Foreign NGO Urges Filipinos To Adopt Disadvantaged Children

An official of a foreign non-governmental organization (NGO) on Wednesday asked Filipino parents to legally adopt disadvantaged children who are in the custody of the government or private institutions.

Esekias B. Malaga, President of Albert Schweitzer Familienwerk Work Foundation Philippines, Inc.(ASFWFPI), a Germany based NGO, made this request during the Kapihan sa PIA held at the PIA office.

Malaga said he noticed that some of the Filipino children taken cared by their facility in Cebu City are mostly adopted by foreigners.

“This should not be the case because we Filipinos are known to be the most loving and kind-hearted people,” Malaga said.

According to Malaga they have 62 children now in their facility known as children’s haven available for adoption.

This is aside from those who are in the community level taken cared by private people which existence are also funded by their office.

He recalled that last year only 3 of the 45 children in their custody where legally adopted by the local parents and the rest were taken cared by foreigners.

Some of the foreign parents who usually negotiating their office for adoption are coming as far as from Australia, Canada, Europe, United Sates of America and more than 30 other Western countries.

“Maybe its because foreigners can easily pay the adoption payments,” he said.

Malaga said that for anybody who want to adopt a child should have enough amount of money as much as P50,000 for a lawyer’s fee who will represent to court for petition for legal adoption of a child.

“Maybe this is the reason why some of Filipinos are not inclined to make legal adoption of children who are adoptable at the government and private institutions,” Malaga said.

He said some of the children who are turned over to their office were coming from different sources and locations who are either abandoned in the hospital and other areas by their biological parents.

Others are totally orphan and surrendered to their office without any cost by other people who knows their capability of handling children without parents.

Some of these disadvantaged children are in the different age level with 19 years old as the eldest, and 3 years old as the youngest.

Unlike the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) which operations in taking care of children without parents are funded by the government, the ASFWFPI is only funded by Albert Schwitzer, a German national who loved much these kind of unlucky children.

ASFWFPI is only operating here in Cebu City as center for children who are left behind by their biological parents.