Key Points
US couple adopts abandoned tribal boy from Jhabua
Child underwent three cleft lip surgeries
NGO Sanjeevani Seva Sangam facilitated adoption
Couple previously adopted children from South Africa and Europe
The child, who underwent surgery for cleft lip and palate, has found a loving home with the American couple.
The boy was just one-and-a-half months old when he was found abandoned in the jungle. He was taken to a hospital in Petlawad and later shifted to Jhabua, where he received treatment for a month. The child was then brought to Sanjeevani Seva Sangam, an NGO in Indore, where he underwent three surgeries to correct his cleft lip and palate.
The district administration has given its approval for the adoption, but currently, the child is staying at Sanjeevani Seva Sangam until the passport paperwork is completed. The couple visits the NGO to play with the child every day.
The superintendent of the NGO, Asha Singh, told ANI, "The boy was brought here when he was around one-and-a-half-month-old. Actually, someone left him in the jungle in Petlawad in Jhabua soon after his birth. When locals saw him, they admitted him to a hospital in Petlawad and later shifted him to Jhabua. He was treated for around a month in the Jhabua government hospital, and then he was brought to us through the order of the Child Welfare Committee. The lips and palate of the boy were cleft, and there used to be a lot of difficulty in feeding milk."
When consulted with the doctor about surgery of the child, they claimed that the boy was underweight. When the boy's weight reached 6 kgs, then his surgery would be performed. A total of three surgeries were done to make the child look like a normal boy, she said.
The US couple, who already have two children adopted from South Africa and Europe, had registered with an international adoption agency, AFAA. They were matched with the boy through the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA). The couple was aware of the child's special needs and were eager to provide him with a loving home.
"The abroad couple got registration through AFAA (Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency), which is an international adoption agency which contacted CARA (Central Adoption Resource Authority). Thereafter, the family was selected, and they reserved the boy. We had explained to them about the condition of the child and agreed that they wanted a special child. The foreign couple already had two children, one from South Africa and Europe. Now the third is from India," Singh said.
So far, 25 children from the NGO have been adopted by the foreigners according to the norms of the government, including five special children, she said, adding that they took a follow-up report every three months.
The foreign couple expressed their pleasure over adopting the child and said, "We are very happy and excited to have him as part of our family."
Meanwhile, Additional Collector Roshan Rai told ANI, "This child was born deformed, probably that is why his parents had abandoned him... He was brought from Jhabua to Sanjeevani Seva Sansthan in Indore and was raised there. Now, the American couple has completed the process of adopting him through CARA, which has been approved. After the surgery of the children, he has become completely normal."
