Continuing about this inspiration story of special needs adoptions by Ukrainian citizen Svetlana Bondareva. She started adopting children when she was 20 yeasr old. In 2001 she had adopted 15 children. Even though this article doesn't mention it, I am almost 100% certain that she also adopted black children.

Her attitude toward adoption secrecy seems to still be typical. Most Ukrainian families adopt babies so that they can hide the adoption.

What I found interesting is the older children's thoughts (below) on their adoption. Bondareva mostly adopted older children.

Many in the West would be uncomfortable with the fact that Bondareva has concealed from the younger children the fact that they are adopted.

Yet she is a product of her culture. Secrecy in adoptions is fiercely protected by Ukrainian law, and parents here rarely tell children they are adopted or reveal the details of their past.

Fake Baby Pictures Put in Albums

Bondareva pasted fake baby photos into personal albums for each of the children, convinced that every person must have a baby picture.

The older children remember their institutional lives. But none of the children have any contact with their birth parents or siblings.

"We completely avoid discussing the past. The children don't want to remember something unpleasant. They don't want to remember that they were adopted, and they don't want to be reminded that they are disabled, not like others," Bondareva said, firmly ruling out any questions to her children on these subjects.

The older ones made a decision not to discuss the past at a family meeting, she said. "We don't have adopted children here. I tell them they are my birth children. The older ones know the truth, but they hide it from themselves."

However, several of her children mentioned the sacrifice their mother made in adopting them. To them, she is a hero.

"What distinguishes her is that she took us all in," said Tonya, 14. "She devoted all of her life and health to us."


From: The World; A Born Nurturer Does It Her Way; Ukraine
The Los Angeles Times
Nov 6, 2001
By: ROBYN DIXON;

To be continued....

Special Needs Domestic Ukrainian Adoption
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4