I can’t be adopted, although
I am alone
‘I haven’t seen my mom in months. That’s why I don’t smile and don’t even look into the eyes of others. I don’t want to see that they don’t want me. Our caregivers are tired. They take us to the yard in the morning, then we have lunch, then comes afternoon sleep and later we go out to the yard again.
There are 16 steel beds in our room. One of us always cries for his parents. The boys are bullying us, I’m afraid of especially one particular boy. Another boy is beating his head against the wall, once blood came out of his head. I’ve got scars and bruises all over my body.
Last time a lady came, they introduced me. I was so nervous, I threw up. I’m scared because I don’t know her. Maybe she’ll take me home?’
There are 23,000 children in the social care system, in Hungary. Most of them will remain in the system until adulthood. There is a measure that states that, if possible, children should be placed to a foster parent rather than in a group home.
The problem is that there are currently only 6,000 foster parents in Hungary. Therefore, many of the children still end up in group homes.
These children cannot be adopted. Their biological parents do not take care about them but do let them be adopted, either. When it comes to welcoming a child, many families are not ready to receive these vulnerable children, they are, in general, more afraid of foster parenthood than adoption. These children struggle far more than those who can be adopted.
However, these few, who get a warm and caring foster parent, are headed towards a greater future…
