Teresa Said:

how to find sponsorship for an international non-profit organization?

We Answered:

Start with philantrophic organizations in your country. Contact and network with other non profits in Colombia, and ask for information on where they get funding sources

In the US, the leading philantrophy resource organization called Foundation Center has a section for international grantmaking by US foundations. Check their resources as they can provide you with information on US foundations that give to international non profits, as well as other sources in Latin America

http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/i…

Mark Said:

Why are there always so many "respectable" people caught in child sexual abuse and child pornography busts?

We Answered:

Because religion is one eff-ed up thing.
They are convinced they are "good people" and "loving" but they are really very hateful and discriminative. I mean, christians kill people all the time because they are convinced they are "doing the word of god" and saving that person. They're very contradictive and I have personally found religion to be a very dangerous thing for society. But then again, I guess christianity keeps the population down with all the killing of people they are convinced is the right thing to do.....

Beverly Said:

Can you be a diplomat for amnesty international and what requirements would you need?

We Answered:

Diplomats usually represent governments and certain international organizations which are recognized by treaty, such as the United Nations and the Red Cross/Crescent. They deal with the diplomats of other countries and do not investigate factories.

Employees of officious intermeddlers, such as Amenesty International, are not diplomats and do not have diplomatic immunity.

For information on working for this group, see its website. The more languages you know, the better.

Despite the danger and difficult working conditions, there is much competition for jobs with this group in the event that the language requirement for the position is not too unusual.

Marie Said:

Questions about adopting a child with a disability?

We Answered:

I adopted my son with Down syndrome 23 years ago when he was 3 years old as a single parent. As a person who was single and having a mild disability, I was required to be a foster parent before I was considered eligible to adopt. As it turns out I adopted the first child I was a foster parent to.

When you adopt your child they become your child - and health insurance coverage is same as for any child you would have given birth to.

When I adopted I was given a long list of characteristics a child might have - and I was allowed to say what I would not accept in my child. It was suggested I be open to as many possibilities as possible. I only said no to a child who had a mobility impairment as at the time I live in a 4th floor walk-up apartment in a NYC Brownstone I did not want to give up. I also said I preferred a girl as I was going to be a single mother. I know people with specific disabilities who wanted to specifically adopt a child with their disability and did so.

Home studies are very difficult to go through. They analyze everything about you. They check your credit, education, employment, friendships, and everything you can imagine. As far as I know nothing more is required is you want to adopt disabled children. The home study is completed long before any specific child is in mind - unless you are doing an arranged adoption and doing the home study after the fact. (Not recommended.)

In terms of social challenges there have not been many. Adopted children have often been abused or neglected and suffer lifelong effects from it. It is sometimes hard to deal with the stigma that gets attached to you on account of the fault of birth parents. My son was born addicted to cocaine and all of his medical providers and educators need to know this - and if they do not yet know he is adopted there is an immediate cold chill in the room and a different way of approaching me before they do.

Being an adoptive parent versus a birth parent of a disabled child sets you apart from one another in some ways. As an adoptive parent you don't go through the initial mourning period most birth parents go through when they discover their child is disabled. In a few years there is very little to no difference between an adoptive and birth parents.

How long you have to wait depends on numerous factors. Do you want an infant or a toddler, or an older child? Do you want a healthy child with a specific disability or are you more flexible? (Many children from other countries have easily correctable disabilities - like cleft palates.) Are you flexible about your child's race and/or nationality? I went the route of a domestic adoption because I wanted to know the child I adopted versus picking a child out of a book. (Although some people do find their child while on visits abroad.)

Being an adoptive parent changed my life and has given me more joy than I ever imagined possible.

Note to Luke: Who knows better than a person who lives with a specific disability how to raise a child with that disability? Raising children with disabilities requires a lot of extra knowledge and insight t - and this would already be present. One of the things most disabled (and gay) and some adopted kids live with is being outsiders within their own family - no one quite knows what it is like to be them but them.

Jacob Said:

Whats up with threats of jail for objecting to your child's vaccination because of possible health dangers?

We Answered:

It is the lessening of parents rights to be in control of their children's lives here in the US.
In some states it is a mandatory law for public schools, about the only way to avoid it is home schooling.
Blogs have freedom of speech it seems more so than those who say things in public. It does not mean however that it is the wave of the country.
Our nation still takes a stand when really rancored.
Remember, "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence" but when you get there it is often dead and brown!
America first!
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