Monday, October 29, 2012

Pleven Update!!

Shelley, adoptive mom and our social worker, posted on her blog an update about the changes in the Pleven orphanage. Good things are happening!


from Shelley, October 29, 2012

Last week, Toni, who is the director of the Bulgarian NGO responsible for overseeing the Pleven Medical Fund (PMF), went to Pleven to visit with the new director and to see, first hand, the changes that have taken place at the Pleven orphanage. I am very pleased to report that there have been MANY WONDERFUL CHANGES since Dr. Georgieva took over as the director of the orphanage. She is truly working for the good of the children and making a lot of very positive changes at the orphanage. She has a HUGE job ahead of her and she continues to need a lot of help to fund all the necessary projects that need to be completed to ensure that ALL of the children living at the orphanage in Pleven have all of their needs met. There are so many older children who suffered YEARS of neglect and the condition that they are in as a result of that won’t be fixed quickly.
Below is a report of some of the positive changes that have already happened, some of the changes that are in the process of happening and future projects that we will be seeking donations for:
Changes that have already been made:
1.) One of the first changes Dr. Georgieva made was to the kitchen staff. The entire staff was fired and replaced by a staff that would make feeding the children good quality food a priority. The glass beer bottles used to feed the children are GONE. The liquid mixtures of flour and low calorie liquids are GONE. The children are being fed high quality solid foods. All the children that are capable are being taught to eat from a spoon and they are fed foods with as thick of a texture as they can tolerate. The children who still require bottle feeding are fed while sitting upright and given time to digest their food. Their caloric intake has been increased to an acceptable amount needed so that they can grow and gain weight. GONE are the days of the children having a bottle shoved in their mouth while they were lying flat on their back. GONE are the days of the quick 2-3 minute feedings. The staff is required to take time feeding each child individually and this is monitored. How is it monitored? Well, that is the next positive change!
2.) Dr. Georgieva installed CAMERAS throughout the orphanage to monitor the staff’s interactions with the children. This allows her to watch the children being fed, how the staff is holding the children, how often diapers are being changed….and when staff members are sitting around chatting and not working with kids. All of this is being strictly monitored. As you can imagine, not everyone is happy about this change. There has been some staff turn over as Dr. Georgieva works to ensure that only people who truly want to be there caring for the children are on staff.
3.) All the children are having their diapers changed 5-6 times a day at a minimum. Again, this is monitored using the cameras and the director is holding the staff accountable for this as well. For those interested in donating money designated specifically for diapers, this can now be done through the PMF. The diapers will be purchased and given to the orphanage and an official donation receipt will be issued by the orphanage, translated and provided to the donor. If you are interested in doing this, after you make the donation tothe PMF, please send me a copy of the Paypal invoice via email (shele337@gmail.com) so that I can ensure that the correct amount is designated specifically for diapers and that you receive a donation certificate after the diapers are purchased. All donations to the PMF are tax deductible through Eli Project.
4.) If you’ve seen any photos of children that were recently adopted from Pleven (particularly, the older children), one thing that is pretty noticeable is the horrible condition their teeth are in. This was a result of the lack of nutrition and the lack of dental care. EVERY SINGLE CHILD in the orphanage has now seen a dentist (this is paid for by their National Health Insurance) and the children who need it will receive appropriate dental care.
5.) Many of the older children have osteoporosis as a result of years of malnutrition. Dr. Georgieva is in the process of beginning treatment for this. The PMF is covering the cost to have all the children tested for osteoporosis. These tests are being conducted this month. One the results are back, all the children that have a confirmed diagnosis of osteoporosis will begin treatment for it. The estimated cost for this is $1,000, though an exact amount won’t be known until all the testing is complete. The medication required to treat the children diagnosed with osteoporosis will be covered by the Bulgarian national health insurance and treatment will continue for as long as it is needed.

6.) The PMF is currently working to fund a vehicle for the orphanage. This vehicle is used specifically for transporting children to medical appointments, to the hospital if they are sick, etc.  The vehicle that was previously owned and used by the orphanage to transport children broke down about a month ago. The vehicle was assessed by a mechanic and it would cost more to repair the vehicle than to replace it with a different (used) vehicle. Since this vehicle is used to meet medical needs, the director asked if the PMF could help with this expense. Estimates have been received and the total amount needed to fully pay for a vehicle to be used by the orphanage for medical appointments is $2,848, which includes having the new vehicle assessed by a mechanic, purchasing the vehicle, paying the notary that does all the legal paper work and paying for the title. $1715 of that has already been raised through a fundraiser conducted by Susan in which she was raising money for her own adoption from Pleven and pledged to give any money donated above the amount she needed to the PMF specifically to help pay for the vehicle. So, the remaining amount needed to cover the vehicle is $1133. Since over $1700 has already been raised for this purchase, the vehicle has been secured and is already at the orphanage for use to transport the children to medical appointments. Donations can be made through the PMF to help cover the cost of the vehicle. Here are some photos of what it looks like:

7.) Dr. Georgieva has installed a GPS in the vehicle. This is so that she can strictly monitor where the vehicle goes to ensure that it is only used to transport the children to medical appointments and not being abused by the staff for personal use.
8.) Nurses have been interviewed and approved by the director to work on the 6th floor. The money to pay the salaries of these 2 nurses was raised through another NGO (not the PMF) and these nurses will start work as soon as the contracts are signed with the NGO. Both ladies are well qualified and eager to work with the children. One of them is even an foster parent! They are both Christians and are ready to be the hands and feet of Christ while working with the children on the 6th floor. The money was raised to cover the salary of both nurses for an entire year. 
9.) Dr. Georgieva is working to establish a standard of care and expected schedule for the Babas and therapists that work at the orphanage under contract with other NGOs. She is working to ensure that these people are actually doing the job that they are being paid for and the children are receiving the maximum benefit of having these people in the orphanage each day. In the future, there will be an opportunity to fund Babas and other staff members through the PMF. However, at this time, Dr. Georgieva has asked for time to get the currently employees all working efficiently before adding any additional personnel. 
10.) Dr. Georgieva has brought in a Physical Therapist from the University Hospital in Pleven to evaluate all the children. This PT has volunteered her time and evaluation services. The doctor has made the recommendation that each child with special needs such as CP (and any other child with a physical disability or physical delays) receives one hour of physical therapy every single day. This includes massages, positioning and the use of therapy equipment. She is helping to set up a PT schedule for the children to ensure that every child that needs therapy is receiving it. 
Current projects that need funding:Dr. Georgieva has set a goal to bring EVERY CHILD in the orphanage out of their crib and down to the dining room for meal time. She wants to set it up so that at meal-times. the caretakers and the Babas will take all the healthy kids and all the kids with SN who physically could be brought down to the dining room to eat. That would mean getting out of the cribs, diversifying the environment of the children and teach them that the place where you sleep is not a place where you also eat. That will also provide some walking to the kids and some change in their routine. Most importantly, that will teach them the right way of eating, being independent with spoons and get rid as much as possible of the bottles. The director is not aiming at anything luxurious or huge, she just wants to make it a cozy, bright place, as it should be for children. Several things need to be done in order for this to happen:
1.) The dining room must be completely renovated. This is what the dining room looks like now:





  For THREE DECADES, it has been used as a storage room. It is in desperate need of repairs. A quote has been given for the cost to make the repairs to the dining room. This includes: removing all the old sinks and buying new ones and installing them/getting them operational; removing the old paint from the walls; ground coat of all walls; painting of all walls; removing the old windows which leak and are broken, buying new ones and installing them, replacing the doors and the lights and any other repairs that are needed to make the dining room functional. The total cost for this, which includes supplies and labor is $1,800

We have stepped out in faith and said, “People will step up and fund this” and the work to clear out the dining room has already started this week. 

2.) Adaptive high chairs are needed for the children with physical disabilities to sit in while in the dining room
. These can be purchased for $60-100 each. Due to the fact that there are many children with CP and other disabilities that physically limit the children’s movement, several adaptive high chairs are going to be needed in order to accommodate all the children.
$3,000 could renovate the dining room AND provide 12 adaptive high chairs so that EVERY CHILD at Pleven could be brought out of their crib and down to the dining room for meals.

If you'd like to make a donation toward the dining room renovation project, tax deductible donations can be made through Eli Project for the PMF. 
Additional needs:
The orphanage needs several gait trainer walkers for use with the children. These walkers support the children’s chest while working with them on building strength and mobility. These are especially important for the older children. Dr. Georgieva is currently pricing gait trainer walkers and donations will be accepted to cover the purchase of these as well. 
The final recommendation from the University doctor who has done the PT evaluations is the purchase of four specific therapy devices to be used on the children with CP, paralysis and those with disabilities that cause respiratory or lung issues. The total cost for these 4 devices, including a 2 year warranty on each device, transportation/shipping cost to get them from Sofia (where they have to be purchased from) and training on how to use the devices for the staff is $5, 200. If you'd like to make a donation toward the purchase of these devices, you can do so through the PMF.
Just as a general update on how the money from the PMF has been spent to date: Children from the orphanage are continuing to go to Tokuda for evaluations and treatment. Surgeries are being performed, children are being fitted for orthopedic shoes and splints (and these are being purchased through the PMF), blood tests, genetics test, metabolic tests, CT scans, lenses for cataract surgeries and any other medically necessary procedures are being done. Dr. Georgieva has also found doctors at the University Hospital in Pleven that are willing to provide some treatments and testing for the children at a reduced price. This option is being explored as a possibility to meet some more of the immediate needs and the medical expenses for some of the younger children that are not suffering from malnutrition and only need immediate medical care/testing, so that travel to Sofia is not required.  There is $20,600 remaining in the PMF as of the end of last week. 
Now that the medical needs of the children are being met and the nutritional needs are being addressed, Dr. Georgieva has begun looking forward to what her DREAM is for the orphanage. We asked her for her “wish list” and this is what she said:
1.) Renovating the day center, which is where the Babas and caregivers take the children to play by adding new educational toys and learning items that have a specific purpose in improving the development of the children.
2.) A sensory room
3.) A physical therapy ROOM (renovating the current space): to be equipped with a ball pit, floor to ceiling mirrors and other items used specifically for motor development.
4.) Oxygen treatment equipment for the children with severe medical needs that require oxygen in order to live. 

 Just as a side note to these "dream" items and how many children would benefit from them, since we are often asked how many children currently live in this particular orphanage:
The orphanage has 3 different "sections" that fall under Dr. Georgieva's care. One section is what most people typically think of as a "baby orphanage"...the place where orphans from birth to age 3-4 live until they are old enough to be transferred on to the "older child orphanage" in Pleven. The second section is the older children with special needs. This is why there are older children at this orphanage. These children all have some type of medical issue or more serious special need and they stay in this section at Pleven instead of being transferred to an institution. The third section is a mother and child section. Here, mothers come with their newborns and live there. They learn how to care for their child and have the child's physical and medical needs met. The goal of this section of the orphanage is to teach these mothers how to meet the needs of their new baby. Sadly, Dr. Georgieva reports that many of these mothers still end up leaving their babies at the orphanage. Thankfully, Bulgaria has a very active domestic adoption program, so the newborns who are healthy are adopted very quickly. The babies with special needs stay at the orphanage longer. Those with more significant special needs that are rejected by Bulgarian families for adoption are eventually registered for international adoption. Since there are 3 different sections to this orphanage, MANY children would benefit from all the proposed changes to the orphanage. 
We are THRILLED to see so many positive changes happening at Pleven. The need is still great and there is still much work to be done. There are several projects that will need funding over the next year and we are praying that people will step out and offer the financial support needed to see this complete overhaul of the conditions at this orphanage come to fruition. It is a BIG job, but it can be done with the prayer and support of many. 
I have debated sharing this part of the update that I received, but I believe that it is just as important as all of the rest: We are asking for those who believe accordingly to PRAY for Dr. Georgieva and the work that she is doing. MANY changes have been made and much work has been done. Not everyone is happy with what she is doing. There are people who thought that nothing was wrong with the previous conditions at Pleven. There are many who still think that the children are not worth it. There are those standing in the background watching...and hoping that Dr. Georgieva fails at what she is doing. She still faces opposition to the changes. SHE IS IN THE TRENCHES fighting for the children of Pleven and she needs the prayers of Christians to lift her up as she continues the fight.  Even if you can not provide a monetary donation toward all the projects happening at Pleven, you can pray for the director, for the children and for all the good things that are in the works to come to fruition so that the CHILDREN of Pleven reap the benefits of all that is being done. 
As a final recap, the current needs through the PMF are:
1.) The remainder of the funds for the vehicle- $1,133
2.) The dining room renovation: $1,800
3.) Adaptive high chairs for the dining room: $1,200
4.) Physical therapy equipment: $5,200
As quickly as these financial needs are met, we will begin working with Dr. Georgieva on her "dream" list!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Christmas 2012 Hosting

New Horizons for Children advocates for the orphan by seeking older children from Latvia and Ukraine, and soon to be China, to come stay with American host families for 4 - 6 weeks in the summer and at Christmas.  The deadlines for Christmas 2012 are November 1st for Latvia and November 1st, or November 12th for some, for Ukraine.



Friday, October 19, 2012

SHEDS, CAGES, BEDS AND CRIBS

What happens to orphans who aren't adopted?  Well, it depends.  Sometimes they are shown the door at 16.  Told to fend off life on their own.  Without intervention, upon leaving the orphanage, 60% of girls will end up in prostitution, 70% of boys will be on the streets or in jail, and 15% will commit suicide within the first two years on their own.
Image from New Horizons for Children

In some countries, orphans that have not be chosen are transferred to adult mental institutions at age 5. Like little Sonny.  Among an adult population, they can be beaten, molested, left hungry.
Sonny after being transferred
Sonny before being transferred














Sometimes they are put in cages....yep, cages.  Julia over at Micah 6:8, spent 6 weeks in Ukraine, a requirement when adopting from Ukraine.  Please head over to her blog to read what she witnessed.  Her newly adopted son, Aaron, was living in an institution where sheds, cages, beds and cribs were used to contain the children.   Then when they age out of that "institution" there is an adult version. 
Boorie Ooglie, a men's institution, where those prone to running or violence are kept in cages






Boorie Ooglie, a men's institution, sheds for those who can't run
There is a ministry going on now, to help raise funds to purchase 200 fruit trees for the men at Boorie Ooglie.  You can read more about that project and purchase an apple tree for $5 on Natalie's blog, My Ukrainian Mission of Love.

There is so much need it can be overwhelming.  But no one is being called to do it alone.  Pray, share, give, adopt.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Six more to yell for!

Keith used to wait for someone to love him...
Keith before leaving the orphanage, 5 years old,  and 12 pounds
'But now, after just about 7 weeks home, this is our 5 year old Keith -- up to 21 pounds, full cheeks, crawling, sitting up on his own, standing if he holds on to something, laughing, loving, full of life and spunk, beautiful!!' (follow the Unroe's story at http://godsrainbowsinourlives.blogspot.com/)
What a difference that love made!  Now please consider the little ones that are still waiting in Gemma's orphanage...

 Harvey DOB: 2009

Diagnosis: Congenital anomaly of the central nervous system; Prosencephaly; Microcephalus; Symptomatic epilepsy; Spastic quadric paresis; Facial dismorphism
Harvey has a lot of complex medical needs. He’s currently tube fed to receive nutrition. Details on his medical condition and development are coming soon.

Theodore DOB: 2002

Diagnosis: spastic diplegia cerebral palsy (only effects lower body), severe malnutrition, lagging behind in all aspects of development.
Theodore has spent his life in an orphanage where he’s received very little care for his physical, mental or emotional needs. He’s recently been hospitalized several times to address some of his medical needs.
Theodore is 10 years old. He has CP and due to a lack of therapy, he does currently have contractures in some of his joints. Though he is 10 years old, he currently only weighs 36 pounds. His medical reports indicates that he can stand, feed himself with a spoon, makes sounds but isn’t yet talking, understands everything that is said to him, engages adults appropriately (shakes hands) and plays with toys. He’s described as a very happy little boy.
Additional photos are available for interested families.

Chad DOB: 2003

Diagnosis: delays in all aspects of development
Chad has lived his entire life in an orphanage where he has received very little medical care, therapy,education or intervention to help him to learn and grow. He’s very small for his age and delayed in all aspects of his development. In June 2012, he tested positive for TB and has been taking medication to treat it.
Additional photos and a video are available.

Kramer DOB: 2004

Diagnosis: Cerebral Palsy
Kramer has lived his entire life in an orphanage where he has received very little medical care, therapy, interventions or attention. As a result, he’s significantly delayed in all aspects of his development. He is extremely small for his age, weighing just 25 pounds at 8 years old. In June 2012, he was hospitalized for evaluation and orthopedic medical intervention. A tenotomy was performed in the pelvic area to assist in his ability to better use his legs.
Kramer needs a family willing to provide the physical therapy and other medical/developmental care that he needs in order to reach his full potential. He’s never been given the opportunity to learn or do anything other than lie in a crib all day.
Additional photos of Kramer are available.

Garnet DOB: 2002

Diagnosis: Cerebral Palsy- quadriplegic
Garnet is 10 years old. She has spent her entire life in a crib. She can move her head and her upper body some. She is aware of everything going on around her and will follow activities with her eyes/head. She turns her head to look when people are talking. She can hold onto toys when they are given to her. She smiles at people when they talk to her and responds positively to touch.
She eats blended food from a bottle, though she is learning to eat from a spoon.
Additional photos and videos from August 2012 of Garnet are available.

UPDATE: Penny has a family!! You can read their story at http://www.zingermama.blogspot.com/
Penny is 11 years old.  She weighs 21 lbs!  She also has spent her life in the crib and she has cerebral palsy.  She has been neglected and forgotten but still smiles for the camera!  There are additional pictures and a video of her if you contact Shelley Bedford at shele337@gmail.com with interest in making her your little one.

All of these children need families to RUN for them. Their files will be going back to their country in days! Penny's file has already returned. That means that other than by word-of-mouth, no one is advocating for them. We don't want their country to think that are truly unwanted! Pray, Share, Donate, Adopt!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

While We are Waiting...

Well, we are waiting on the State department now to apostille our FBI clearances.  That is the last item for our dossier.  Then away it will go.  After they arrive in Bulgaria, it will take at least 5 weeks to hear about  a travel date. I am not sure how far in advance travel dates are offered, so it maybe into the new year before we travel.  The time frame that we are thinking she will be home keeps slipping.  I am trying to remain without expectations, and then be grateful for the time God chooses to make it happen.

In the meantime, we are fundraising through several small companies or individuals that offered to help.

Susan Godfrey is doing an online tupperware fundraiser for us through October 5th.
http://www.facebook.com/events/144866132325452/

Wild Olive Tees has chosen us to be a featured family for their adoption fundraising program.  Wild Olive Tees is an online store for t-shirts for women and children.  The t-shirts all have beautiful graphics along with  an inspiring bible verse.  We need to sell 15 t-shirts to qualify for the fundraising program.  Starting with the 15th t-shirt sold $7.50 will be donated to Gemma's adoption fund.  The t-shirts are such a nice way to express faith that we will just do what we can, and if we make some money to cover some costs, all the better!

Wild Olive Adoption Fundraiser Tees

Our family code for ordering is BROWN927.

This code  MUST be used when checking out for it to benefit Gemma's adoption! During the checkout process, there will be a coupon code option under the shopping cart. Click on that box and it will open the coupon code field up in the left hand corner. That is where the code is applied.  This code will NOT provide a discount on the Adoption fundraiser Tees, it will be used solely to help track sales for our Fundraising efforts.