It used to be when one thought of adoption from China, they thought of healthy, baby girls. Things have changed a lot over the years and it is now estimated that 90-98% of children abandoned have health needs. When we were in China we experienced how difficult it was to even get a cab with a handicapped child. No one wanted to pick us up when we had a wheelchair. We did finally get one to stop, but the chair wouldn't fit in the trunk. It ended up riding with us inside the cab on our feet!
I wasn't prepared for the reality of how much the boys outnumbered the girls in the orphanage that we visited. People seem to expect to adopt girls, so the fact that a child is a boy can be a "special need" in and of itself!
China's law specifies that a child must be adopted by their fourteenth birthday or they are no longer eligible. There is a stigma that is lifelong for an orphan. If they have a visible "handicap" it is even worse. Often they cannot attend school or obtain employment. Their future isn't bright.
There are many aging out orphans in China. What can you do? If you cannot adopt them, pray for them. Pray for their family to quickly find them! These are five aging out children for whom DEFEND is advocating. Do note that they are all boys. Please pray for these kids!
 |
| Austin, 13 years |
 |
| Tom, 13 years |
 |
| Bobby, 13 years, nearly out of time |
 |
| Daniel, 13 years old |
 |
| Elijah, 13 years, nearly out of time |
|
|
|
|
To learn more about any of these children visit
Defend's Aging Out Page.
