World Adoption Day
Every year on November 9th, World Adoption Day encourages adoptees to share their stories. It's also a day for adoptive parents to connect with others and reflect on their adoption journey.
Adoption can be a wonderful way to become parents for couples experiencing the agony of infertility. However, there are several other groups of people who adopt children each year. They may be able to provide a home for a child in need. Or maybe a woman has a medical condition that makes it difficult to carry a baby. Some adopt because they are single but still want to have children.
On the other hand of the spectrum, there are several reasons why children are rejected for adoption. An unwed mother may feel she is too young to take responsibility for a child. A mother may find that they do not have enough funds to properly care for a child. Sadly, many children are in need of a home when one or both parents die.
While adoption is a wonderful process, it can also be sad to learn that the number of children in need of a home is in need of a home. According to the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), more than 150 million children around the world are in need of a home. This number includes the nearly half a million children who are in the US foster system.
How to celebrate #worldadoptionday
Many people affected by adoption are encouraged to draw a smiley face on their hand and take a snapshot each year. They will post their picture on social media to help raise adoption awareness. Both adoptees and adoptive parents will have the opportunity to share their personal adoption journeys on this day.
If you are affected by adoption or not, you can participate in the following ways:
- Become an ambassador for this day
- Donate to a family and help them with their adoption
- Learn about famous adoptees, including Babe Ruth, Eleanor Roosevelt, Melissa Gilbert, Steve Jobs, Leo Tolstoy, and Dave Thomas
- Meet the Robinsons, an adopted-themed film based on Disney's Tarzan, Lilo and Stitch, Annie
- Volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center that promotes adoption
With #WorldAdoptionDay, be sure to spread the word about this day on social media. #WorldAdoptionDay is a worldwide celebration.
The global adoption day is the first in history
In 2014, Hank Fortener founded World Adoption Day, which was held on Hank Fortener's World Adoption Day. Hank had also founded AdoptTogether, an adoption crowdfunding platform. He is hoping to raise funds for his cause to reduce the number of orphanages in the world and provide a family for every child.
