Host an Orphan, (and mess with a child's head), Program

 The introductory sentence reads benign enough:

If you’ve ever felt blessed for everyday things in life that are easy to take for granted, like family, you may appreciate the warm thoughts behind Kidsave.org‘s Summer Miracles program.

[From:  Host an Orphaned Child this Summer, April 5, 2011 ]

But upon closer review, the "treat your-self and an orphan to an adoption plan" Summer Miracles program is actually another way for key adoption advocates, like Mary Landrieu, to promote ICA, like so many with an adoption-plan want.   Humanitarian effort for the difficult to adopt poor orphan, or another way to mess with people's heads?  Let those touched by foreign adoption decide.  But first, lets look at the small details of such a grand summer program... a program that uses volunteers to do all the door-to-door advertising.

Kidsave, a nonprofit network takes older children (ages 8 to 13) from American foster care, Russia, Colombia, and Africa, and places them in host homes, in affluent towns, for a four-week visit.  The goal is to help find permanent placement, through adoption.  However, in this Summer Miracles Program, there is a big focus on the "poor foreign orphan".  So, while I myself have no problem with domestic adoptable children getting such a four-week visiting opportunity, "locally", I do think the foreign orphan trial period is tasteless and cruel, especially when one reviews the parent-company funding partner-list, financially supporting Kidsave, the non-profit biz that helps facilitate foreign child trade.

The sheer brilliance of this promotional program is this:  hosting families are not obligated to agree to a purchase-plan -- all they have to do is showcase the kids, so others can look over the inventory, and decide if a foreign orphan would fit and feel right in the potential client's home.

It does not hurt if the showcase advertising hosting family already has an adopted orphan or two. ("I not only help support the big sellers in Adoptionland, I'm a paying member, and proud orphan owner, too.")

However, <sniff, sniff, reaching for my tissue...> a marketing crisis is on-hand, as today's press-release states:

Kidsave has announced an urgent need for individuals to host orphan children from Colombia this summer to support the organization's Summer Miracles program.  

The Kidsave Summer Miracles Program brings older orphans from foreign countries to the USA for five-week summer visits.  Older children are often harder to place than babies, however, children who are hosted in the Summer Miracles Program have greater success in finding adoptive families than other older children waiting for adoption because people have the opportunity to meet and live with them.  Families who have experienced long waits for adoption are often able to reduce the wait time by hosting a child through Summer Miracles.  Both single and married hosts are welcome.  

"It is not okay for kids to grow up without parents," said Lauren Reicher-Gordon, Director of Kidsave's Family Visit Programs, "Through no fault of their own they've lost their parents and ended up in government care. The amazing thing is that once people meet these children, they fall in love and frequently adopt."  Of the 1,600+ children aged 5-15 who have traveled to the US via the Kidsave Summer Miracles Program, over 85% have been adopted with approximately half being adopted by their hosts.

Individuals and groups are also needed to help get the word out about the children, host events with them, and provide or help raise funding to enable their vacations. 

[From:  Kidsave Summer Miracles Program Provides Opportunities to Give Back to Needy Orphans, April 18, 2011 ]

Now, what kid living in a foreign orphanage would not LOVE to see how stackable washer and dryers work, or daily mail and meals look like?  What foreign orphanage director is NOT hoping a few extra thousands of dollars comes his/her way, thanks to a new speedy foreign adoption-plan?

How can others not see the harm and dangers aggressive adoption facilitation can bring to those considering this hosting program?