Saturday, December 11, 2010

KATYA UPDATE

KATYA HAS HER PASSPORT. She is with one of our partners in Ukraine, staying in an apartment with another young woman. We have her there until the US Embassy can meet with her. They will let us know about bringing her back to the US. The US Embassy has offered to buy her ticket home - we would just have to pay them back for this. This is what she wants. Keep in mind - she is 18 - likely functioning at an emotional age of 12 - the age when she was adopted. She is likely not able to figure all this out by herself - she is still a child.

Our next step is to continue to hear from you all - about her situation. How might you help? We have been receiving some suggestions of where she might live once she returns to the US. Let's keep in mind she will undoubtably need counseling and help working through the education system. It is not going to be an easy road with her once she is back and with a family. We can all work together to do the best we can - ultimately Katya will need to take some responsibility - as she settles and stabilizes. But first - we need commitment from a family, a place for her to return to - one that is realistic in their expectations. This might be a very difficult placement for a time as all the issues are worked out.

She is in good hands right now in Ukraine. She no longer is under the "rule" of the orphanage. Our staff will work with her to extend her stay in Ukraine until we work out the US return with the US Embassy. The Embassy will do the investigation on the situation - that is their job, not ours. We are focused on Katya and her needs at this time.

Thanks to our partners in Ukraine, our team members John and Julie - together we will not be stopped.

4 comments:

Cindy LaJoy said...

Will someone please email me? I'd like to ask a few questions confidentially.

Unknown said...

We would love to take Katya in. We have worked with kids with Reactive Attachment Disorder and have an older adopted daughter. We keep our kids very close to home and doing family activities so she would have plenty of together time. Our children are 27 (spec needs adopted) 16 1/2, 12 1/2, 12 1/2, and 7 1/2. We have the time and desire to help Katya. Please contact us about her. Kelly szamlh@yahoo.com

concernedfriend said...

Katya was adopted by a loving and compassionate family. They tried to help her but she was very difficult. She has a history of making things up to get sympathy from others. She was not forced out of the country or forced into the orphanage. The director of her orphanage has been helping her and trying to get her on her feet. Please talk to someone whose knows her history before you take her on. I pray that someone can help her. She can be very sweet and loving. She needs someone who is loving but strict and forces her to do things for herself. She is not violent but can be very manipulative.

Hope Anne said...

Katya sounds a lot like an older version of what we went through with our Dd who had a lot of issues when adopted. With lots of WORK, PRAYERS, LOVE, FIRM BOUNDARIES, and HOURS AND HOURS of TIME spent with her, she's now a loving and wonderful child. Not perfect, but doing very well most of the time. My heart truly goes out to her . . . and her parents--because it's not an easy road that either of them have chosen to be on. Anyone who wants to interact wtih Katya needs to read "Building the Bonds of Attachment" by Dan Hughes, "The Connected Child" by Karyn Purvis and so on. We found with our Dd it was definitely a spiritual battle too, along with all the emotional issues. But Katya deserves parents who are committed to her FOR LIFE. Once our Dd began to realize that we were her parents FOREVER, she started to attach.

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