Moroccan Adoption 101

I spoke to a mother this morning on the playground who is adopting a little boy. She is originally from Morocco but now resides in France, where the average time it takes to adopt is 5 years. In comparison, it only takes 5 to 6 months in Morocco!


Here's a bit of what I learned about adoption in Morocco:

*Adoptive parents must be Muslim. It is preferred that both are, but they accept couples in which only one is Muslim. It is rumored that this isn’t the case if you have enough money, but I have never heard of such an agreement

*It is forbidden for foreigners to adopt girls. No one seems to know why, except that they think they may be protecting them by keeping them in Morocco

*If the child is under 1 to 2 years old, the orphanage decides for you which one. As one adoptive mother put it today, “They pointed and said, ‘Here is your son’”. Past 1 to 2 years old, parents get to choose between 2-3 children at this particular orphanage, and they are allowed only 3 minutes with each child before choosing

*Girls are adopted more frequently, as Moroccans feel it is important to rescue the less fortunate and “susceptible” (can't think of a better word)

*No one adopts the disabled children. This includes Down Syndrome, Autism, and very high functioning disabled children. Some Muslims consider a disabled child a curse, while others consider it a very prestigious honor and test from God. Regardless, disabled children are usually looked down in the community, and there are very few resources for them

*The disabled children also do not move to the next orphanage when they reach 6 years of age as the other children do, but stay in the same orphanage for the remainder of their life. Of the dozens of disabled children at the orphanage, the average lifespan is 26 years old


I could go on and on about what I’ve learned thus far about the adoption process, or lack thereof in some cases. It truly breaks my heart, and I know wholeheartedly that I will adopt some day. While it isn’t much and there are by far more abandoned children than adoptive parents, as the mother said on the playground today as she scanned the playground with sorrowful eyes, “My hope is to do as much as I can. Every little bit helps”.

Thursday and Friday are government holidays here in Morocco and we are forbidden to work at the orphanage on such days. Therefore, we have a four day weekend! In all honesty I would prefer and hang with the kiddos, but since we have time to explore, most of us are doing just that. The first stop is Fes, where we will be for the next two nights. It is considered to be the largest car-free urban area in the entire world. It is so huge that most locals don’t even go into the medina without a guide, with narrow and windy being the street themes. After Fes some of us will return for a night in Rabat before heading over to Marrakech, which is known for its nightlife. I also put a map of Morocco at the bottom of the page in case you want to see where everything is in relation to where I am now (the desert was in Merzouga). I cropped the Western Sahara out as I know I won't be traveling there ;)

I may or may not be able to blog in between trips, but if I don’t, have a great weekend! Please pray for my health as I am STILL sick and without a voice. Thanks to everyone for the encouragement and prayers!