I thought my heart was broken a couple of years ago when I discovered Reece's Rainbow, and found out about the plight of so many children around the world.
I challenge you to look at the photos below and not have YOUR heart broken.
These children live in orphanages and mental institutions in Eastern Europe.
They are all available for adoption - these photos were taken at the place they live, especially for the adoption database.
Did they make ANY effort to make the children look nice for the photos ?
Do they have ANY expectations that anyone would actually want to adopt them ?
Do you see the neglect ? The abuse ?
They didn't even try to hide it.
I cannot express how I feel about these pictures.
Or the people who took them. The people who "care" for these children.
How can we stand by and let this happen ????
See the last few pictures ?
See the bars ?
These kids are in CRIBS.
They LIVE in the cribs.
These children are teenagers.
Confined to cribs for life.
Abused, neglected, starved.
All because they were born with Down Syndrome.
IS your heart broken yet ??
Reece's Rainbow is an organisation that advocates and raises money for children with Down Syndrome and other special needs around the world.
Please, if you have a heart, go to their web site, have a look around, and see how you can help.
You cannot help them all.
None of us can.
But can you make a difference to just ONE ??
While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean.As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water.He came closer still and called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”The old man smiled, and said, “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, “But, young man, do you not realise that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it into the back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”
