Thinking of adopting a child in need from Bangladesh? MLJ Adoptions International can help! MLJ Adoptions, working in collaboration with an in-country attorney in Bangladesh, has successfully completed two adoptions, assisting families wishing to provide a home to a child in need from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is a densely populated country with 150+ million residents. Of the population, 31% live below the poverty line (2016). Seventy-three percent (73.5%) of the population who is employed, subsist on $1.90, or lower, per day of purchasing power. For every thousand (1,000) births, thirty-one (31) children die in infancy. Bangladesh is considered the country with the fourth largest orphan population, estimated at 4.8 million. One third of all children in Bangladesh are parentless, or at risk of losing their parents.*
This poverty rate in Bangladesh has fueled the number of orphaned children, with the current estimate of 4,000,000+ children currently homeless, parentless and living on the street. These children’s futures are bleak, with an estimated 110,000 dying annually from water-borne diseases, food borne illnesses or starvation.** The vulnerable orphaned population of children who have no families to protect them are also at high risk of being victims of crime, violence, and child trafficking. Those who manage to survive into adulthood face a bleak future of prostitution and criminal behavior. The recent Rohingya humanitarian crisis, with refugees pouring into Bangladesh, is fueling growth of these staggering orphan statistics, with over half of the Rohingya refugees estimated to be children.***
With many children in need of forever families, their only hope is through international adoption. Prospective adoptive parents, however, must meet certain criteria both in the U.S. and in Bangladesh. Families who are interested in pursuing an adoption of a Bangladeshi child, should meet the following qualifications. Qualifications include, but may not be limited to:
- At least one parent must be able to show Bangladeshi citizenship
- Married couples, where both parents are at least 24 years of age
- While there are no specific income requirements, adoptive parents must be able to show the Family Court their ability to feed, provide shelter, and educate the child
In Bangladesh, the Court awards guardianship, and not a full and final adoption. The final adoption is completed in the United States after the child arrives home, in your state of residence.
The startling statistics of children without families and protection in Bangladesh are dismal. Offering these children hope and family through international adoption is one answer. Whether you are seeking a primary provider to bring a child to the U.S. that you have already obtained guardianship of in Bangladesh, or you are seeking to adopt an unknown child in need, MLJ Adoptions can assist you.
For additional information please contact caitlin@mljadoptions.com or visit our website.
Photo Credit: Sudipta Arka Das
*http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/11-countries-with-highest-orphan-population-406120/?singlepage=1
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_children_in_Bangladesh
*** https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-09-28/more-half-rohingya-refugees-bangladesh-are-kids-many-are-fleeing-myanmar-alone
Sonja Brown
Sonja Brown works as the International Program Director for MLJ Adoptions’ programs in Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti and Samoa. Sonja is also proud to work directly with our Individualized Country Program families who are adopting from countries where no adoption service providers currently operate.
Sonja Brown
Sonja Brown works as the International Program Director for MLJ Adoptions’ programs in Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti and Samoa. Sonja is also proud to work directly with our Individualized Country Program families who are adopting from countries where no adoption service providers currently operate.