The nation’s largest adoption agency reports that adoptions – international and domestic – have increased by 26 percent over last year.
Bethany Christian Services has also seen a 19 percent increase in families stepping forward to begin the adoption process this year.
Marc Andreas, vice president of marketing for Bethany, said, “People have been really touched by the tragedy in Haiti and witnessing the reality of the orphan crisis.”
Bethany has partnered with many organizations to promote adoption, including Focus on the Family and the MTV reality show “16 and Pregnant.”
In fact, one episode featured a Bethany birth mother who decided to place her baby with a family in North Carolina. “It was one of the most watched shows in all of MTV, on their network in 2009,” Andreas said.
Bill Blacquiere, president and CEO of Bethany, said while the numbers are encouraging, there’s more work to be done.
“The figures Bethany released show strong improvement as we confront the global orphan crisis,” he said, “but the need still remains as there are still an incredible number of orphaned children who wait for their ‘forever family’.
“It is our vision that every child has a loving family, so we are working to find new families and identify supportive local communities. We all must contribute to take measurable and immediate action in order to find more families who can provide loving homes.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Learn more about Bethany Christian Services.
Learn more about Focus on the Family’s “Wait No More®” adoption program.
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