10.4. Readers' Forum - Adopting from Azerbaijan

Winter 2002 (10.4)
Page 8

Readers' Forum
Adopting from Azerbaijan

I really don't know how to thank all those families who are adopting our Azerbaijani orphans (See "Azerbaijani Adoptees: First-ever Reunion in the U.S.", AI 10.3, Autumn 2002), but I would especially like to thank Kimi Abernathy for her humanity, warmth and determination in paving the way by adopting the first child back in May 2000 (See "A Home for Inara: At Last-Azerbaijan's First Adoption", AI 9.3, Autumn 2001).

It is understandable that couples would decide to adopt children when they have none of their own, but Kimi and her husband already had four wonderful boys when they decided to open their hearts to a little girl from Azerbaijan and give her the love and care that every child so desperately needs. Also, Kimi is the person who had the foresight to create a resource on the Internet (AzerbaijanAdopt ListServ) for the other families who would follow her. If it were up to me, I would give her an award for being "The Best Mother of Azerbaijan for 2001". God bless her.

I would also like to express my deep appreciation to Kathleen Shryock for being so perceptive and enabling her own two adopted children to learn about their own roots by creating storybooks to celebrate their Azerbaijani heritage (See
"Preserving Adoption Memories", AI 10.3, Autumn 2002).

These adopted children will grow up in the United States, not knowing their mother tongue or their own Azerbaijani culture, but in exchange they will be blessed with a home and loving and understanding parents. More than 700 years ago, the great Persian poet Sa'di wrote that although the Prophet Mohammad requires that we love our native land, no one should live in misery merely because they happened to be born under unfortunate, impoverished circumstances.

Beture Mammadova
Sparta, Turkey

Editor's note: The AzerbaijanAdopt ListServ which Kimi Abernathy initiated in December 2001, currently has more than 185 members and more than 60 children have now been adopted from Azerbaijan. More and more families are exploring the possibility of adopting children from Azerbaijan, making the ListServ an invaluable resource for inquiries from families seeking advice from those who have already succeeded with the adoption process in Azerbaijan. Highly recommended. To join the ListServ: http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/azerbaijanadopt/