DISCLAIMER: I know that these images are hard to see and that this video is beyond hard to watch, but we have to get the truth out there. We are the Only Voice that these children have.
This post (in red) is Originally by:
Leah from: http://gardenofeagan.blogspot.com/2010/04/imagine-different-life-repost.html
Imagine you're a newborn baby. Born in a land far different than where you are now. A place where the value of human life is much different than it is in developed countries. Now imagine that you were born with something like Down Syndrome, or something as minor as a hand deformity.
Your parents will be told to send you away, that there is no care for you, and you're going to die anyway. So your parents follow the advice of doctors and bring you to an orphanage. But remember, this is an orphanage in a 3rd world country. You spend your days, weeks, months and years cold, hungry, and without medical care. If you're lucky, there will be one caregiver who takes a liking to you and tries to give you some extra attention each day.
But there's something looming over you. Something that most children in the world celebrate...your 4th birthday. Only for you, this birthday brings a death sentence, because in many of these countries, if you turn 4 and have not been adopted you'll be moved to a mental institution where you are no longer available for adoption. For all intents and purposes, to the rest of the world you are dead.
There you well spend your days like this
You will be straight jacketed in sheets. Why? Because of the intense boredom and lack of human physical contact you will resort to desperate measures, even if it means gouging your own eyes out. The only contact you will get with people is if you're lucky, someone will notice that your sheets are full of urine and feces and decide to change them. You will never see sunshine. You will never smell fresh air, only the overpowering odor of urine and feces from several hundred children just like you crammed into the same building getting the same lack of care. You will likely die within the first couple of years from some terrible illness, severe dehydration, or hypothermia from lack of heat in the decrepit building.
Or perhaps you would be like this little girl. Bound by her wrists for years already, left alone in a state of severe dehydration. TIED TO HER BED!!!!!
If you don't die within the first couple of years, your body might continue to grow. But don't think it will get you a bigger bed. Instead you'll be forced to spend more years in the same crib, just like these TEENAGERS have been crammed in.
But it doesn't have to be this way! It doesn't! While governments and organizations like Mental Disability Rights International will have to deal with the individual countries, there are ways to save these children! Reece's Rainbow is an adoption organization dedicated to rescuing children with Down Syndrome from certain death in these countries. There are many children who are approaching their 4th birthday. While not everyone is in a position to adopt a child, Reece's Rainbow has established a fund for each child to help with the adoption expenses so that nobody can say, "I would do it if I had the money."
Even if you can't adopt a child, can you spare $5, $10 or more so that someone else can? Please...this makes me sick to know these children are dying. Read through the child profiles. You'll find children that have nothing wrong with them other than an eye that needs surery, or a hand that has a mild deformity, yet they have been thrown away.
BUT WE CAN SAVE THEM!!!This post (in red) is Originally by:
Leah from: http://gardenofeagan.blogspot.com/2010/04/imagine-different-life-repost.html
Imagine you're a newborn baby. Born in a land far different than where you are now. A place where the value of human life is much different than it is in developed countries. Now imagine that you were born with something like Down Syndrome, or something as minor as a hand deformity.
Your parents will be told to send you away, that there is no care for you, and you're going to die anyway. So your parents follow the advice of doctors and bring you to an orphanage. But remember, this is an orphanage in a 3rd world country. You spend your days, weeks, months and years cold, hungry, and without medical care. If you're lucky, there will be one caregiver who takes a liking to you and tries to give you some extra attention each day.
But there's something looming over you. Something that most children in the world celebrate...your 4th birthday. Only for you, this birthday brings a death sentence, because in many of these countries, if you turn 4 and have not been adopted you'll be moved to a mental institution where you are no longer available for adoption. For all intents and purposes, to the rest of the world you are dead.
There you well spend your days like this
You will be straight jacketed in sheets. Why? Because of the intense boredom and lack of human physical contact you will resort to desperate measures, even if it means gouging your own eyes out. The only contact you will get with people is if you're lucky, someone will notice that your sheets are full of urine and feces and decide to change them. You will never see sunshine. You will never smell fresh air, only the overpowering odor of urine and feces from several hundred children just like you crammed into the same building getting the same lack of care. You will likely die within the first couple of years from some terrible illness, severe dehydration, or hypothermia from lack of heat in the decrepit building.
Or perhaps you would be like this little girl. Bound by her wrists for years already, left alone in a state of severe dehydration. TIED TO HER BED!!!!!
If you don't die within the first couple of years, your body might continue to grow. But don't think it will get you a bigger bed. Instead you'll be forced to spend more years in the same crib, just like these TEENAGERS have been crammed in.
But it doesn't have to be this way! It doesn't! While governments and organizations like Mental Disability Rights International will have to deal with the individual countries, there are ways to save these children! Reece's Rainbow is an adoption organization dedicated to rescuing children with Down Syndrome from certain death in these countries. There are many children who are approaching their 4th birthday. While not everyone is in a position to adopt a child, Reece's Rainbow has established a fund for each child to help with the adoption expenses so that nobody can say, "I would do it if I had the money."
Even if you can't adopt a child, can you spare $5, $10 or more so that someone else can? Please...this makes me sick to know these children are dying. Read through the child profiles. You'll find children that have nothing wrong with them other than an eye that needs surery, or a hand that has a mild deformity, yet they have been thrown away.
Here is the link to the original report (that these pictures are from) titled,
'Torment not Treatment: Serbia’s Segregation and Abuse of Children and Adults with Disabilities,' by Mental Disability Rights International
http://www.mdri.org/mdri-reports-publications.html
In only four years, Reece's Rainbow has found adoptive families for more than 300 children with Down syndrome and other special needs around the world! Their Ministry has grown to help advocate for and find homes for children with limb differences, children that are deaf and blind, children with Cerebral Palsy and Spina Bifida, children with HIV, and the list goes on!!! Please Pray for Reece's Rainbow as they Reach Out Into the Darkness to Bring Hope and Light to Millions of Orphans with Special Needs All Over the World!!! Please Prayerfully Consider Donating to one of these Angel's Adoption Funds! EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS! GOD BLESS YOU!
Please also note: Some of these countries are starting to effect positive change for children and individuals with special needs. With EVERY ADOPTION they are realizing more and more that these children Have Value, that they Deserve to Be Loved, that they Deserve the Best Chance Possible in Life, that they Deserve Dignity and Respect, and that They Deserve a Voice and Hope!!! They are realizing that they Deserve a Place in this World and Not hidden and locked away in Institutions! They are realizing that with Love, Nurture, Education, Basic Human Rights and Access to the Right Resources, these Beautiful Precious Children of God can Grow, and THRIVE! They can live Long, Happy, Healthy Lives!!! These Amazing Children have So Much to Offer, So Much to Contribute, and So Much to Give if they are just given the Chance! We don't lock people away with disabilities here in the U.S. They are allowed to stay with their families, they are given the resources and support they need, they participate in daily life, they go to school and have jobs, they have Goals and Dreams, a Future and a Hope!!! These children Deserve to Know the LOVE of a Family! They DESERVE to Live a Full & Rewarding Life and to have a Bright Future ahead of them full of, Not darkness and despair But, Love, Joy, Hope, and Endless Possibilities!!! Please visit reecesrainbow.com and offer up a prayer for these children. Who knows, maybe God has been calling you to adopt, maybe one of these Precious Faces are meant to be part of your family some day. We may not be able to change the whole world, but we can change the world for an orphan...save the life of child, one child at a time!
