I know of a single British woman who went to Moscow to adopt a baby. The whole process was very upsetting. People wanted to get paid off above and beyond the requisite fees, and the children were quite ill with fetal alcohol syndrome, HIV, etc. The reason is that most of the babies were babies of prostitutes and drug users. Other women have abortions.
Her expectations were different, so she came home empty handed.
My goddaughter's parents could not have another baby, (she, infact, was a miracle) and they adopted a little boy from Roumania. The conditions in those orphanages were horrific. The little boy they adopted was three years old. He was malnourished and quite small for his age, and he and the other babies had never been affectionately held or cuddled.
That too poses problems of normal child development as touch is very important for babies.
God bless my 'koumbari' (Gk. word for the parents of your godchild) for the commitment of love they have given to this little boy.
The situation in the former Communist Eastern block countries is very, very sad for orphans and abandoned children.
Alice
