Malnutrition - Individuals are malnourished, or suffer from undernutrition if their diet does not provide them with adequate calories and protein for maintenance and growth, or they cannot fully utilize the food they eat due to illness. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malnutrition is the gravest single threat to global public health especially in the area of special needs children in Eastern Europe Poor diet may lead to a vitamin or mineral deficiency, among other essential substances, sometimes resulting in scurvy - a condition where an individual has a vitamin C (ascorbic acid) deficiency. Though scurvy is a very rare disease, it still occurs in some patients (very often with orphans) - special needs children living in institutions, or those that live on a diet devoid of fresh fruits and vegetables. Similarly, infants or children who are on special or poor diets for any number of economic or social reasons are severely prone to scurvy According to the National Health Service (NHS), UK, it is estimated that over two million people are affected by malnutrition (subnutrition), and a high percentage are the children in orphanages and institutions.

Poor diet may lead to a vitamin or mineral deficiency, among other essential substances, sometimes resulting in scurvy - a condition where an individual has a vitamin C (ascorbic acid) deficiency. Though scurvy is a very rare disease, it still occurs in some patients (very often with orphans) - special needs children living in institutions, or those that live on a diet devoid of fresh fruits and vegetables. Similarly, infants or children who are on special or poor diets for any number of economic or social reasons are severely prone to scurvy.

According to the National Health Service (NHS), UK, it is estimated that over two million people are affected by malnutrition (subnutrition), and a high percentage are the children in orphanages and institutions.




The World Health Organization (WHO) says that malnutrition is by far the largest contributor to child mortality globally, currently present in half of all cases. Deficiencies in vitamin A or zinc cause 1 million deaths each year. WHO adds that malnutrition during childhood usually results in worse health and lower educational achievements? While malnutrition used to be seen as something which complicated such diseases as measles, pneumonia and diarrhea, it often works the other way round - malnutrition can cause diseases to occur.

According to Medilexicon's medical dictionary:


Malnutrition is "Faulty nutrition resulting from malabsorption, poor diet, or overeating."
Undernutrition is "A form of malnutrition resulting from a reduced supply of food or from inability to digest, assimilate, and use the necessary nutrients."
What are the signs and symptoms of malnutrition?

Loss of fat (adipose tissue)
Breathing difficulties, a higher risk of respiratory failure
Depression
Higher risk of complications after surgery
Higher risk of hypothermia - abnormally low body temperature
The total number of some types of white blood cells falls; consequently, the immune system is weakened, increasing the risk of infections
Higher susceptibility to feeling cold
Longer healing times for wounds
Longer recover times from infections Longer recovery from illnesses
Reduced muscle mass
Reduced tissue mass Tiredness, fatigue, or apathy
Irritability
In more severe cases:

Skin may become thin, dry, inelastic, pale, and cold
Eventually, as fat in the face is lost, the cheeks look hollow and the eyes sunken
Hair becomes dry and sparse, falling out easily
Sometimes, severe malnutrition may lead to unresponsiveness (stupor)
If calorie deficiency continues for long enough, there may be heart, liver and respiratory failure
Total starvation is said to be fatal within 8 to 12 weeks (no calorie consumption at all)

Children - children who are severely malnourished typically experience slow behavioral development, even mental retardation may occur. Even when treated, undernutrition may have long-term effects in children, with impairments in mental function and digestive problems persisting; in some cases for the rest of their lives.

What are the causes of malnutrition?

Malnutrition, the result of a lack of essential nutrients, resulting in poorer health, may be caused by a number of conditions or circumstances. In many developing countries long-term (chronic) malnutrition is widespread - simply because people do not have enough food to eat.

Poor diet - if a person does not eat enough food, or if what they eat does not provide them with the nutrients they require for good health, they suffer from malnutrition. Poor diet may be caused by one of several different factors. If the child develops dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) because of an illness, or when recovering from an illness, they may not be able to consume enough of the right nutrients. Many special needs children suffer from this!

In poorer, developing nations malnutrition is commonly caused by:

Food shortages - Food shortages are a significant cause of malnutrition in many parts of the world

REMEMBER - "TOGETHER CAN WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE" PLEASE HELP THE SPECIAL NEEDS ORPHANED CHILDREN OF TOREZ TODAY!

PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING. I KNOW THERE ARE TONS OF GREAT CAUSES OUT THERE. I'D LOVE FOR MORE OF THESE BABIES TO FIND HOMES. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SOME OF THE CHILDREN AVAILABLE VISIT REECESRAINBOW