Zhenya / Orphans with Down syndrome

this is the letter I sent to my mother, thought I would share it with my friends here and hope you can get on board with supporting these children by Advocating for them, Praying and if you can sending money.
you can visit my blog before you read this if you would like to see his photo's first (i would hehe)
Aden and Zhenya photo's

　

Mum I want to tell you about, Zhenya
I’ve fallen in love with a little boy, who’s photo I have seen on Reese’s rainbow.
Reeses Rainbow is………… (I’ve posted information about this ministry below)

Can you believe, how much he looks like Aden?, Mum.
He is so adorable.

When I first seen his sweet face , I had to look again, get up close to the computer screen, only to feel a lump in my throat. I felt like I was looking at my baby, your grandson, I cried so much for him.

I felt a deep need to reach out and grab him. But I cant, he is so far away and our laws here in Australia don’t allow us to go and get him.
Mum he is 2.5 Yrs old, his birthday is 5days and 1 year after Aden’s.
He will go to an institution at 4years of age.
Some Orphanages can keep children until they are 5 and sometimes 6years old, this is sadly rare. Zhenya’s orphanage is a poor one in Eastern Europe, and he will be sent away at 4, 4years old!

Mum I cant stand this for him, he will die within the year of being in the institution. He just wont survive. The little ones never do.
The second photo I sent you if you look at his cot, it is, on the floor, a wooden floor. You don’t even let my dog sleep in your Laundry, when we stay because your floor is tiled and you say she would be cold.
This is a little boy! And he is all alone on the other side of the world, my heart brakes for him. I wondered how much cold air gets through his mattress, then I looked again and it looks like he sleeps on a Doona. No Mattress.

I showed Craig his photo’s and he cant believe how much Zhenya looks like Aden either. He came home yesterday and said how he cant get him out of his head. I cant either and I don't think God wants me to.
Craig said, we need to do something, we need to go get him. Tears welled in my eyes cause we cant.
We are going to make an effort, to let people know about these precious children. They need us to, they need our thoughts our prayers and money. Sadly that is it, they do need money, why do I feel so bad to ask for money for a child that has no voice?
It’s crazy, instantly though I hesitate to say “mum can you help send something,” that something is money, I shouldn't feel so bad for saying can you spare a buck or two.

These children are the most venerable children in the world. Why don’t we hear more about them?
People. Celebrities…are often on TV, talking about children in other country’s that need money for education, food…they often don’t have parents but they do have communities (Mum I’m not saying they have a good life, it’s crap I know it. I just don’t understand why we only hear, about some kids and not others.) and why is it ok for TV to ask us for money, but we instantly have some odd thing, where we feel we cant ask for money for Orphans? To heck with that.

Well we have to speak up for these children, I recon, they are all our kids no matter what part of the world we live in. We can’t let this, boy die without trying.
Kids in these baby homes, when they have, little to no money like Zhenya they have less chances of finding a Forever family, a family that will love them forever. No matter what. This is because Adoption costs, the family's often have a few weeks in an overseas country, as well as all he fee's....time off work… we need to make it easier for these family’s that desperately want these children.

I hope you will send him some money, mum?
I’ve donated today , that should show up in the next day or two.
I paid direct to RR and asked for it to go into Zhenya’s fund. Since then the lady from Reeses rainbow, has set up and “Chip in” pay pal account so we can donate straight to that.

It’s on our family blog, do you still have the link? Here it is http://4ever-blessed.blogspot.com/2009/08/no-one-to-make-him-toast-please-pray.html
If you can mum, please donate something anything. If everyone we know donated $12.50 Australian that would give him around $10 American. Hopefully others can give more.
And we pray, we must not forget the power of prayer, sending light and energy into the universe.
How can a child, you have never meet, mean so much to you? Mum it’s God the universe…
I knew when I had Aden I had to do something, I’ve felt drawn to Orphans before but never like this, this sweet boy has taken over my heart and mind, he is on my mind pretty much constantly the last few days.
every time I see his sweet face I see Aden, it’s amazing a miracle. Just what I needed to push me to do what, I know in my heart I have to do, help people know of these children.

I’ll give you a call in the morning.

Love
Cathy

Here's a little about Reece's Rainbow:
Reece's Rainbow is a Down syndrome adoption ministry started by a mom that has a son with Down syndrome.
Andrea Roberts learned of the injustice that our kids go through in orphanages overseas and stepped up to make a way for people to see MANY kids from MANY places all in one website.

She also formed a 501C3 US registered non-profit organization to collect money for grants for these children to help families overcome the financial boundaries of international adoption.
There are SO MANY families ready and willing to adopt, but at $17-35K for an adoption (depending on the country), it is often outside of a family's ability to come up with the funds.
Grants are formed through individual donations and grants stay designated to the CHILD until the child has a family not only commit to adopt him/her, but also get their travel date to go. This assures that funds for the kids are not 'lost'.
For more information about Reece's Rainbow, you can visit www.reecesrainbow.org/aboutus.html or www.reecesrainbow.org/leadershipteam.html. Reece's Rainbow currently has only one paid 'staff' member and the rest is done through donated time of 80+ hours each week.

Reece's Rainbow exists primarily to advocate for the orphans with Down syndrome (and other special needs) abroad, to raise funds as grants for these children to help them have a family commit to bring them home, and to help families in the process of adopting one of these special angels to continue to raise their adoption funds as well as receive support, encouragement, and a shoulder to lean on through their process and after.

Hi- Thank you for sharing your letter to your mum. I belong to the yahoo group attached to reece's rainbow and it is devastating to see some of the little one's photos knowing their circumstances if they are not adopted. It is so poor that in Australia we are unable to adopt these little ones because of the immigration laws.
Mel

Oh Cathy, i feel so emotional reading your letter.

Iam a little worried bout looking at the pics as i will think about it for days on end.

I wonder if there was a standed email or i guess i could do one up and send it to everyone i know to build awareness and education.

Ok im gonna go look at the pics...

And thanks for sharing

sunshyne wrote:

Oh Cathy, i feel so emotional reading your letter.

Iam a little worried bout looking at the pics as i will think about it for days on end.

I wonder if there was a standed email or i guess i could do one up and send it to everyone i know to build awareness and education.

Ok im gonna go look at the pics...

And thanks for sharing

That would be great if you could all pray and let people know about these Orphans. They really do belong to all of us, Australia needs to step up and stop turning it’s back on these children.
I cant even say to people “if you donate you can use it as a tax deduction” as we cant. Not that I care for myself but more people will donate if they can use it as a deduction at tax time, just like Americans do.
I wish I knew more people, but I don’t.
We are going to have a charity garage sale, to try and raise money for Zhenya.
Not sure what else we can do, if I coul sew or was crafty I’d make things and sell them with a photo of him and information about RR. But I cant I’m useless at the stuff. I cant do raffles cause you need a licence or something. Ugh what else could I do to raise money?
I should go mow lawns before the weather warms up. Hmm any idea’s please?

angelgood1 wrote:

Hi- Thank you for sharing your letter to your mum. I belong to the yahoo group attached to reece's rainbow and it is devastating to see some of the little one's photos knowing their circumstances if they are not adopted. It is so poor that in Australia we are unable to adopt these little ones because of the immigration laws.
Mel

I just joined I only found that group a few days ago. cant wait to be in

My mum said 3 of the people (one was her sister) said they wouldn’t’ send money to any charity outside of Australia because they are always scams.
So far only 2 people was well as myself have donated. Mine hasn’t been updated yet because, I paid in before Andrea (from RR) made the chip in. Ugh I keep thinking of this darling boy (and all of the children) who has his cot on the floor, no mattress just a doona in the bottom of his cot.
I know I didn’t give to this children the first, second or third time I knew about their situation but I never thought, that Reese’s rainbow or any of the others were a scam.
But I have thought that with other things and it does happen.
So I’m going to tell my mum to keep talking to these people… also post blog of people that already have their children home. So if you read this and have an adoption blog and I dont have it please let me know thanks.

Hi- most of the adoption blogs I have looked at I have found through the Down Syndrome adoption yahoo group that it associated with Reece's Rainbow. We've been a member of the yahoo group for about 3 years. Are you able to access that yet? There is a family whose blog I like to read because one of their adopted daughters reminds me of my little girl-next time I access it I will try and remember to write down the link for you.

Mel

No I still cant log into it. Arhhh I want in lol.
I follow so many blogs lol I actually just closed mine down, well not completely.. I just have a few posts about Zhenya and have deleted the rest. I will be just blogging about RR and Ds from now on.
It’s interesting how much some of our kids look alike, yet they are so much like their family’s as well.
They say everyone has 7 copies of themselves on earth at one time lol
I guess when you have Ds, those 7 are easier to find.
It really plays on your heart strings when you see another child like your own, hey?

Maybe what needs to happen, is for a whole ton of us to lobby government regarding the adoption laws.
It has been proven by world economists that countries that don't give enough fail. Maybe it is time Australia became more open to those less fortunate than ourselves.
I cannot really lobby because I am not an Australian. But I really think the selfishness of the immigration laws here are appalling. In NZ we often saw newscasts about the lack of empathy of the Australian government with regards to refugees etc.
America takes in many, many orphans. They also allow many refugees to stay. Their economy is setting the world standard. Maybe there is a lesson there.
I would love to adopt children through RR. I have looked at it, and even written to them about it. But the laws here won't allow it. It is so wrong!