I am a firm believer that adoptive parents have a responsibility to look at the world beyond their family, their children and their problems. I believe that parents who have built (or partially built) their families through adoption tend to be much more aware of the problems in the world. Through their own children's stories, adoptive parents are usually much more aware of things like abuse, neglect, poverty, illness, famine and other problems that lead to children being available for adoption.

I think that even little ways of giving back and showing that we care about the people of the world can make big differences. As we are entering into the time of year where people in the U.S. and other countries start spending excessive amounts of money on holiday gifts, I want to encourage people to remember how much good even a little bit of money can do for someone less fortunate.


Last week I said I would start writing one post per week highlighting a gift idea for the holidays that would allow transracial adoptive parents to "give back". Last week I featured "Angel Covers", an organization that makes and sells beautiful fleece blankets (and other products), and donates one blanket to a child in an orphanage for every blanket that they sell.

This week I am going to feature Heifer International, a charitable gift giving organization whose slogan is "Ending Hunger, Caring for the Earth". They currently have over 800 projects in over 50 countries that you can support, and you can donate very small amounts, like $20 to provide a flock of chicks to a family in Zimbabwe which will not only get food from the chickens, but eggs and chickens to sell to help support their family, or, you can donate a large amount, such as $250 to provide a water buffalo to an Asian subsistence farmer to help him earn a living and provide for his family.

You can check out the Heifer International Catalog here and see just how many ways there are to give. One of my favorite things about this organization is that they are not just giving one time food or supplies to a family, but they are giving gifts that allow that family to feed and support themselves. It is amazing to me how little it takes to change the future of a family.

When you donate to Heifer International, you get to do so in someone's name or honor, and you can send an "honor card" to show that you have given a gift in your family member or friend's name, that is so much more meaningful than a scarf or CD.

There is a lot of talk in online adoption communities lately about how unthinkably sad it is that many families in other countries give their children up for adoption because they are unable to provide for and feed them. Giving a gift through Heifer International can help a family thrive, help enable parents to provide for and care for their children, and help keep families intact.