Parent Speak

Darshana Pawaskar
2^nd of July 2010, my life changes, I became a mother of a lovely 3 year girl child. Her name is Shradha as she is the answer to my prayers to Shri Saibaba of Shirdi. Shradha is cute, talkative & full of love.  It is such a nice feeling to feel wanted and constantly called Mama, whatever happens her mom is the best & she loves her very much.

In the initial stages the very idea of a single mother was outrageous to my family, I was very focused and determined to adopt a girl child. Today, Shradha is much loved by all members of the family and their undaunted support is helping me to balance my responsibilities as a mother and a provider.

Shradha started with her nursery school in August 2010. She is intelligent and picked up her studies well, stood third in the class & now she has obtained admission on her merits in GG international school, one of the prestigious schools in Pune.  Shradha is an extrovert and loves to make friends with one and all. She is the darling of the society and loved by all who know her. Her lovely eyes, outstretched arms and the cute, mischievous smile makes her adorable and irresistible. She loves to play in the garden, go to school, day-care and the love she radiates for everyone is something to be seen to be believed. She loves animals, birds and her good friend is the neighbour’s Alsatian called Jordon. I am truly privileged and blessed to have Shradha as my daughter and pray to God to give me the wisdom to bring her up with all the right values in life.

Sarah Joseph
Little girl children all over the world are in need of good families. I  first came to understand this while I (Sarah) was in college.  During two summers, I spent time in China working in an orphanage.  Almost all of the children were girls or disabled.  It was at this time that I started desiring to adopt a baby girl. 

After college I met Jose Joseph and we knew it was God's will for us to get married.  While we were yet engaged, we heard the horrifying news that Jose's older brother and his wife were killed in a cycle accident.  Their two young boys survived the accident.  Jose and I were certain right away that we should adopt the boys as soon as we were married.  The boys stayed with their grandparents until we were able to take them in 2002.  They have been a huge source of joy and blessing to us as they came to know and bond with us.  The Bible says that children are a gift from God and we firmly believe that.

After a few years we had a biological son.  What a joy to see his older brothers "adopt" him into their hearts and know that he really is their brother.  Recently I became pregnant again only to lose the baby due to a serious genetic defect.  Our daughter lived one short day, but was highly loved and valued.   

Since there was such a high probability that another baby born to us would have  the same genetic defect, and because we were familiar with adoption, we decided that we would rather adopt a young girl or two who would not be likely to get a chance to grow up in a family.   After trying many different agencies and trying to figure out how to go about the process of adopting in India, I contacted Lucy Matthews OF Catalysts for Social Action.  Lucy and her organization quickly told us about two sisters named Aarati and Radha, ages 5 and 3.  We prayed about the girls and decided that we would love to take them.  Visiting the girls in Nanded confirmed our decision.  They had been well taken care of in their orphanage and were happy children.   

The girls have now been with us for one month  They are doing extremely well.  They are learning the habits of our family and learning to communicate in English.  They have a lot of fun with their brothers and we are also all learning their language!  With each week, we are all becoming more and more comfortable with each other and it is becoming easier to take care of them.  I would encourage anyone who has a heart to adopt to "take the plunge" and go for it!  Children are a huge blessing!  To have a child love and trust you is one of the best feelings a person could ask for.  It is our honor to raise Lydia and Isabel (the girls' new names).  Our goal is to see them grow up to be well-educated and confident young women who will be an asset to the Indian society. 

Yogesh Kohli
Dear Pritikantaji,

It's nice to hear from you.

Well it's a wonderful experience after we have adopted this baby. Sai has mixed up with us from the very same moment we took him. Since that moment neither he nor us ever realised that he is a new member in our family. It seems that he had always been a part of our family since birth.

Although we had many ifs & buts in our mind before & during adoption. But all our nears & dears appreciated our this step very much. When we were on our way back to Amritsar, we told our nearest relatives on telephone about our adoption.

Everybody was so excited on hearing this news that some of them couldn't resist them to do his welcome at Delhi Station & Amritsar station.

Now Sai is acheiving his milestones. With his naughty activities he has made a special place for himself in everybody's mind.

I would like to thank CSA for their comendable role they are playing for the adoptive parents & prospective children. I really recall many a times that  how I came in contact with you through net & that net meeting turned into an unforgettable lovely experience.

I would also like to thank you & Mr. Srikanta for such a nice cooperation. I have attached herewith one photo of SAI. I will mail you in 4-5 days our group photograph.

Regards

Yogesh Kohli
9356806060

Story from Nidhi’s Parents
We came to know about CSA through an adoption agency in Tamil Nadu we were in touch with. Mr. Pritikanta Panda of the CSA was our contact person. He was very helpful and immediately put us in touch with an agency in Orissa which had children legally free for adoption. We immediately got in touch with the agency and initiated the process of adopting our child. Throughout the process, Mr. Panda was very helpful in co-ordinating with the agency and in some cases obtaining some information which was not readily forthcoming. Even after the initial foster care process was completed, Mr. Panda has remained in touch. We would definitely (and in fact already have) recommend prospective adoptive couples to get in touch with CSA.