| Wanted: Open arms for 100,000-plus children Ukrainian adoption spurs local mom, museum into action by Kathleen E. Conroy kathleen@thecharlotteweekly.com
“We knew some Russian, but instead we kept picking her up and saying ‘Hi, hi, hi’ in English,” the local mom said about her visit to a drab Eastern European orphanage five years ago. “The next day when we went back to the orphanage, she saw us from about 30 yards away and started kicking and kicking and kicking like an infant. I went to pick her up and she said, ‘Hi, hi, hi.’” Chaise, now 37, and husband Keith, 42, knew that Avonlea was destined to come home to the United States. The pair also adopted 18-month-old son Eden, also 14 pounds, during the same trip abroad. It was the beginning of their instant family and the stirrings of OrphanBaby, a nonprofit founded in South Carolina to help orphaned children lead healthy lives. Five years later, a growing local interest in Ukrainian adoptions and culture has spurred a display at a Charlotte children’s museum regarding the plight of parentless youngsters in other countries. “It is so amazing that in just a few years OrphanBaby has begun to effect change within some of the orphanages there and in the lives of the children,” said Robyn Ridgill, co-founder of Charlotte at Play museum, where the exhibit is on display. After hearing about OrphanBaby’s work, she and co-founders worked with Chaise and other Charlotte-area families to open a Ukrainian Culture Corner at the museum that kicked off in early December. Visitors can enjoy Ukrainian crafts, story time, traditional music and Ukrainian toys. Large decorated and signed holiday banners will be hand-delivered this month by an orphanage doctor who is currently visiting through OrphanBaby to learn more about Western medicine. “He will hang the banners and cards that the Charlotte children have made so the children will have something bright and colorful to look at every day,” said Chaise. Time to catch up In 2001, once the children were home, the Chaises faced a wealth of challenges. The full story of their time in the orphanage began to emerge. Tests showed they were severely malnourished, had rickets, were developmentally delayed and had a number of psychological issues due to the deprivation. “My daughter could not speak like a child who was nearing age 4 or crawl and she just rocked and rocked herself all the time,” recalled Chaise. “She broke her tibia when she first tried to stand up and walk.” After three years of intensive therapies and nutritional interventions, the children are just as healthy and happy as other children their age. Today, the family is living in rural Clover, S.C., Chaise says, where the children are thriving. Ukrainian adoptions low cost, easier
OrphanBaby came about as a result of the Chaises’ friendship with co-founders Jimmie and Amanda Clark. The Chaises’ motivation for helping orphaned children came from Karmelle’s humanitarian work – she has a master’s degree in community development and worked for the nonprofit organization Heifer International, which works to end world hunger and poverty through self-reliance. She traveled to the Ukraine and Poland to see firsthand the humanitarian needs in Ukrainian orphanages. “My husband and I had looked at domestic and international adoptions and in most cases you get maybe a photo or a video before you arrive to get a child or one is brought to you from overseas,” she said. “In our case, the Ukraine allows you to visit and choose your child. We needed a sense of who the child was.” According to the Web site Adoption Ark Programs, the Ukraine has some of the least restrictive and least expensive regulations regarding overseas adoptions, making it a popular choice for many childless Americans looking to adopt. Single mothers and adults younger than 55 years of age are eligible to adopt, according to the Web site. Available children range from 15 months to 15 years old, many of whom are siblings. Adoptions take four to 12 months to complete and require only one visit to the Ukraine – to choose your child or children. The average length of that trip is three to four weeks. The U.S. State Department estimates that 6 percent of international adoptions to the United States are from the Ukraine. Roughly 9 percent are from South Korea, 11 percent from Guatemala, and 25 percent equally from Russia, China and other countries. In 2005, Chaise said 2,600 children were adopted from the Ukraine globally, but she estimates there are at least 150,000 waiting to be adopted. OrphanBaby, which does not handle adoptions but provides funding to help Ukrainian orphanages, has three main programs. The Human Touch Project brings tactile caring to children who are rarely held and lack the loving touch, medical care and attention they need to grow into happy adults. Chaise said her group develops training and curriculum for orphanage staff on the psychosocial, emotional and physical needs of children. They also learn about the great need for brain stimulation and attachment in the early years of a child’s life. The Plump Them Up program works to obtain emergency food and medical attention to Ukrainian children. The project helps train orphanage doctors to identify malnourished children and nourish them with therapeutic food to get them on the road to recovery. A third program, Orphanage Doctor Outreach, seeks funding to bring more orphanage doctors and psychologists to the United States, and to send American doctors abroad for training seminars on the best ways to treat and care for children. In mid 2006, Chaise led a team of eight volunteers, a physical therapist and two occupational therapists to the Ukraine. It costs $3,000 to be a volunteer in “Karmelle’s Army.” “Our goal is to train the caregivers in every orphanage,” she said. “It’s not high-tech and it doesn’t cost a lot of money, but think of what it means to a child who has never been held.” Chaise, who is available to speak to church groups, civic organizations or classes to explain the work she is doing, can be reached at info@orphanbaby.org. The Web site is www.orpanbaby.org. Donations can be sent to OrphanBaby, P.O. Box 342, Clover, SC 29710. Chaise says the best bet regarding adoption information is to visit www.frua.org. Want to see the exhibit? The Ukrainian Culture Corner will remain at Charlotte at Play through early spring. The museum is open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Admission is $6 per person; children under the age of 1 are admitted for free. The museum is located at 10504 McMullen Creek Parkway in Charlotte. Call 704-542-0877 or visit www.charlotteatplay.com.. |
|
|
|
|
|
© 2006 Charlotte Weekly. All Rights Reserved |