May 7th, World AIDS Orphans Day

(This blog is x-posted — International and Older Parent)

Today is World AIDS Orphans Day. For the past days I’ve written about everything from an organization that helps families adopt AIDS orphans to ways to commemorate the day. On this day, however, it will just be dry facts and raw numbers.

We’ll start with a number … this one … fifteen million … 15,000,000. That’s the guesstimate of how many AIDS orphans are in this world on this day. Fifteen million. That’s not how many are infected with the virus, or how many have parents infected, or how many are likely to contract the disease in the next twelve months. Many of these kids are not infected. Many that are could lead long, healthy lives with proper treatment. This huge number is simply how many CHILDREN have lost their parents to AIDS and are alive today and struggling to survive.

Next number … One million, eight hundred thousand …1,800,000 … AIDS orphans in Nigeria.

And here’s the US Department of State’s explanation of the adoption situation in Nigeria:

Nigerian adoption laws are complex and the system is not transparent. In general, foreigners who intend to adopt a specific child must first obtain temporary custody of the child (i.e., foster care). Foster care requirements differ from Nigerian state to state, and can be as long as one year before an adoption will be granted. Other states have citizenship or other requirements to adopt. Prospective adoptive parents are advised to obtain more information on adopting in individual states through their Nigerian attorneys or Social Welfare offices for the state where the adoption will take place. The U.S. Consulate in Lagos is not aware of any legally recognized agencies in Nigeria that assist adopting parents, or of any licensed Nigerian adoption agencies. However, there are orphanages, hospitals and other institutions that are relatively more experienced with international adoption. Check with the U.S. Consulate in Lagos for information on these institutions. Adoptive parents should plan on residing in Nigeria for at least a 3-month period.

Document and identity fraud related to adoptions are serious concerns in Nigeria. All adoptions are required to undergo full field investigations in the state where the adoption took place to verify the authenticity of the information provided in the adoption decrees and I-600 petitions.
PATTERNS OF IMMIGRATION OF ADOPTED ORPHANS TO THE U.S.: Recent U.S. immigrant visa statistics reflect the following pattern for visa issuance to orphans:

Fiscal Year Number of Immigrant Visas Issued
FY 2003 47
FY 2002 45
FY 2001 33
FY 2000 4
FY 1999 0

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ADOPTIVE PARENTS: Requirements vary from state to state. In the eastern region of Nigeria (Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Rivers), adoptive parents must be at least 25 years old and 21 years older than the child (for married couples, at least one parent must meet these age requirements). Other requirements in Nigeria overall can include the following: married couples must adopt jointly; single parents may adopt; however, a single man will not be allowed to adopt a female child, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS: Nigerian Adoption Law requires that a parent-child relationship be established before the court decision can be considered final. It leaves to each State the decision as to how long it will take to establish the parent-child relationship. The interpretation of the child-parent relationship among courts might differ. The adoptive parents should be aware that civil courts require them to take care of their adoptive children and share a household in Nigeria for some time period as set by the civil court in the jurisdiction where the child resides.

TIME FRAME: Adoption procedures can take from a few months to a few years, depending on the State of origin of the child.

Next number … One million, one hundred thousand …1,100,000 …AIDS orphans in South Africa.

Here are the US Department of State’s numbers:

AVAILABILITY OF CHILDREN FOR ADOPTION: Recent U.S. immigrant visa statistics reflect the following pattern for visa issuance to orphans:
FY-1997 IR-3 immigrant visas issued to South Africa orphans adopted abroad – 0?IR-4 immigrant visas issued to South Africa orphans adopted in the U.S. – 2?FY-1998 IR-3 Visas – 1 IR-4 Visas – 1?FY-1999 IR-3 Visas – 1 IR-4 Visas – 1?FY-2000 IR-3 Visas – 0 IR-4 Visas – 3?FY-2001 IR-3 Visas – 12 IR-4 Visas – 2

Another number that is the same for two countries … Nine-hundred and eighty thousand …980,000 … the estimate of the number of AIDS orphans in Tanzania and also the number of AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe. There’s no data for adoptions from Tanzania, as no visas were issued. Here’s part of what the State Department has to say about Zimbabwe:

AVAILABILITY OF CHILDREN FOR ADOPTION : In the past eight years, a U.S. citizen has adopted one Zimbabwean child.

ZIMBABWEAN ADOPTION PROCEDURES : Not every child in a Zimbabwean orphanage is available for adoption. There is no central registry for identifying available children. As soon as the prospective adoptive parent has identified a child, the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare should be contacted to determine if the child is available for adoption. Prospective adoptive parents should also be aware that the adoption process could take from several months to over a year to conclude.

These are just a few of the facts and a fraction of the figures. What, in the name of all that’s right and good and fair and human, can they possibly add up to?

I sincerely hope many in the world get together today and form Hope Circles and plant Hope Trees. I hope the World Bank holds seminars and USAID conducts empowerment workshops. I hope President Bush actually gets $15 billion to some of those who need it.

And I wish, I wish, I wish every child that needs a family could find a family that needs a child. I wish this could happen without money or age or race or nation or anything, other than love, an issue.

This is World AIDS Orphans Day. We don’t celebrate, we simply pay attention.

Comments? Questions? Shy? E-mail me … intladoptionblog@adoptionmail.com

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