ADOPTION ASSOCIATION SAVES KIDS FROM NEPAL

Akron Beacon Journal (OH)
August 29, 1998 
Edition: 1 STAR
Section: METRO
Page: C2

Topics:
Index Terms:
BIOGRAPHY, ADOPTION, AMERICAN NEPALESE CHILDREN'S
FOUNDATION
ADOPTION ASSOCIATION SAVES KIDS FROM NEPAL
Author: Colette M. Jenkins, Beacon Journal staff writer
Dateline: RAVENNA
Article Text:
Mary Starzyk is on a mission to save another child's life.
"My husband and I know that if we had not been there, Julia would have died because of the extreme poverty she was living in," Starzyk said. "Even though the children from other Third World countries are in need, with the exception of some of the countries in Africa, Nepalese children have the highest mortality rate. Each year, 150,000 children under the age of 5 die in Nepal."
Starzyk and her husband, Lawrence, adopted 7-year-old Julia in 1993. Since then, they have formed a nonprofit organization, American Nepalese Children's Foundation, to help other Americans adopt children from Nepal.
Mary Starzyk is director of the foundation.
Yesterday, the couple met at their Ravenna home with several members of the foundation and signed an agreement with Ramesh Shakya, secretary general of the Nepal Children's Organization. The agreement is a pledge to work together to help find adoptive homes for the 350 Nepalese children living in the five orphanages operated by the organization, whose institutions are called Bal Mandir or "The Temple of the Children," Shakya said.
Although Bal Mandir is recognized by the Nepalese government, it is a charitable organization. It depends on donations, rent generated from land it owns and adoption fees.
"We can do very little for the children if they stay in Bal Mandir because of our country's standard. Nepal has very little to offer," Shakya said. "We are quite sure that if they are adopted by families in other countries, they will have better opportunities."
Shakya said his organization has signed an agreement with one other U.S. organization, based in Boston. The agreements will help the Nepalese organization get rid of its false reputation for selling children, Shakya said.
"This way, we don't have people coming directly to us. They go through the organizations," Shakya said. "And it gives us a way to track the children and know how they're doing."
The Ravenna foundation charges no fee, which cuts the costs for prospective adoptive parents. The cost comes in at about $7,600, which covers adoption-related expenses including travel and accommodations, fees for people in Nepal who help with placement and donations to the country.
Although the adoption process takes several months and prospective parents must go to Nepal to meet officials and complete paperwork, the agreement should make for a smoother transition.
The Starzyks adopted Julia after working at Tribuvan University in Nepal in 1992 and 1993. The couple also adopted a daughter, Jaimie, 15, from Korea in 1986.
"A Nepali adoption is not for everyone. People need to be interested in adopting Nepalese children, because if they don't (get adopted), they will die because of the poverty and disease," Starzyk said. "They need to want to save the life of a child and to give that child an opportunity."
For more information, Starzyk can be reached at 330-297-0255.
Caption:
MAP: map showing location of Nepal
Copyright (c) 1998 Akron Beacon Journal
Record Number: 9808300084