A six-year-old boy's life was permanently changed in a wonderful and emotional moment as he happily welcomed the news of his adoption. The poignant scenario portrayed the joy and pleasure of finding a permanent family. Finding a loving and permanent family remains a pipe dream for many foster children. However, that goal became a reality for one young kid, bringing joy and smiles to all who watched the poignant scene. 

This is the best reaction to being adopted you'll ever see. 

Harvey, six, of Smithfield, North Carolina, had been with his foster parents, Brian and Megan Raby, since he was two. Harvey's happiest place was, without a doubt, their home. However, like any foster child, he had an unspoken desire to know he had a permanent family. 

Fortunately, his foster parents shared his feelings towards Harvey. As a result, they secretly agreed to adopt him. They informed him of the wonderful news after it was official, and his reaction was amazing!

Humankind's Facebook page has shared the video, which is surely a watch for everyone. The clip is captioned by saying, 'When you come home, you come home. A foster child is overjoyed to learn that he has been adopted.'
 

Debra Lynn Murphy-Scheumann, 66, of Spring Hill, passed away on October 20, 2020 at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

She was born on July 27, 1954 to Kenneth and Beverly (Shaffer) Murphy in Newton, Iowa. She was the second child born into the family. As a child she was raised with her family around Dike, Iowa, where she received her high school diploma. She would later receive a Bachelor and Master’s Degree from the University of Northern Iowa. Debra held many hats during her working years and all those occupations included helping others. She was a nurse, magistrate, social worker, professor, director of several non-profit organizations and eventually founded a non-profit organization called Special Additions, Inc. Debra truly had a heart of gold and loved children and wanted all children to have a family. In September of 1993 she opened Special Additions, an adoption agency that specialized in special needs and international adoptions. During her time at Special Additions, Debra served as Executive Director and placed over 850 children in forever homes. She also served on a National Board where she would travel to Washington, DC to advocate for the children. She opened children’s homes in Romania (Deb’s House) and Moldova. In September of 2001, she received the Angel in Adoption Award which meant the world to her. Debra and her husband Brent were also foster parents to many children over a 20 year time span.

Debra married Brent Scheuman on June 4, 1983. Debra’s family meant the world to her and it is evident that she instilled the importance of family in her own family.

Debra leaves behind her loving husband, Brent; 4 daughters, Guri (Samuel) Sanders, Charity (Jeff) Bennett, Allison Scheumann, and Georgianna Pahon; 7 sons, Shannon (Brianna) Morrow, Joshua (Julie) Morrow, Austin Scheumann, Alex Scheumann, Derek Scheumann, Kyle Scheumann and Lukas Scheumann; loving mother; Beverly Murphy; one sister, Pamela (Gary) Stumberg; one brother, Kent (Vicki) Murphy; 2 brother-in-laws, Todd (Traci) Scheumann and Brian Scheumann; 13 grandchildren, Josh, Kirsten, Audrey, Nathan and Sydney Bennett; Erik, Gabe, Leo Sanders; Addison, Caden and Brynley Morrow; Brody and Landen Morrow; and so many more family and friends.

Deb is preceded in death by her loving father, Kenneth Murphy and her grandparents Lester and Bertine Shaffer and Loren and Gladys Murphy.

A memorial service will be held for the family on November 6th at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Leawood, Kansas.

A celebration of life will be held on November 7th from 2:00-7:00 pm at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Leawood, Kansas. This will be open to the public.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to contribute to a memorial bench at the Overland Park Arboretum for family and friends to remember Debra. In addition, additional monies will be donated to TLC, a foster care organization that Brent and Deb used to help many foster children. Please send any memorials to Brent Scheumann 19712 Norton St., Spring Hill KS 66083-8448, or:
PayPal: DebMemorialFund@hotmail.com
Venmo: @Brent-Scheumann



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Penwell-Gabel - Funeral Home (913-768-6777) is assisting the family

Hello, Issue 12/ June 2023 IACN QUARTERLY Catch up on the latest updates on webinars, trainings and conferences from our network Updates from the Field Learnings and experience shared by our fellow members Events and Announcements + Role of Master Trainers in Transforming Family-Based Alternative Care in India | Minu Kumari, DCPU, Purnea District, Bihar Voices from the Field Strengthening Communities, Preventing Family Separation | Anita Sinha, Child in Need Institute Railway Children India’s Early Gatekeeping Efforts | Lopamudra Mullick, Railway Children India Case Study: Aftercare Group Homes at Snehalaya | Joyce Connolly, Snehalaya Kinship Care to Ensure Safe Childhood in Gujarat- Meenal’s Story | Shilpa Vaishnav, Samvedna Trust, Hemalee Leuva and Muhammed Afsal.K.K, UNICEF, Gujarat Family-based Care Solutions through Foster Care | Dr. Shilpa Mehta, Devashish Mishra and Shivani Singhvi, Foster Care Society Bal Panchayat (Children's Parliament): The Journey of Child Participation in the Community-Level Prevention Project in Gujarat | Sonal Chauhan and Geeta Desai, Miracle Foundation India Ensuring Child Participation: Assessment Tool for Children in Residential Care | Gurneet K. Kalra, Udayan Care Faith for Children - Stories of Inspiration from Tamil Nadu | Changing the Way We Care Team, Catholic Relief Services Webinar: Gatekeeping as a Systematic Process: Preventing Child’s Separation |IACN andMiracle Foundation India Advancing Family Strengthening and Family-Based Alternative Care: Key Outcomes of the Deliberation Meeting with Stakeholders| Miracle Foundation India Graduation and Induction Event - Learning in Fellowship Together | Udayan Care 5th Biennial International Conference on Alternative Care for Children in Asia (BICON) | Udayan Care UNICEF/UN0377847 PHOTO CREDITS: RAILWAY CHILDREN INDIA Assessment of Strategies to Develop Resilience in Children in a Residential Child Care Model of India ‘Kinship Care in India- A Case Study Documentation Dear Colleagues, We are happy to bring to you the 12th issue of the IACN Quarterly. It covers a range of family-based care interventions focused on facilitating the participation of children and strengthening gatekeeping mechanisms in the rural and urban contexts. Another write-up highlights work with faith-based organisations in protecting children and improving outcomes for families in need. The case studies demonstrate the effective implementation of non-institutional forms of alternative care, such as kinship care, foster care and aftercare in rehabilitating children without parental ties. The issue also brings out the role of Master Trainers in transforming family-based alternative care in India. Please check the Events and Announcements section to read about the webinar organised by IACN and Miracle Foundation India on Gatekeeping as a Systematic Process and important upcoming events. We appreciate everyone who helped make this newsletter edition possible. If you wish to share resources or information for the IACN website or quarterly or would like to discuss any issues of mutual concern, please reach out to us at iacnsecretariat@iacn.in. We look forward to your continued support. Sincerly, IACN Secretariat

(Key Findings at a Glance)

Report : India

Submitted to :
National Commission for
Protection of Child Rights,
th 5 Floor, Chanderlok Building,
36, Janpath,
New Delhi – 110001

It seems clear that adoption law reform won’t be a priority before the October general election. This will be bitterly disappointing for many New Zealanders.

Despite some significant progress, the Ministry of Justice has revised its timeline for delivering final proposals from the first half of this year to “in due course”. This means there is still no clear end in sight to what has already been a prolonged and frustrating process.

Most importantly, those touched by adoption – including extended families – continue to feel the enduring effects of the antiquated and outmoded Adoption Act 1955.

At the heart of the need for reform lies the “closed” form of adoption the law introduced. This has meant those adopted between 1955 and 1985 were prohibited from knowing their biological parents and family.

It wasn’t until the passing of the Adult Adoption Information Act in 1985 that adopted people (aged 20 or above) gained the right to seek identifying information about their biological parents.

Hundreds of traumatised children are thought to have lost their families in disaster

People in western Libya have rallied round to provide care and breastmilk for young children orphaned by the devastating floods that hit the coastal city of Derna on 10 September.

Hundreds of traumatised babies and young children are thought to have lost their parents in Derna, where whole neighbourhoods were wiped out after two dams broke.

“Infant children do not wish to use artificial feeding bottles, which forced us to search for breastfeeding mothers,” said Mona Alashi, a volunteer.

Nawal Alghazal, a 62-year-old resident of Benghazi, has started a campaign to collect breastmilk from women already breastfeeding their own children and distribute it to children whose mothers are dead or missing.

Inhoud Inleiding...............................................................................................................3 1. Missie/ visie .....................................................................................................4 1.2 Doelstelling ................................................................................................4 1.3 Strategie .....................................................................................................5 2. Huidige situatie ................................................................................................6 2.1 Activiteiten van de organisatie ....................................................................6 3. Toekomst.........................................................................................................7 3.1 Voorbeelden en ontwikkelingen ..................................................................7 4. Organisatie.......................................................................................................8 4.1 Bestuur .......................................................................................................8 4.2 Werknemers................................................................................................8 4.3 Organisatiestructuur ...................................................................................9 5. Financiën........................................................................................................10 5.1 Begroting..................................................................................................10 5.2 Uitgangspunt............................................................................................12 5.3 Beheer en besteding .................................................................................12

Alison Christiana was able to track down her history with the help of Banet, a group of Korean women supporting and helping Korean adoptees

Alison Christiana, aged 40, is being reunited with her family 38 years after she was sent to the US for adoption at the age of 2.
Christiana said Wednesday she was planning to visit Cheongju, a city in North Chungcheong Province, the next day to be reunited with her older brother. She managed to ultimately locate her family with the help of Cheongju municipal officials.

Christiana, who works as a photographer in California, has visited Korea twice since 2008 in the hope of tracking down her family.

Born in 1983, Christiana stayed at North Chungcheong Hope Center, a now-closed orphanage in Cheongju, from May to October 1985. That November, she was sent to the US for adoption. The only adoption record in her possession listed her name as Lee Ja-yeong.

After various attempts to find her family turned up nothing, Christiana got in touch with Banet, a group that helps adoptees find their roots. Banet in turn asked the city of Cheongju for assistance.

NAVI MUMBAI: A newborn girl was found in a duffle bag. She was abandoned by a masked man in the common passage of Laxmi Hospital and fitness club in Ghansoli on Friday.
The incident has been captured by the CCTV camera. The baby’s cries were heard by the gym members who informed the owner and summoned the Koparkhairne police. Since the baby was alive, the cops took her to NMMC hospital, Vashi for a medical check-up. All health parameters were normal, the cops kept her at the NGO Vishwa Balak Kendra in Nerul.
 

An FIR has been registered against the baby's mother and the masked man who abandoned her.
Constable Priti Nehe said, “I am willing to adopt the abandoned girl child.”

Sushant Parte, gym instructor said, “I want to adopt the abandoned girl child and shall follow the legal process.”

We also published the following articles recently

 

Jharkhand: Abandoned child gets new home and family in Italy In a historic move, an adoption agency in Jharkhand's Dumka has granted international adoption for the first time in the district. An Italian couple, residing in Italy, has adopted a child whom the mother and family had rejected. The couple, who had been trying to have children for years, registered on a website and went through all the necessary legal procedures to bring the child back to Italy. This is the 18th inter-country adoption from Dumka since 2018.103747215

No HC relief for 2 abandoned girls in med seat quota The Bombay High Court has refused to direct the Directorate of Medical Education and Research to consider two abandoned girls for admission to undergraduate medical courses under the 1% horizontal reservation quota. The court stated that granting interim relief would deprive other orphans of seats in the medical courses. The petitioners argued that the government resolution discriminated between orphans and abandoned children, violating the Right to Equality. The court rejected the interim application and stated that the issues raised would require further examination at the final hearing.103770616

A growing number of Indian couples are specifically requesting to adopt girls, according to adoption agencies in the country. Data from the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) shows that more girls are being adopted compared to boys. Some couples believe that daughters are more caring and attached to their families, while others want to challenge the traditional preference for male children.

Pune-based couple Protima Sharma and Shyne Kochuveed wanted to have one biological child and a second via adoption. When they were unable to conceive, the doctor suggested they go for in-vitro fertilisation. But the 30-somethings decided they would go for adoption right away. While filling the adoption registration form in 2015, they opted for a girl child — the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) which oversees adoptions in India allows parents to state a gender preference or remain neutral. Soon, they brought home a three-month-old baby girl and named her Ivanka.
In 2017, they registered for another adoption and once again ticked the box for ‘girl child’. After a wait of two years, they became proud parents to threemonth-old Verushka. “Friends and family members were surprised. They would ask us why we didn’t ask for a boy, at least this time around, to complete our family. But we didn’t feel the need to defend our choice. I would tell them, ‘this is our complete family’,” says Sharma.
Sharma and Kochuveed are among a small but growing number of Indian couples who prefer a girl child. A look at CARA’s statistics show that more girls are being adopted compared to boys. In 2021-22, 1,698 girls were adopted as op posed to 1,293 boys. While these figures also reflect an unfortunate reality — more girls are being abandoned and, therefore, landing in the adoption pool, senior officials in CARA and adoption counsellors in cities say they have witnessed an uptick in the proportion of parents who specifically ask for a girl child. “Over the past three years, we have observed that seven out of 10 couples who register for adoption opt for a girl child while filling the form. The other three are neutral and open to a child of either gender but when you ask them what their heart desires, two still say they yearn for a girl. Only one couple would perhaps say, ‘I would like a boy’,” says Sunil Arora, executive director of Bal Asha Trust, which is one of the leading adoption centres in Mumbai.
Arora, who counsels parents considering adoption, points out that while earlier this trend was seen only in urban centres, now a sizeable number of parents from smaller towns is also asking for girl children. This is heart-warming considering India has a long-standing obsession with ‘raja betas’, especially in the more patriarchal north where daughters are considered a ‘burden’ (thanks to dowry culture) and sons, a ‘boon’ as they take over the family business and produce heir/heirs who carry forward the family name.
 

Smriti Gupta, co-founder of a non-profit called ‘Where are India’s Chil dren’ which aims to change the mindset about adoption, says the landscape of adoption has changed in a big way. “Now, a lot of families adopt out of choice, and not because they are unable to have a biological child and have exhausted all possible medical treatments. They want to become ‘parents’ and are less fixated on gender,” says Gupta.
Some feel that daughters are more caring and attached to their families. “Others fear that a boy may not take the news that he was adopted positively when he is a little older and may not care for his parents,” says Parul Agrawal, founder of the Adoption Action Group, a support group for prospective adoptive parents. She adds that a few families also feel that if they are “elevating the lifestyle” of an orphan, they would rather help a girl. “We have a history of believing that looking after a kanya gets you more punya; agar savarni hai to ladki ki zindagi savaro,” she says.