Does adopting children from Africa "perpetuate" and "worsen poverty"?

Independ"ant"

It certainly doesn't help.

If anything adoption is breeding crime......look at Guatemala and the crime perpetuated by foreigners buying children. The baby brokering business had to be almost completely shut down.

Jobs are needed not substitute parents. Many people in countries where children are purchased are repulsed and angry at the arrogance and sense of entitlement by foreigners.

BLW_KAM

Ms. Moyo is proposing the "teach a man to fish ..." axiom.

But her message is directed to those who have a choice ... adults. While children will be better off if their role models have learned how to be self-sufficient, what about the children who have no family left? Are they to be caught in the middle of a social economic upheaval?

Here's a statistic from UNICEF: "There are an estimated 133 million children who are orphaned (children aged 0â€“17 who have lost one or both parents) world wide. Of these children, 15 million were orphaned by AIDS, more than 12 million of whom are in sub-Saharan Africa. "

In my humble opinion, these 12 million children deserve all the assistance they can get, including adoption if necessary. They should not suffer while the adults work toward a more promising future.

Opedial

I am not sure that adopting African children worsens poverty. I still don't really agree with IA, but I don't see the direct link.

I do see what she is saying about aid and how it creates dependencies; much like our food banks here in Canada. Throwing money at problems are NOT the answer, HOWEVER, we can't just think jobs will be the answer. We can't just let those in developing coutnries perish without trying to help.

There needs to be joint effort in healing individuals and in whole communities to establish reduced poverty.

This said, I don't think less adopting from Africa will in fact worsen poverty, but it really does nothing to help.

sizesmith

From what I understand, they need condoms more than anywhere else in the world. So many children are actually orphan who need homes and adopting, because their parents have died from aids.

They have so many children because they aren't using birth control.

There needs to be a lot more birth control, but the children who are actually in orphanages really do need to be adopted. Their poverty is perpeuated by the many children they have, and the fact that so many are sick and unable to work, along with lack of education, utilities, proper water and sewer, and so many things that need to be fixed it's unreal. Adoption does need to be supervised more than what it has been in the past.

MamaKate

Dear Sunny,

I tend to agree more than I disagree with Ms. Moyo. She is correct that continually throwing money at issues does not make them disappear. However, I do think EDUCATION and humanitarian aid are ALWAYS necessary - even in Western countries. Without education and safety nets for members of society who fall on hard times, it becomes an "every man for himself" situation rather than one of unity and compassion among a nation's citizens. Ms. Moyo is right that people need be able to trust that their government will promote and encourage growth and self -sufficiency rather than control, burden or humiliate them.

As to the adoption aspect, UNICEF also has a statement about what is BEST for "orphaned" children:

"For children who cannot be raised by their own families, an appropriate alternative family environment should be sought in preference to institutional care which should be used only as a last resort and as a temporary measure."
- UNICEF's position on Inter-country adoption
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_41118.html

(BTW: according to UNICEF's own statement, their numbers INCLUDE children with ONE LIVING PARENT and does not mention how many of the other orphans are currently living with extended family. So how many children ACTUALLY NEED HOMES?!)

This article explains the issues better than I can:

http://www.brandeis.edu/investigate/gender/adoption/bgop-ed.html

IA causes MORE problems than it fixes if it is not done as a social service with the CHILD's BEST INTEREST as the motivation.

So in answer to your question, I think, YES. Adopting children from Africa does, in many cases, "perpetuate" and "worsen poverty".

ETA: These too: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4508

http://www.countercurrents.org/riben250407.htm

Serenity71

Depends on the outlook,

Adoption in someways is the least of Africa's problems with all the internal politics and milita's that go out of their way to kill innocent people and send people into desperation and poverty in the first place.(And recruit children as young as 10yrs old to fight in their armies.) Lets face it some of the worst self centred governments exist on the African continent. They don't care about their own people, how pathetic is that.

Most countries have no support from their governments if they wish to adopt a child from an African country. I know Australia doesn't because there aren't any (as far as I know. ) African countries that have signed the Hague convention. So if you do decide to do it you're on your own as far as our government is concerned.

I do believe in the concept to teach a man how to fish rather than spoon feeding him, but financial aid is still needed for those people to learn those skills.

Also people can be ignorant of how the African family structure can work. (They do look after their own, at times though they can be separated because of war and they do have family looking for them, and often there are family members who will take in a child.) Again it that's ignorance of culture that can come into it, and western society basing its ideas solely on their own culture and ideals.
I'm not against inter-country adoption, but i do feel we have to more careful about it then we currently are being.

xXsmilesunshineXx

No.

23 year old texas female married

I feel the same way about the welfare system in the united states. That they shouldn't be taking money out of people's pay checks to give to those that refuse to work. I understand that is nice to receive help but you should have to do something to earn it too. We have food pantries and free clinics people can go to. But the world is far to dependent on wanting help with out having to pay the price.

A lot of people I know or seen on welfare can afford nice clothes (I can only afford resale clothes) video game systems, games, computers, internet. They don't report all the income they have coming into there household so that they can receive extra benefits that they were not entitled too.

I think that insist of having welfare and aid for foreign country we need to educate people about money management. With the USA starting in preschool. If people can learn the difference between a want and a need then life would be so much easier on a lot of people and people could make the right decision regarding how to spend money.

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