Child Abandonment Overseas

[Strider]

I don't know how many people have heard the recent story of a minister that found six American children in an orphanage in Nigeria. For those who haven't, here's a quick rundown:

Apparently, a Texas woman adopted these six kids several years back. At some point, she decided to leave them all in the care of a friend of her husband's, who just so happened to live in Nigeria. So they went overseas and stayed with the guy for awhile, until he abandoned them to survive on their own.

Last April, a San Antonio minister was on a mission overseas and came across the kids. He noticed they had a distinctly Texan accent, and when he asked where they were from, the oldest responded "Houston". They rattled off Social Security numbers and everything, but the minister was truly convinced when he started singing the Star Spangled Banner and they followed along, hands on heart and everything.

They're back in the U.S. now, but they beat pretty large odds to get home safely. Among other things, they could've been sold into slavery and never seen or heard from again. The adopted mom hasn't been charged with anything (at least that I can remember), but it begs the question of why she pulled such a move in the first place.

Discuss.

[Dr Unne]

There are sick freaks in the world, yeah. I don't know how much can be discussed about them.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

I must say those children were exceptionally lucky to have found their way back.

[Strider]

I've been trying to find a link to an article about it, to no avail.

I guess she was collecting some amount of money for each child, even while they were in Africa. That might have something to do with it.

[nik0tine]

Africa is just a sad, sad place. They have children fighting wars. The children who are too small to handle a gun are putting the magazines in teh gun so the older children can kill faster, and more people, before they themselves are killed. It's jsut disgusting. Ive heard stories about how children venture off into the jungles at night so raiding parties don't kidnap them out of their bedrooms at night. Just a sad place, and this story is yet another thing that adds to it all. But no one cares.

[fire_of_avalon]

I guess she was collecting some amount of money for each child, even while they were in Africa. That might have something to do with it.

Actually this used to be a big problem within the US until the 1990's when the Federal Government started investigating things like that. A teacher of mine knew a young woman who had been adopted when she was nine or so, and after the adoption went through, her foster parents basically made her stay in her room except for during meal time and school time. She wasn't even allowed to shower. The reason for all of this? The foster parents got cash without having to do anything, as long as they could prove they were providing a "loving home".

Yeah, people suck.

[UltimateSpamGrover]

us Americans are caring so much about unnessesary fights with Iraq, most of us (generally speaking) dont care about Africa even though they have :

Civil Wars
Children as soliders
Whole Countries starving to death

its horrible

[nik0tine]

Don't Forget an aids epidemic that's killing MILLIONS.

[UltimateSpamGrover]

oh yeah, you can't forget that

[Shadow Nexus]

but the minister was truly convinced when he started singing the Star Spangled Banner and they followed along, hands on heart and everything.

Am I the only one that laughed with that part?

Ive heard stories about how children venture off into the jungles at night so raiding parties don't kidnap them out of their bedrooms at night. Just a sad place, and this story is yet another thing that adds to it all. But no one cares.

Ah, yes, also how children are sometimes forced to do things such as burring (Or however it's written) other children and families alive. And yet I find it terrible how the media never looks at Africa. It reminds me to some verses by the Catalan songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat, allow me to translate:

My name is Africa,
my name is Africa,
you look at me
and you don't see me,
or maybe you do not want
to see me,
or maybe where you are
you can't hear the begging
of my poor children,
that just as yours,
where given to birth by women.

My name is Africa,
Africa empty hands,
Africa big eyes,
Africa inflated belly,
Africa wire legs.


Hope it brightened your day!

[Strider]

Am I the only one that laughed with that part?

Hey, maybe, man, but that's what the article said.

[Shadow Nexus]

Hey, maybe, man, but that's what the article said.

Yeah, yeah, but just imagfine the scene:

Minister: Well, what if this kids are not American? I mean, they look American, they speak like Americans, and everyone knows kids don't tend to lie, or at least not over stuff like that.

Duding dude: Sir, try to think of something american.

Minister: Uhm...shall we make them eat fast food and see if they vomit or not?

Dude: No, sir, I think people in this country would kill for fast food, cause here we got...ah, yes, some imagine the food. Unless you are in the higher classes, then you do have a lot of food, and not fast one.

Minister: Then...something more American like....freedom!

Dude: Good idea, sir, think of something free.

Minister: Patriotic songs! They are like...the ultimate freedom! Every American likes to hear songs about how great his country is! Plus, they claim to be from Texas, and we all know quality rednecks like Chuck Norris and Bush are from Texas.

Dude: You're a genious! Better than asking a lot of questions, after all, it would look like the Spanish Inquisition.

Inquisitors: HA! NO ONE EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION





And I could go on and on.

[Strider]

More notes related to this: The U.S. State Department knew of the children's presence in Nigeria for about a week and a half before anyone did anything.

Ladies and gentlemen, your government.

[DMKA]

Yeah...Africa is just messed up, and yet thats one of the few places the big world governments don't care to do anything about.

To me, it looks like the US Government is more or less waiting for AIDS and starvation to wipe out the population over time than try to help them. Sad, but at this rate thats whats gonna happen.

And then, the bulk of African orgin that will remain in healthy status are those that were dragged off their land forcefully to be slaves. Lovely.