All Children Deserve to Feel Safe -

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"Suffer the Children to Come unto Me"

Please help CAICW Advocate, Educate, Assist, and Defend

http://www.firstgiving.com/caicw/Event/AdoptionRetainerFund

Deborah Maddox, acting Director of the BIA Office of Tribal Services in 1993, once said Congress intended the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)

“to protect Indian children from removal from their tribes and to assure that
tribes are given the opportunity to raise Indian children in a manner which
reflects the unique values of Indian culture."

Advocates of ICWA point to the devastation suffered by children of tribal heritage when, years ago, they were forcefully removed from homes they loved and forced to stay at boarding schools. The trauma those children and families experienced was, indeed, devastating.

However, in the implementation of the ICWA, the exact same thing has been happening to children in reverse. What has to be acknowledged is that we live in a migratory, multi-cultural society. This means that many children who fall under the jurisdiction of the Indian Child Welfare Act have more than one heritage, and many times are predominantly of another heritage, and/or have family who not only haven’t any connection to the Indian Reservation, but have specifically chosen not to participate in the reservation system.

Though some argue that ICWA has safeguards to prevent misuse, scores of multi-racial children have been negatively affected by its application. Letters from birth parents, grandparents, foster families, and pre-adoptive families concerning their children hurt by misapplication of ICWA can be read at ~ http://www.caicw.org/familystories.html

There is no inborn difference between persons of tribal heritage and other persons. Any emotionally healthy child, no matter their heritage, will be devastated when they are taken from their familiar homes and forced to live with strangers.

Even children of 100% tribal heritage can be devastated if taken from the only home they know and love, no matter the heritage, and placed into a home they know nothing about.

In the words of Dr. William Allen, former Chair, US Comm. On Civil Rights (1989) and Emeritus Professor, Political Science MSU;

“... We are talking about our brothers and our sisters. We’re talking about what happens to people who share with us an extremely important identity. And that identity is the identity of free citizens in a Republic…" (Re: The Indian Child Welfare Act, September 20, 2008, Wahkon, MN)

Consequent to this Congressional error in understanding the practical aspects of the ICWA, dozens of adoptions are held up every year. Some of these adoptive homes have had the children since infancy and are the only homes the children know. However, even simple adoptions can be expensive and many families aren’t prepared for this additional impediment. Time and again families have contacted the Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare (CAICW) to ask for help because they don’t have the funds needed to hire attorney’s to defend their children. Some families, after mortgaging their homes and having nothing else to use, have been forced to give up the fight for their children.

- Children have been removed from safe, loving homes and been placed into dangerous situations by Social Services.
- Some Indian and non-Indian families have felt threatened by tribal government.
- Some have had to take out additional mortgage on their homes and endure lengthy legal processes in attempt to protect their children.
- Equal opportunities for adoption, safety and stability are not available to children of all heritages.
- The Constitutional right of parents to make life choices for their children, for children of Indian heritage to associate freely, and for children of Indian heritage to enjoy Equal Protection has in many cases been denied.

Saturday, November 20, 2010 is National Adoption Day. Support Families nationally in defending their children from unreasonable impediment to their adoptions by helping raise $50,000 for ten $5000 Attorney retainer fees for ten Adoptive Families. These would be families that are in the midst of adopting children they have had physical custody of over a long term or from infancy, or stable ‘relative families’ attempting to retain or regain custody within the extended family – whether or not said family is enrollable with a tribe.

The “Fund Attorney Retainers for 10 Families” Drive begins on National Adoption Day, November 20, 2010 and ends on December 31, 2010. The Fund website can be found through FirstGiving.com at http://www.firstgiving.com/caicw/Event/AdoptionRetainerFund

The Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare (CAICW) has been advocating for families affected by the Indian Child Welfare Act since 2004 and is the only National org advocating for these families. Our advocacy is both Judicial and Legislative, as well as a prayer resource and shoulder to cry on.

Funds raised from this event will be used to assist up to 10 families in obtaining the legal assistance they need in order to complete their adoptions.

Additional informational links:


Legal and Constitutional concerns re: ICWA http://www.caicw.org/icw.html


Letters from Affected Families: http://www.caicw.org/familystories.html


ICWA Case Law: http://www.caicw.org/caselaw.html

#links

Christmas in a Mexican Children's Home

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Celebrating as a family didn't feel right after Roland died. So we decided not to. Instead, we drive to Juarez; to a children's home on the west side, built on a old dump, barbed wire surrounding it.

Jose had lost his market place in a fire a few months ago, and their family and the children's mission were having a very tight time because of it. I gave him the Bibles, computers, and monetary donation we had brought with, and told him we'd also be buying Christmas food. But as we visited our friends, we saw their needs were greater than we had expected.

We walked into Ines' home on Dec. 23 and saw that there was absolutely nothing in her small, cinderblock home for Christmas for her five children. We also learned that another woman, Sylvia, had only had a Christmas present once before in her life. This month, her husband was laid off of his job, and she was unable to work more than two days a week as a maid. (she used to work everyday for Jose's family, until the market burned and they couldn't afford to pay her every day).

Sylvia, with an 18 month old toddler, also had nothing for Christmas. And then, of course, there was Juventud, the children's home we were visiting. Many of the children teenagers did have relatives to visit for Christmas. But there were four still at the home, and they also had no gifts. Chuy's mother had died a few years ago and he had never known his father. Scott, (11 yrs old) had a father, but he was afraid to be with him because of drunkenness and beatings. He asked Jose if he could please stay at the home. (His dad did try to come and get him while we were there, and Scott was crying and begging to stay at Juventud. His dad finally left angrily.)

Jose also asked us if we would make it our mission (mine and my teenagers) during our stay to talk to Chuy, who is almost 18, and tell him the importance of living for Christ, because Chuy hadn't been walking with Jesus. He'd been somewhat disobedient lately, and Jose was worried that once Chuy turned 18, he'd leave and get into trouble. I was fine with what ever Jose asked us to do. I would serve any of his needs.

But then he asked for something unusual. He wanted our children to spend time with his own children just having fun. They asked our kids to stay up late one night just to play worship music together. I wasn't sure at first, thinking that this didn't sound like "mission work." Then I realized that it was. It was ministery to the mission director and his family. I had asked God to just show us what was needed and help us to fill the gaps. This is what Jose was saying was needed.

Anyway, our family enjoyed everything we had the opportunity to do while we were there.
Everyone came together at Jose's house for Christmas Eve. We had a wonderful time. My son did a "Little Drummer Boy" thing for them, and we sang Christmas carols, had tamales for dinner, and handed out the gifts we had brought them. Nothing huge, just small, nice things.

It was so wonderful. All my children were laughing - just enjoying watching the others open their gifts. None of them looked for anything for themselves under the tree. They understood. It was awesome to see them this way - happy with just being there to help.

Ines then invited the whole group for dinner at her house for Christmas the next day. She made a traditional soup and we bought a piñata and stuffed it with candy.

The final evening we were there, on the 26th, everyone met at Juventud con Vision for a chicken barbecue. Now Jose asked me to say something. Jose gathered everyone together before dinner and I read parts of Proverbs 4 to the youth. Then I told them Roland's story. I know it's not normal to tell someone else's story. But I wanted the children to know of God's presence on Roland's last day. I now had their full attention, and I reminded them that we are all going to die. I wanted them to know that we are all just sojourner's in this land, and the real life, the life that really matters, is with God's coming kingdom; the next life. It doesn't matter if we are rich or poor. All that matters is if we are serving Jesus. My son began crying quietly. When I was finished, you could feel God's presence. Jose then told me that he felt he should "do a calling", and he asked the youth how many wanted to recommit their lives to Christ. Hands shot up, including Chuy's.

It was a wonderful three days. Jose asked when we would be coming back, as did several others. I don't know! We do intend to go back, but I hadn't begun to think about when.

Once we were on the road home though, my daughter and I began talking. We had been surprised by the number of cars that needed relatively minor work to put them back on the road. No one in Jose's group does any kind of car mechanics. Jose didn't even know how to change the bulb in his tail light. She had gone to the store to help him buy the bulb to put in. We wished there had been more time so we could have changed a timing belt on an old van.

Next time, we'll go prepared to work on cars.
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