The Love of a Child

A heartwarming piece on a Canadian woman who fought the Kenyan legal system to adopt her Kenyan son, 7 years ago.

I really enjoyed this piece, but found it unfortunate that it ended without giving a nod to the current international adoption situation in Kenya. It would have been a great way to raise awareness about this great adoption program available to Canadians, and dispel any presumptions viewers may have after watching this. IE. International adopters cannot pre-identify their child as per Hague rules, and they cannot adopt a child under 12 months as per Kenyan policy. 

Kenyan children are few and far between in the adoption community here in Canada, so we are excited to learn we have one more! 

I have watched this a couple times now, taking in all the sights and sounds, fondly missing our home away from home. 

Watch it here. 

Black Beauty

I'm sure you all know Lupita Nyong'o, a Kenyan actress who just won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in her role of Patsy in 12 Years a Slave?

If not, it's time to put her on your radar. This young woman is not only an amazing inspiration to women around the world, but an incredible role model for our Kenyan daughters and African daughters in general.

Lupita recently gave an acceptance speech on Beauty at the 7th annual Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon that left the audience speechless. 

A must watch. 

Poop Diaries. Giardias Lambia in adopted children.

Warning: The following DOES show graphic poop photos and details. Finish your lunch first. This is a must read for all of you with children from overseas.

Disclosure - I am not a Doctor. I am research driven adoptive parent with more experience on this matter than I care to have.

This parasite infection has been quite a journey for us. Over a year long in fact. While I don't really like the idea of publicizing my daughter's medical (or poop!) details, I believe it's an important message.

Fact is, I have seen many photos of your children's swollen bellies on blogs and Facebook, and I happen to know there are many of you who have not gotten your children tested because you see no symptoms. Well let me enlighten you and gross you the heck out.

Honestly, I believe it to be very rare for any adopted child from Africa (and other third world countries) to be free and clear of parasites/worms. Many orphanages 'deworm' every 6 months, but let me tell you, this only kills some infections, and many others are simply building up resistance to these commonly used meds. A general dewormer (typically Albendazole) is not very effective against Giardia and other protozoans. In fact, Albendazole is known to be as little as 35% effective. I do not understand why it is so commonly believed and trusted to kill everything. Some parasites can, will, and do kill children, and yet they are completely unsuspected because the children are dewormed every six months.

I know, I know... your child is fine, no diarrhea, no stomach cramps. Heck, being the diligent parent you are, you even had him tested! (Big pat on the back for being proactive, seriously, but it's not over. Read on...)

Giardiasis does not always present itself with symptoms, and HAVING A NEGATIVE FECAL TEST DOES NOT MEAN YOUR CHILD DOES NOT HAVE PARASITES. You must test clear for a minimum of 3 tests!

Now for the mumbo jumbo technicalities...

Giardia Lambia is also known as Beaver Fever here in North America and is the most common parasite infection among adopted children. Because of this, I believe it is quickly becoming resilient to mainstream medicines.

Giardia, as with many parasites, coat the lining of the small intestines, blocking nutrient absorption, possibly causing lactose intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome. This is a worse case situation for a child living in an orphanage setting. Often, these children lack great nutrition as is, so it is important that they can absorb as much nutrients as possible. Secondly, many babies are put on cows milk early due to the cost of formula. I cannot tell you how many illnesses and rashes we have seen due to lactose intolerance in Kenya.

What are the symptoms?

According to Wikipedia, symptoms include the following:  loss of appetite, diarrhea, hematuria (blood in urine), loose or watery stool, stomach cramps, upset stomach, projectile vomiting (uncommon), bloating, excessive gas, and burping (often sulfurous). 

However, many times children will not show any symptoms, or the symptoms may be so insignificant, it goes unnoticed.

When we first got Zahra, she was a big healthy girl.

She certainly didn't display any signs of malnutrition. However - the very first thing I did was take her to the lab for Fecal testing.

Why?

1. She was big and healthy, but also sported this bloated belly. Z will always be curvy, it's in her genetic make up, but I had suspicions that this belly was a little bigger than it should have been.

2. Her stools were pale in color, thin and 'greasy' or soft. Now I believe this to be a key symptom to watch for, even if you child displays no other symptoms. I also believe that this is likely the most over looked symptom of this infection.

First time parents do not always know what color the child's stool should be, texture or consistency. Especially if the child is still on milk bottles and/or wearing diapers!

The answer is simple, the child should have stools like a healthy adult. Once a day is normal for a 3 year old, well formed and medium brown in color.

If your child is still in diapers, but on solid food, the stools should be the same. Actually, stools should be formed well enough that they can roll off the diaper into the toilet. Diaper explosions may accurately describe an infant with Giardiasis. Again, the key is to make note of the color.

I cannot stress this point enough and don't think I can get the point across without a visual. I apologize in advance, but you need to see this to know what I am talking about.

This is what we have lovingly coined in my house 'Parasite Poo' vs normal poo.

The key differences are: Parasite poo is softer, 'greasier', and pale in colour. It usually is not as well formed as it is in this picture, but more thin. (Sorry, didn't have a selection of photos to choose from.) It also usually stinks more, but hey - poo is poo and it all stinks, so you can't really rely on that.

THIS IS PARASITE POO.
It is not diarrhea, It is not grey, and it could easily pass by a unsuspecting parent as 'normal'.

Zahra went from passing a bit of stool every time she went pee (at the height of her infection), to having this stool once - twice a day.

3. My child was born and raised in a developing nation that struggles with clean water and sanitation.

Giardia is passed in Feces (poop). Typically found in untreated water, and therefore contracted when ingested. HOWEVER, It does not matter that your child came from the best orphanage, with world class hygiene, and clean drinking water. The problem is that many of the children (and staff) who come into the home are not from places that have clean drinking water sanitation, or good hygiene practices. If they have Giardiasis, it is very easily passed on in orphanages.

Giardiasis is contracted by swallowing Giardia picked up from surfaces such as bathroom handles, change tables, toys, handshakes, swimming pools etc. I simply do not know how any orphanage can be free of this risk. Most orphanages bathe multiple children in the same bath water. Many orphanage staff workers will change several poopy diapers before washing their hands.

All it takes is for a microscopic trace of poo on the caretaker's hand, she grabs the hand of the next child to change their diaper, and the child later sticks his fingers in his mouth. Also, we all know children are germ spreading, filthy creatures. They will stick their hands down their pants and then finger all the toys... they don't care. How many orphanages have the children wash their hands with soap before they eat? Many do not have the resources to do so before every meal or snack.

You get my point. Almost impossible to prevent, and almost a guarantee that your child has it.

4. Zahra would periodically complain of tummy pain, particularly after eating. I didn't necessarily link it to an infection, in fact I was starting to wonder if she had sensitivities to dairy, but it was still a possible symptom of parasite infection.

Zahra tested positive on her first sample in Kenya. We immediately invested in a lot of hand sanitizer and became religious hand washers. (Although truth was, we were before as we knew the risks were high.)

Prevention is key. We were lucky that none of us contracted this parasite from her. No bath sharing, and lots of hand washing... (also a quick introduction to potty training) is what kept us healthy.

The Doctor in Kenya prescribed us a seven day course of Flagyl, also known as Metronidazole.  This was absolutely a horrible experience for us as Z did not like sweet things and the medicine was compounded to taste like bubble gum.

I had to hold her down, plug her nose, fight her kicking and screaming to administer it! (The electrician actually came up to our 5th floor apartment one day to ask why she cries so loud. Then one day he witnessed it himself... and went away tsking and shaking his head.)

It was awful! If I knew then what I know now... I would not have treated her at this time. It was too early in our bonding period.

After treatment, she was better for 1 week until the symptoms returned. Months later, we repeated the treatment with the same results. I had a Canadian pharmacist confirm the doses, and the medicine was obtained from a Western Doctor in a upscale hospital, at a very reputable pharmacy. There was nothing wrong with the dosage, or the medicine - well, aside from the fact that it is not effective! (Doctors in your hometown will automatically assume that your child was not 'properly' treated due to the perception of lack of quality med care. In some cases this could be correct, but in the case of Kenya, it is not.)

Upon returning to Canada, we immediately had her tested again. She tested positive again as we suspected. Our Doctor wanted to subscribe her with Flagyl again. I refused. This medicine is not pleasant stuff... administering it, and on our little one's bodies. I refused to have her go through that again for nothing.

Our Doctor consulted with a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital in Vancouver for an alternative medicine. He simply recommended Flagyl. Once again, I refused.

Where the heck are the adoption specialist Doctors? I have yet to hear of a case of Giardias in an adopted child successfully being treated by Flagyl!

So I hit FB and the message boards to get an answer from the experts - Adoptive Parents.

What I discovered was many of them had similar stories! In fact, friends of ours had a little one (Baby 'B') who was treated twice in country (after 2 negative test results!!) and was referred to a specialist here in Canada who had him treated two more times with Flagyl before they would even consider other alternatives! 1 - 2 - 3 - FOUR times this 2 yr old was treated with Flagyl in one year, with no effect! (And did you catch it - he tested negative twice before being tested positive. This is a sneaky bug folks.)

What IS the effective treatment?

Tinidazole.

This is what the parents were telling me, and my research confirmed it. Article after article listed Tinidazole as the most effective treatment. Why they continue to prescribe Flagyl is beyond me. Some articles even cited the effectiveness being 90% vs 35%! in Flagyl

Unfortunately, it took me 2 months to get my hands on this as the pharmacy later told my Doctor it was not available in Canada. I will not bore you with the details, but after contacting a compounding pharmacy 12 hours from me, I discovered this was not the truth. This drug is absolutely available in Canada. However, it is not available at your regular pharmacy. You must obtain it from a Compounding Pharmacy. In our case it took a couple weeks for them to get it in and compound it.

We were told it tastes like chocolate as that masks the flavor of everything. Wrong. This stuff has to be the most vile tasting medicine in the world. I tasted the smallest amount on my finger, and it was equivalent to chewing an entire bottle of aspirin and then swishing. However, it is only a single dose.

Zahra being older, and more trusting of us, it wasn't as nearly the painful experience as her other treatments. The reward (big buttered piece of bread - yes, she still loves her bread!) was worth swallowing this for.

Within a few days, we started to notice changes in her stools and eventually her belly came down.

She lost 1.75" around her waist, which is a considerable amount for her 21" inch belly!

She also now eats a fraction (1/2) of what she used to eat in the orphanage a year and a half ago, but yet has literally grown through 2 clothing sizes within 3 months of being treated (50% to 78% on the growth percentile chart)!

*Update - Baby 'B', who first charted under the growth scale, was finally charting at 15% after one year (and a lot of effort on the parent's end). However, within 3 weeks of being successfully treated, he gained enough weight and height (3.5 cms!!) to be charting at the 35% mark!

In many of our visits and work with orphanages, we always wondered how on earth those babies could eat SO much, but yet remain so tiny! It all makes sense now... malabsorption. Food literally going to waste.

So there you have it, our poop diaries.

I hope this post will not only help you identify possible infection, but save you time and grief as well. Please, have your child tested 3 times upon returning to country. Giardiasis is typically not fatal, but many other parasite infection are and can also go undetected.

If your child is 3+ and has been diagnosed with Giardiasis, don't be afraid to ask for Tinidazole right from the start.

Baby 'B' was 2 yrs old and therefore was prescribed Nitazoxanide (Alinia).

I know poop isn't a glamorous topic, but it's important that we share this information. I couldn't find any blog posts on this topic when we were going through this, which is why it was important to me to write about it.

This is an important issue, one that all adopting parents should know about! Please share this with your adopting friends.

See the CDC page for information on how to minimize the risk of contracting and spreading Giardia infection.

10 Dead Children - World Food Day

This 60 second video is great! But by the time you have finished watching it, 10 children have died.

More deaths are contributed to starvation than to any other one single disease! AIDS, Malaria etc...

STOP! This is real. The children are real.

List 10 children you know off hand and then imagine what you would do for them if you knew they had only 60 seconds to live. Would you feed them? Of course you would!

Just because we don't 'know' these children, or cannot relate to their lives, does not mean that we can turn our heads and pretend that isn't happening. It's happening.

Some one had a Facebook status today that said, 'What if the cure to cancer was trapped in the mind of a child who couldn't afford to go to school?'
What if that same child couldn't even afford to eat, never mind go to school?

Think about the abundance we have. Let's just give a little bit of that back. $1 can buy 5 meals in some of the poorest countries!

We have made a donation to the local food bank today. Most other years, we donate to the Red Cross.

Doesn't matter where you do it - it's that you do it.

Join me in filling a little one's belly today, so they don't go to bed hungry.

Here are some places where you can make a difference:

WFP - SYRIA 

Canadian Feed the Children

Food Banks - Canada

Red Cross - Syria

Terminology for the Black Race.

A couple times now I have been presented with some awkwardness during conversations among friends when they are not so sure how to refer to 'black' people. To reduce the discomfort, I'm usually quick to fill in the blanks for them. Kenyan, African, or Black.

The times are changing, and what was acceptable when we were younger, is no longer. It's hard to keep up, especially if you aren't in a position to use them on a daily basis. Below is a list of the most commonly accepted terminology when discussing people of different races/ethnic backgrounds.

Race refers to the physical features of a person, largely their skin colour.

Zahra is Black.

I am White.

Culture - The characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.

In this case, we would say Zahra is Kenyan.
However, in Kenya, many will often refer to their individual 'tribe'. Kikuyu, Luo, Maasai etc.

Nationality - 90% of the time, nationality refers to the place where the person was born and/or holds citizenship. However, often times nationality can be determined by place of residence, ethnicity, or national identity.

Zahra is Canadian and Kenyan, and holds citizenship in both places. But will identify herself as a Canadian, as that is where she lives.

Heritage generally refers to your ancestors.

Zahra is Kenyan.
I am English, Irish, Scottish, German, Metis... geez could we through any more in the pot?

We are an Interracial (or transracial) family.

Skin Colour - When we speak specifically about the color of Zahra's skin, it is brown. Not black. We would never point to her skin and say her skin colour is black, nor would you point to my skin colour and say it is white, because it is 'tanned' or 'pink', etc. This would come into context if she were drawing a picture of herself, etc.

Geographically, she is 'African'.

I am 'American'. Although, in the Americas, we seem to associate 'American' with the US, so we stick with Canadian.

Terms that are not acceptable -

Blanket Terminology - Many people instinctively want to call Black people African American. This is not the correct terminology unless you happen to know if they indeed are from Africa, and have US citizenship. After all, there are many Black people on our continent that come from Haiti, Jamaica etc. If you are unsure of someones ethnicity, you call them Black or of African/Caribbean descent.

"People of Colour' or 'Coloured' - is no longer acceptable. It is seen as an euphemism and considered offensive.

When speaking of people of mixed race, we call them 'mixed race' or biracial.
Half Caste - is not acceptable.
Mulatto - although it sounds all exotic and polite, actually means 'mix of horse and donkey'. So you can see why this is falling out of the acceptable category.

The 'N' word is not acceptable at all. Ever. Period.

I hope this helps clarify! :)

Stigma and Attitude

Stigma - 1. a distinguishing mark of social disgrace

From all people, I actually recieved HIV stigma from a Doctor!

I think Stigma is made up of 1 or 2 things. 1. Lack of knowledge and sometimes this is compounded with 2. Attitude

I was telling this Doctor of our plans to adopt from Kenya. You can tell by a person's instant reaction if they think this is a fabulous thing or if they think your nuts. You simply cannot hide your true feelings upon surprising news. In this case, he was delighted, and started to ask several questions, displaying a genuine interest in the process etc. BUT then... out it came.

"What age of a child will you adopt?"

"Around age 2."

"Oh that's good, then at least it will give any HIV antibodies time to be present and they can be properly tested - so you know for sure that they will be negative."

(*?*) "Actually, many babies test positive as they carry their Mother's antibodies even when they are negative. It can take several months for them to correctly test negatively... only once the antibodies have left them."

"Oh, yes... I guess that would be right too."

***My thoughts -  'And exactly why are your presuming that we don't want to adopt an HIV positive child?'***

Attitude - I know, many people are still stuck in 1984 with outdated knowledge of HIV. It is still viewed as a death sentence and many are not aware that HIV is not AIDS. A person with HIV can live a long, healthy, normal life... get married, have kids and outlive you or I. HIV is treatable!! See the quick fact post I did for AIDS day. Then quickly check out the HIV FAQ's here at Positively Orphaned and here at HIV to Home. It's important for us all to educate ourselves on this a little... the fear surrounding HIV is really over the top, and unfounded. (I mean, unless you plan to have unprotected sex with someone who has AIDS, or share a needle with them - otherwise, the fear can be checked at the door.)

Okay... so when you are approached with this 'Stigma'... you immediately step in and offer the little 'welcome to 2012 - HIV is treatable, etc. ramble....', right? And upon delivery, you either get the...

 'Oh.... reeeaalllly? I didn't know that.'

Or, you get the *eyeball* look that tells you...

 ' I don't care what you say to me about this, my mind is closed. I am not listening. HIV is AIDS and the grim reaper in disguise. Don't come near me with those words because I might 'catch it. Lalalala...' (with fingers in their ears).

This is an attitude. Fortunately, I come across lack of knowledge much more commonly than the attitude. You can cure the 'lack of knowledge', but how do you cure an attitude? This is a person who is not willing to change their mind set. They are content viewing the world from their sad (and angry!), little place in the corner and will not come out for anything.

I am noticing this is a common theme in many areas, not only HIV and adoption, but life in general. I know I speak a great deal about the psychology of people. I am constantly seeking to understand, and I get frustrated when I don't. I'm learning a lot about people on this journey, and with that understanding I am finding peace. If people want to be completely irrational about things and not willing to open their minds... we can't force them. We can feel sorry for them, as we are able to see how bright the world is from the outside... and then we can walk away, and leave it at that.

We can work to educate and end stigma, but an attitude can only be changed by the person who possesses it. We need not concern ourselves with them... but push past to those who are willing to learn and love.

Let's help end the Stigma... and pass on the truth campaign. Truth is contagious - spread it!

Mission - 'Cover a Tooshie'

The situation in Kenya is not unique. Orphanages around the world simply cannot afford diapers, cloth or disposable. What does this mean?

Many try to make do by tying a plastic bag around the babies and stuffing them with rags or cloth that are not changed frequently (more like daily), while others cannot even afford to do that. The babies simply soak themselves and their beds, staying wet constantly. Older babies walk/crawl around, peeing on the same floor that they play on, sleep on, and eat on!



Baby with a homemade diaper of towels and plastic bags.

Imagine the consequences of this. Not only does it create unsanitary conditions, but it also creates severe urine burns and diaper rashes. It also does not create an appealing situation for staff and volunteers who need to be cuddling with these babies.

I have seen some horrible photos of these urine burns, and tiny newborns sleeping in cots that are soaking wet and filthy. The staff do their best... any amount of money they receive is needed to buy food and formula - diapers are a luxury. We all know how often a newborn can soil or wet a diaper... it is unrealistic to think that these orphanages can clean and change these babies that many times. The man power and the clothing/bedding is just not available.

So it is my mission to cover as many little tooshies as possible! I hope to fill a large suitcase to take over, and if I can get more - I will ship them. Once in Kenya, we will distribute them to where they are needed the most.

If you have some diapers that you no longer use, and would like to donate, please contact me by leaving a comment or send an email to thompsontreehouse at gmail dot com. THANK YOU!! ;)

Our first donation from a local Mama who managed to round up 34 diapers!!

Lights out - Earth Hour

Lights out - 8:30 pm for one hour.
It will be good practise for Kenya - where power outages are very common.

Trayvon - and some great articles.

This is such a sad story. There are a few great articles that I would like to share with you.

How to Talk to Young Boys about Trayvon Martin

Let's hope that something good comes out of all this, and his death will have some meaning. There are too many 'white' people who don't acknowledge that there is white privilege or understand the implications of being 'black'. To quote this article 'When a White Boy Wears a Hoodie':

Yet we live in a world where people deny racial issues still exist. They do not even understand white privilege. They actively cry ‘reverse racism’ as if they are the victim. They even have the nerve to call those who fight for racial equality ‘race baiters,’ ’racers’ and have attempted to spin and twist and re-write history as if THEY have lost out because Americans owned slaves and those slaves were oppressed for generations, after which they were then oppressed under Jim Crow and then under the institutionalized racism that continues to permeate our culture today.

Kony 2012

Let's spread the word... and help these children! Please share this on your Facebook and blogs!



Check out the Invisible Children website here.

This child...

This child...

...was found here, "in the local dumspite (rubish tip) tied up in a sack. She was surrounded by dogs which thankfully alerted a village elder that she was there and he took her to the childrens department."

This child...

...and his twin sister...

...were actually thrown into a ditch from a moving vehicle!

This child...

...his parents, considering him a mistake, abandoned him. He was found still unwashed, naked, unfed and with his umbilical cored tied off with a piece of string at 3 days old.

And this child...

...was left to die in the bottom of a pit latrine (out house).



And sadly, these are the lucky ones. 

The remaining abandoned babies who's cries were never heard, will die cold, lonely and hungry. 

The ones that do survive, will have to contend with this...

And this is why we are so driven to help. Adopt. Sponsor. Volunteer.

Please help, hope, pray, give - in any way you can. These children need our help!

What's a moustache worth?

Apparently 38 million! Yep, that's right... Canada grew some mean moustaches... wore them proud for the month of November - called it 'Movember', and raised a whopping amount! All in the name of prostate cancer.

In fact, us Canadians rocked those Mo's so well... that we raised more than any other country world wide! 14 million more than Australia, who was the country that followed us...! Way to go Canada!! You know how to kick some cancer butt!

From the Movember website:
For the month of November "... these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.

Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words, they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.

At the end of the month, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas celebrate their gallantry and valor by either throwing their own Movember party or attending one of the infamous Gala Partés held around the world by Movember, for Movember." 
Here is my hubby's first attempt at the Mo'...

Before

After

In fact, this was his first time ever growing facial hair. He now wants to know how the heck to shave it off... lol. Apparently, you just can't take a razor to it?

 Ha...ha... I'll let him figure that one out! ;)

(I know... we are 5 days into December. I'm a little behind on my posting! I have some good news though and will share tomorrow!)

A tip for you Diva's...

Yucky yes... but a topic worth touching upon. Some important information here ladies. Please watch this.



In addition, you can find many articles on his website about this. (He is a fantastic source of information for many things!)

Years ago, hubby and I saw a documentary about the 'sludge'... end product of sewage waste treatment - used to fertilize crops in China. (Well if that isn't one great reason not to purchase food from China!!) The pictures were horrendous... thankfully that it wasn't 'smellovision'! Basically, it was brown sludge with tampons and condoms spread all over the place. Gross. We are literally littering our planet with these things. Now... we can't do without condoms, those will have to stay in the landfill - but there is something you can do about the tampons!

So now we know that it is better for you, and better for the environment... your solution - is a Diva Cup. Here's to never running out of tampons, and never paying a dime more. I know... there is a gross factor... but honestly, you get over it. I think all Mom's out there can stomach this just fine!

Add caption

Diva Cup Website

AND - I literally whipped this post up so you can take advantage of today's offer on www.babysteals.com ! They are on for $17!!... they are minimum $30 here, so a great deal! Go now...!

Heavy Heart

Yesterday I re-visited the movie `Child of Rage` on Youtube.



I then watched the documentary and chilling interviews with Beth Thomas. (the `child`of rage).



I then learned that a local little girl would soon be set free to fly with the Angels. Anaya is a 2 yr old who was diagnosed with Infantile Krabbe Leukodystrophy, a terminal brain disease.



She is currently in a Vancouver hospital on breathing support... waiting for her Daddy to arrive so he can `Goodbye` to his sweet baby. You can read her blog here, or check out her FB page here.

And if that wasn`t enough... I went to bed and read Street Children of Kenya.

Needless to say, I didn`t sleep all that well.

Today...

I made a small donation to Anaya`s family.

I learned that Beth Thomas has healed from RAD and is no longer a `Child of Rage`, but a nurse and an amazing speaker on attachment. She has created a DVD set - More Than a Thread of Hope

And today, I said a prayer for Anaya and her family, children of RAD, and the street children of Kenya.

And now I am ready for some lighthearted, uplifting activity. The sun is shining... and I am ready to embrace this day with family. ;)

Are you ready for this chocolate lovers?...

Rage against the Minivan has done it again. A fabulous thought provoking, informational post.

The bitter truth is that chocolate bar you are eating, was very likely created from cocoa beans cultivated by child slave labour! Yes, Cadbury US, Nestle, Hershey and Mars are all guilty. Read here, "let me ruin your Halloween for you..."

Yes, Kristen... we are breaking up with Chocolate too. Thank you for raising our awareness!

This Halloween, please consider an alternative to unethical chocolate. If you have a Costco nearby - I was able to find a pack of 80 mini Play-Doh for under $10.





Below is a 5 part documentary  (a must watch! - even if you can just get in the first one)... They are very well done and show in depth, the effects of unethical cocoa (same as coffee too!!) farming.

Need some advice...

I'm at a loss for words about what happened to me today, and I am hoping that some of you veteran adoptive parents can offer some advice.

I received a text today from a family member who is related by marriage. Someone married to one of my siblings. I have received less than 5 texts from this person in my entire life. The last I spoke with them, was months ago. The text was a picture of some young African children with the words "It's Friday 'N-word'!" To say that I was shocked was an understatement. A million things ran through my mind. Surely this was not intended to be sent to me... Is this a mistake, a virus... what the hell is this? My heart rate elevated, I instantly dialed my sibling... who at the same time just received the same text. My sibling apologized on their spouses behalf and they said they would talk to them.

My response text to my in-law was simply "Offensive and Racist".

After speaking with their spouse, my sibling texted me saying this person was just trying to get under my skin, and once again apologized. I texted my sibling back explaining that there is no humour in racism and this was extremely offensive and I was appalled. (Plus about 300 more words).

My in-law later returned my text with "Haha, I knew that would boil your blood for at least a little while".

My thoughts: I believe this person did not intend to hurt and offend me the way it did. (I was seriously almost in tears at one point!) However, there had to have been some knowledge that this would offend me and somehow that was viewed to be humorous. This person is educated and intelligent. This person uses humour to justify their actions or statements. This person benefits from white privilege and lives in rural Alberta where racism seems to be more accepted than anywhere else I have lived. I think that any person who uses racial terms in humour, is just lacking the knowledge of history and how these words can carry so much baggage and are associated with so much blood shed. There also seems to be a disconnect between this racist behaviour and the fact that I will one day have a daughter whom just happens to be black, and of African descent.

We all know as white adoptive parents (or soon to be) of black children... that this is a sensitive issue, and we have all had to address this somewhere along the line. I feel super defensive about this and haven't quite sorted out exactly how or where I will draw the lines when the time comes. I have already forewarned my family and friends that any racial jokes, humour etc. will not be tolerated what so ever. Does this mean that we do not attend family events when an offender is present? etc... these are details that I am hoping I do not have to deal with. I believe that everyone in my family is genuinely caring... a couple just lacking knowledge or understanding. So how do I make this person understand the impact of their message and why this is so unacceptable? Is there a book, website or video that I can share with this person and others? What would you have done? What should I do in the future?

Coffee - wake up and smell the truth!

I know... I'm like Debbie Downer lately. Here's the thing, I have been made aware of a serious problem. Well... the truth is, I have always been aware. Everyone knows about child labour...(at least I hope!!) The question is, do we really take the time to understand the impact of child labour and what we can do to change it?
Ignorance is bliss and honestly all this knowledge about famine, sweatshops, damage to earth, animal cruelty, etc... etc... is very overwhelming. We can't be expected to know it all, or to do the right thing all the time. But, we can work at it one thing at a time. We can educate ourselves and share with others to increase awareness around the globe.
Coffee growing is a very labor intensive product to harvest and many coffee plantations use child labour. This happens in many countries in the world... but let's focus on Kenya. In Kenya, approximately 4 million children ages ranging from 6-14 were reported working in the commercial agricultural department. In the plantations about 50-60 percent of the workers during coffee pickings peak season were children. The children working in this kind of environment are exposed to various diseases. Such as malaria, influenza, and pneumonia. These children are not only exposed to the many diseases but also to the filthy drinking water.
These children are paid under the minimum wage, and often no wage at all. They are also victims of child trafficking, taken from their families and their villages. These children are not able to attend school and are often subject to brutality.
In Kenya, coffee workers (adults) earn about US$12 per month, while the legal minimum wage is 3 - 4 times that amount. Almost half of the workers are illiterate.  This creates a very vicious cycle. Labourers in Coffee farms, were typically raised in coffee communities - where their parents worked the fields. The parents are not paid enough to send their children to school and can hardly afford to feed the family, so they bring their children to work too. The children grow up in the fields, have children of their own, and the cycle continues. With no education, they are unable to break the cycle.

By supporting Fair Trade Coffee, you are acknowledging the inhumane treatment of these labourers. You are standing up and saying, "Yes, I will pay 20 cents more to ensure the fair treatment of all coffee labourers, so their children will be ensured an education and so no child will be stolen from his family."

So, I have a confession to make. A month ago, I was in Safeway looking to buy coffee. I got a small pang of excitement as I suddenly thought of looking for Kenya coffee... we have never tasted it before! Well my eyes quickly scrolled the little bags of goodness... fair trade Colombian, fair trade Rainforest blend, fair trade Arabica... etc, until I spotted Kenyan coffee. But!... not fair trade? Every coffee flavour of this brand was fair trade except Kenya. How can this be? I scoured the shelves for a fair trade Kenya roast - but without luck. This was the only Kenyan coffee. So you know what I did? I bought it. My selfishness and excitement to taste it, overcame my senses. It totally wasn't worth it though. After watching a documentary on child slave labour (which I will show next week) - every cup I have, I think of the child's sweat that went in to make that coffee.

Here is a great list of affordable free trade coffee. Thanks to Crossing Borders.

Coffee Shops and Bagged Coffee

1) DUNKIN' DONUTS--The leading retailer of coffee and baked goods in the world, They were the first National brand to sell espresso beverages made exclusively with Fair Trade Certified beans.

2) STARBUCK'S--Ask for their Estima Blend. In 2009 they doubled their purchases of fair trade coffee to 40 million pounds, making the company the largest purchaser of Fair Trade Certified coffee in the world.

3) PEET'S COFFEE AND TEA--Peet's Fair Trade Blend. Peet’s pays apremium to all of this blend's suppliers for producing coffees of superior flavor, as well as ten cents from every pound to thenon-profit group TransFair USA for promoting Fair Trade.

4) BRUEGGER'S--Bruegger's and Green Mountain Coffee share a commitment to quality--and to people both locally and globally that make their partnership in fair trade work. Green Mountain is an industry leader in fair trade coffee.

5) COSTCO--Costco's own brand, Kirkland, makes Kirkland Signature Fair Trade Coffee, roasted by Starbucks.

6) SAFEWAY--Seattle's Best signed an agreement with Safeway Inc. to sell their entire coffee line of organic, fari trade coffee. The agreement will result in the largest distribution of Fair Trade Certified, organically grown coffee products in North American grocery stores to date.

7) SAM'S CLUB--Fair Trade is in the Can: Sam's Club Converts Private Label Member's Mark Premium Ground Coffee to Fair Trade Certified.

8) TARGET--The company's Archer Farm's brand now has Fair TradeCertified Organic Tierra Del Sol Coffee.

9) TRADER JOE'S--By choosing Fair Trade Coffees from Trader Joe’s, you are supporting economic independence for coffee farming families. One of Trader Joe’s Fair Trade Coffees was selected from El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Sumatra. It is sold as their Organic Five Country Espresso Blend.

10) WEGMAN'S--Buy their Green Mountain Fair Trade organic coffee, ground, Vanilla Cream, Flavored/Light Roast.

PS - "Tim Hortons does not sell organic coffee, does not sell Fair Trade coffee, and does not disclose the source of its green beans." They do claim to be involved in a partnership where they support coffee communities. Hmmm... but yet, they still won't let the cat out of the bag of where they get their coffee from. Wonder why that is? This partnership sounds like a smoke and mirror initiative to me. I am not convinced.

(Stay tuned for Chocolate's dirty little secret, and a fantastic documentary - next week!!)