Sir
I READ with interest Lucy Cooper’s article on orphanages (The Sofia Echo, issue 45, November 11) and would agree that it is extremely important to have well-trained staff working within the various establishments, more so because of the disadvantages that the residents have. The attitudes that prevail are, again as important if not more important, than the state of the establishment.
While there is no doubt that establishments should provide an adequate environment which should at least meet the basic needs of hygiene and care, there is no doubt that the ethos of the establishment should be clearly stated, understood and practised by the members of staff.
My experience of working in the UK with a broad range of children and young people would lead me to suppose that to attempt the assimilation of people back into society is a task that needs to be started the moment the individual enters care.
Yours faithfully
Peter Knight
Comments by Robert Hallett - 16:06 23 Nov 2005 |
 | With regards to Lucy Cooper's Nov. 11 article about orpahanges.
It seemed to neglect one viable and hopeful possibility for these children - adoption by childless couples elsewhere in the EU and North America.
Many adoption agencies operating outside Bulgaria have found themselves frustrated in arranging such adoptions, due to the glacial pace of the beaurocracy, and a general government indifference to the fate of these children.
Agencies have often seen waiting times stretch into years, with delay after unexplainable delay, as files meander through the Ministry of Justice. A number of US and Canadian agencies have abandoned Bulgaria altogether, as they cannot accept new cases without any guarantee that they will ever be able to fulfill these adoptions.
For the most part, these couples just want a child of their own, and cannot understand why the Bulgarian government allows these children to languish in orphanages when a home and family of their own is available. In places where society is more diverse, few care if the children are of Roma background, and such prejuidices seem ridiculous.
My wife and I adopted our son from Bulgaria over a year ago, and we are happy to say that he has adjusted well, and added immeasurably to our lives.
However, I have many a sleepless night wondering what became of the other children with whom he lived in his orphange, every one of whom was bright, engaging, and deserving of something better in life.
Robert Hallett, Canada
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