Here is a great article on transracial adoption and the overwhelming need for more intercountry adoptions from Africa.

The news release is from Brigham Young University and is titled, “Crisis calls for a radical increase in international adoption of African orphans, BYU study finds”.

The article focuses on the work of Jini Roby, an associate professor at BYU, an international authority on intercountry adoption and a transracial adult adoptee.

While Roby’s earlier work found that the African traditions of extended family, kin and communities taking in and caring for orphaned children was meeting the needs of orphans in Africa, she has now found that there are way more orphans in Africa than can be cared for and that due to economic and cultural factors, increasing in-country adoption is highly unlikely.

According to the article, 12.3 million children in sub-Saharan Africa have lost one or both parents. That number is projected to grow to 18.4 million by 2010. Roby, who visited South Africa, Uganda and Mozambique earlier this summer, saw firsthand some of the consequences civil war, poverty, the AIDS epidemic and other diseases are wreaking on African children.

"I have read hundreds of books and articles on the plight of orphans," Roby said. "While there is a healthy discussion of the growing problem and possible solutions, no one wants to address international adoption as a small but powerful solution for some orphaned children."

I think this really rings true with me because it is something I say all the time on my blog and in real life… transracial adoption is NOT a perfect solution, but I believe in my heart that it is the absolute BEST solution for millions of orphaned children.

Roby also addresses some other issues regarding transracial adoption…

Roby summarizes several concerns that have been raised when considering transcultural, transracial adoptions. Psychologists and social workers are concerned with the effects of transracial adoption on children. Roby's previous research shows that although most adoptive parents prefer to adopt children of the same race, some parents seem to take pride in building a culturally diverse family. Roby, who was adopted from Korea as a young girl by white parents, identifies with the importance of racial and cultural identity for adopted children.

"Many experts have expressed concern about placing African children transracially," Roby said. "Although it may not be the ideal situation, a permanent stable home is still the better option."

It is easy to point out what is less than ideal about transracial or international adoption, but what are the options for these children? In their current conditions and societies their chances for growing up with access to education, medical care and very basic necessities are slim.

The article shows how over 7,000 children were adopted from China last year, and only just over 400 were adopted from Africa last year (most from Ethiopia), and calls for a drastic increase in the number of children being adopted internationally from Africa.

It is overwhelming to think of over 12 million children living in Africa without parents. Truly there must be changes made to help address the issues of AIDS, poverty, famine, war…but big change does not come over night, and millions upon millions of children are suffering and living without families right now.

I hope that this research and other similar to it will help open the doors to more adoptions from Africa and help draw attention to the outrageous need that exists to find loving homes for so many African children.

Give it a read and let m know what you think.