Millions of children worldwide need a family to care for them. (Buckner photo)
USA (MNN) ― High school graduation marked an important milestone for a Texas girl this summer. For her, this milestone is especially important: eight years ago, she was an orphan in Russia. Her family adopted her through Buckner International.
"She has thrived and grown in this family," said Debbie Wynne, Director of Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services. "Eight years ago in the Russian orphanage, at ten years of age, there was not a lot of hope. Now she's preparing to go off to college, and she's so proud of all she's accomplished."
According to UNICEF, Russian institutions house more than 700,000 children teenagers. Every year, about 15,000 of them graduate from the orphanages and start life on their own. 40 percent of the graduates end up in prisons, and 10 percent commit suicide.
"When the child is released from the orphanage at the age of 16, there's just not much support," Wynne explained. "They might not have any family to go to, and children can become homeless, get into criminal activity and prostitution. And so it's just a real uncertain, scary future."
Churches can get involved by starting adoption ministries to support adoptive families, Wynne said. They can also host "Be a Family" meetings, offered by Buckner's Foster Care and Adoption Network.
"Be a Family" meetings empower church congregations with current information on the needs of children in foster care and adoption, as well as the various ways someone can "be a family" for a season or a lifetime. Churches can sign up to host these meetings on the Be a Family website.
"We've been given so much, and we're so blessed here in the United States. And the church has so much ability to give back," Wynne explained. "Our hope is that churches will really consider standing up and supporting those members in their church family, helping to support their adoption, either through prayers, or financially."
"We can even connect you with churches that have adoption and orphan ministries and that are really walking that walk," Wynne said.
Buckner offers international adoption services for Ethiopia, China, and Russia, as well as foster care and domestic adoption in Texas. For Texas residents, two workshops on international and domestic infant adoption will be held on July 25 on Buckner's Dallas-Fort Worth campus.
