Laughing to think about your proposed "model" orphanages (-:

On the topic of politics, I think there are citizens/politicians of many countries who would rather their orphans perish than be raised by Americans.
L.

Lisa,
That's true, I'm sad to know. But it's not just Americans who adopt, so saying 'no' to adoptions does not only stop kids from coming to the US.

You have no idea how mad I am at that country right now. Wait, maybe you do!

You are DEAD ON about those beaurocrats padding their pockets, skipping inspections. What inspections? I am just so angry right now about the whole damned country.

Yes! There are MILLIONS of unwanted children who are not available for adoption. No one Pakistan is reaching out to them, and no one will let any of us reach out to them. SO, only creepy child molestors will bother with them. Pisses me off!

While some of the content you reported in this piece is based on facts, the conclusion that no one in Pakistan cares about the orphans is far from the truth, and I would like to set the record straight, speaking from experience and personal observation. As the adoptive mother of two children from Pakistan, and the founder of Pakistan Adoption Group, I can tell you that a lot of people care, and continue to do so on a daily basis. We disagree with the Pakistan government's stance regarding adoption of orphans. We have submitted petitions to the Government of Pakistan to open up adoption of the earthquake (2005) orphans, and have lobbied with several government agencies and local agencies and NGO's in Pakistan. We also reach out to different organizations that place children for adoption and help prospective adoptive families work through the process of adopting children from Pakistan. Under the laws of the country, adoption is not recognized and you can get guardianship of the child through family courts. Also, only people of Pakistani origin are eligible to adopt from Pakistan, and adoption has to be finalized in the country of residence of the adoptive parents (if they are based outside Pakistan). And as far as building model orphanages in Pakistan is concerned, There are several non-profit agencies that run these orphanages as a social service. I have visited some of these facilities and seen the level of care the children are getting first-hand. We also visited with some of the earthquake orphans housed in one of these facilities. The orphanages are being funded through local and international support, and are managed diligently by dedicated staffers who are not out to pad their pockets. While an orphanage is not a substitute for the love and sense of belonging to a permanent family, it is a safe place for the children to call their own. They are built on a family model where a house mother takes care of several children that live in a "home" with their "siblings", meaning other children in the home. They have access to good education and medical facilities. While the ban on adoption is in place, these orphanages are the next best thing to a permanent family for these children. Please know that there is a lot more that needs to be done for the children of Pakistan, however, it is not fair to malign the whole country and people and promote negative sentiments against them. It is also not fair to assume that Americans are the only ones with the goodness in their hearts to adopt children from overseas, there are plenty of Pakistanis who are already doing just that and there is a growing awareness in the country about the issue.