An Ohio family adopted an orphan from Uganda in 2016, but they quickly discovered a heartbreak for which no one could have been ready.
Adding a fifth child to their group, Ohioans Jessica and Adam Davis set out on a mission to aid an orphan. According to their investigation, Uganda has one of the highest percentages of orphaned children worldwide. As a result, they made contact with the Ohio-based adoption firm EAConsultants and began their almost $60,000 journey.
The New Girl They've Hired
After a year of paperwork and waiting, Namata, affectionately referred to as Mata, was finally there. Her records revealed that she had never attended school and had been neglected and starved by her mother. Her father passed away in the interim. Thus, it appeared to everyone that the Davis family was providing a starving orphan with a better life. The pair sensed something was wrong, though, and they would eventually come to understand what that uneasy sensation was all about.
Pieces of the Puzzle Fit Together
Mata took up English fast, but someone who had never been to school before might have found it more challenging. The initial indication that the orphan might not have really been an orphan.
When Mata had enough English to relate her story, things started to fall into place for the family. She would talk about how she and her original mother had spent a lot of time together with her new family. With joy, Mata related stories of how she and her mother would go to church, cook, and walk to school together.
The Orphan and Her Mother's Reunion
The 6-year-old girl from Uganda wasn't abandoned. Her new family was now working to reunite the girl with her birth parents. Through a Skype call, Mata was able to meet her brand-new baby sister.
Like all children, Mata was curious as to why her mother had abandoned her. The talk ended with Mata in tears, despite the excitement of meeting her mother for the first time in a year. She cried out incoherently, "My mom was tricked," several times.
Falling Prey to Scams
The mother of the orphan clarified that she hadn't planned for Mata to leave permanently. For a fantastic educational opportunity, Mata was actually only meant to be gone for a short while. She stated under oath on September 8th, 2016, "I had not realized that I had gone through a process to take away my parental rights completely." In addition, she had been misled into thinking that she would always play a role in her daughter's life. Jessica Davis, in contrast, was devastated and furious with herself for having "participated in taking a child from a loving family."
Misleadingly selling orphans
After learning about this story, CNN looked into it and discovered that many families had been mislead about the parents of their new relatives and that many of them weren't orphans at all. These kids were sold to unaware American families for about $15,000 each despite promises to their families that they would receive better schooling. Children make up about one-third of all identified victims of human trafficking, according to UNICEF.
Orphan protection laws
People have been bought and sold for generations just like any other type of property. But because people are living creatures, many nations have put regulations in place to stop this kind of abuse. Researching any opportunity in-depth before taking it is the most crucial thing someone can do to help stop this and other types of abuse.
Many people in underdeveloped nations look for opportunities that will lead to better lives. Every parent wants the best for their kids. Tragically, parents who are frantically trying to find a better way for their children often fall victim to con artists who deceive them into giving them up. Families unknowingly adopt orphans who have been wrongfully removed from their homes while this is happening.
An Objective for Change
An organization under the name of Reunite was established in 1987. Reuniting children who were unfairly orphaned with their biological families has always been their goal. They began as a little organization, recording about 70 cases of kidnapping each year. Since then, they have considerably expanded and are now engaged in conducting investigations, hosting fundraising events, and providing mediation for victims and their families.
According to Keren Riley, the project's founder, "vulnerable" women are frequently bereaved and have no other method of supporting their families. Sadly, she also says that a lot of the traffickers are members of the legal and educational professions. Furthermore, she claimed that because there is no word for "adoption" in Uganda, it is particularly simple to trick mothers there. Riley, speaking of Mata's village, said that "a villager-turned-trafficker made a pitch at a local church and managed to get seven children into the adoption circuit, including Mata, who was sent to a place called God's Mercy, about a four-hour drive away." Riley played a crucial role in reuniting Mata and her birth mother.
Stopping Fraud
At an orphanage, she was. Not a toy. When Jessica first met the orphan she thought would become her daughter, she noticed bars on the windows, she said. Unsurprisingly, this is not the adoption agency's first "scandal," as some former employees have admitted to "accepting bribes." People who want to adopt an orphan must therefore conduct extensive research. No matter how much faith you may have in an adoption agency or how exhausted you may be from the entire process, always verify the information.
Referrals are an excellent option when researching an agency. And always rely on your gut feeling. If anything seems strange, weird, uncomfortable, or "too good to be true," there is typically a valid reason to be concerned. You may not be aware of it yet!
In any case, becoming a parent is a demanding and stressful process. However, there are countless kids in need of loving homes all over the world.
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