Adoption and Orphanages

have spent the summer being completely torn on the issue of adoption. Malawi, where I spent time last year, is known as the "orphan country," yet I have seen the wrath of AIDS so much more in my time here in Ethiopia. Today (Thursday) we are saying goodbye to the orphan girls as they head home to extended family. Next week we will be left with the 12 or so who don't have any family. They have no one to love them except for each other. This is where practicality meets reality. I haven't the slightest idea of how much money an adoption costs, but to know that sponsorship money of $25 helps more than just the orphan but also the entire extended family. It is so practical to give that money and see huge things done with it, but in my time here I have been slapped with the reality. My time with the orphan girls has been so meaningful because they don't have anyone who stops to love them. This is the void that orphans without parents feel. They want someone who will love them and take care of them individually. Here they are going through a system that is trying to fade itself out and are eventually left to fend for themselves. This is not to say that they will not be successful, but my heart aches when I know something is missing- the foundation of family. I am no where near figuring out where to draw the line whether it is better to take a bunch of orphans off of the street or to be everything that one orphan needs. I know that opinions vary and I am just seeking where I stand.