A state-level orientation program on adoption was held recently in Lucknow, India, with the aim of increasing awareness locally on the issues of adoption in that country.

Domestic Indian adoptions continue to lack popularity, with most people determined to avoid adopting a child.

Also on the agenda, uniformity in adoption rules to remove much of what can be cumbersome when the many religions in the country approach the process.

Also in India, the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), has proposed that all children made available for adoption take a mandatory HIV test. This has long been on the books, but not enforced, and many are concerned about the costs.

The Indian Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS is opposing the idea, insisting that it will make for discriminatory practices and: "The move will only make room for discriminatory practices. Most of these abandoned kids are infected and rejection will only have a negative impact on the tender minds of these kids. It is an outright violation of human rights."

The article is a difficult read, as the tone is quite negative and the language will be offensive to some, but if you're interested in orphans in India, you might want to give it a glance.

In Russia, it's HIV+ orphans that are at the mercy of a shortage of families willing to help.

"The most important thing for our children is to find a family, to find parents. Not toys, not rattles, but parents. This is our chief task. The most important thing our children need in the first place is the family because the government can give them food, toys and clothes, but it cannot give them parents. And parental love- a father's, a mother's love- is indispensable for a child's development and its happiness," the Victor Kregdich, Director of Moscow Aids Orphanage says.

Educating families about dealing with HIV+ children and the fact that the children are not only able to live normal lives, but are, "... absolutely harmless because HIV infection is very, very difficult to pass on - you can't catch it though normal contact," the hope is that more will be adopted.

Zimbawe is, of course, another country with far too many AIDS orphans ... more than a fifth of all Zimbabwean children, in fact, according to this report from the Boston Globe.

Linked to the downward spiral of all that was Zimbabwe ... not all that long ago known as the "breadbasket of Africa" ... now toilet-bound on a rail in a handbasket, the annual inflation rate of more than 4,000 percent has seen the health care system disintegrate, with malnutrition, a lack of immunizations and little access to antiretrovirals resulting from the meltdown.

And finally, on a more positive note, this story about giving back.

A Canadian immigrant originally from Swaziland has reacted to media about AIDS orphans in his homeland with action. He and his wife are planning to raise $1 million per year for World Vision Canada for clinics, HIV testing, school and nutrition programs.

For a comprehensive look at the AIDS situation globally, check out the link on the topic in this Adoption News post.