Fred and I are members of the non-profit organization Families of Russian and Ukrainian Adoptees or FRUA. Because of this affiliation and my seven years of involvement with the Russian Orphanage Project, I was asked to participate in a panel to present information about the state of human rights in Russian orphanages sponsored by US Representative Tom Lantos (12th District of California). I am more than happy to talk about the improvements I've seen in Russian orphanages in the last seven years. I would love everyone to know the orphanage directors and teachers do a superb job given the resources available to them. Their dedication to the children appears genuine and sincere, and the children seem healthy and happy. (As happy as an orphan in an institution can be.) Of course there is room for improvement, but I feel it is important to acknowledge the vast improvements I've witnessed since first traveling to Russia in 2001. For instance, at Podolsk Orphanage, Svetlana is in the process of buying new furniture for the children, and workers are painting and installing new floor coverings in the sleeping quarters and improving the canteen. Svetlana tells me it is difficult to recruit good teachers because of the low pay. Sound familiar? But, she has hired and kept many dedicated and loving teachers, one of whom actually takes children home with her to spend the night! I know there are human rights violations all over the world, but it is time to shine a positive light on the thousands of directors and teachers who are working hard for very little pay to improve the lives of the children who must live out the first 18 years of their lives in institutions.

Well, after I told them what I was going to say, they recanted their offer for me to sit on the panel.

Surprise, surprise.