Half the Sky seeks adoptive families for 3 Chinese orphans with severe heart conditions

Half the Sky Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides nurturing care for China's orphaned children, has received one-time permission from the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) to help find adoptive families for three Chinese orphans with severe heart conditions.

Previously not allowed to help facilitate adoptions for the orphaned children in their care, Half the Sky was granted an exception in the case of these three fragile girls, as their heart conditions are so severe and the surgeries required to repair them are high-risk and cannot be performed in China. The chances are great that, in each of their cases, multiple surgeries will be required, and even then, they may not survive. Very simply stated, these children need someone to fight for them, and Half the Sky is willing to help find those families to take on that tremendous challenge.

Meet the Children...

1. LiuFang

• 32 months old
• Options are limited, but a consulting cardiologist offers that a heart transplant would be the best treatment.
• In addition to her heart condition, she also has an incompletely-formed left arm and hand with only two fingers.
• She has a large vocabulary for her age and is attached to her China Care mom.

2. CaiPing

• 20 months old
• According to the advice of the consulting cardiologist, most likely 2 surgeries would be necessary to repair her complex heart condition.
• She is graceful and loves to play with dolls. CaiPing is deeply attached to her China Care mom.

3. ZiJun

•  17 months old
• She has tricuspid atresia and normally related great arteries.
• She could be a candidate for a Glenn shunt now and Fontan procedure when she is 3 years of age. While her condition is not correctable, the prognosis for alleviating its ill effects is favorable.
• Her motor development is advanced for her age, and she exhibits attachment  to her China Care mom.

To read complete details about all three of these children, visit the Half the Sky website.

 Common Questions About Adopting These Girls

Q: What agency do interested families need to use to adopt one of these girls?

A: Two of the girls (CaiPing and ZiJun) will be on the shared agency list.This means that families will be able to work with the China-approved adoption agency of their choice. If they don’t have one, and are otherwise ready to move forward, Half the Sky will help make the connection. The third child (LiuFang) is with an agency. If families are with a different agency,  the two agencies will need to work together to determine the next steps.

Q: Will the CCAA waive any of the new requirements?

A:  They are very likely to waive age, income, medications, length of marriage, and possibly BMI. They are less likely to waive the married couple requirement because it requires a sign-off from several officials.

Q: Does a home study need to be completed for a family to be considered to adopt one of these girls?

A: If families haven’t begun the homestudy process, they would need to do so before they could be considered by CCAA. If there is no other paper-ready qualified couple prepared to adopt one of the girls, it is not out of the question that they might be able to do so.

Q: Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to adopt one of the girls?

A: No. If your country has an adoption agreement with China and will allow you to bring home a child with severe special needs, you may adopt one of these girls.

Q: Will the adoption process be expedited?

A: Depending on the status of a family's adoption dossier, the process in China should be greatly expedited, as Half the Sky will be advocating on each family's behalf. However, this will not help at all on the domestic side. That will be entirely the family's and the agency’s responsibility.

Q: What are the next steps?

A: If you are interested, show the information on the Half the Sky website  to a pediatric cardiologist. If, after discussing this with the doctor, you are still interested in moving forward, contact Jenny Bowen at Half the Sky. Please  your agency name, basic information, and which child you are interested in adopting..

  * Information and logo courtesy of Half the Sky

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