美国国家公共电台 NPR--Russia's invasion of Ukraine has stopped all foreign adoptions of Ukrainian children

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has stopped all foreign adoptions² of Ukrainian children

Transcript³

Dozens of American parents who were in the process of adopting children from Ukraine are stuck in limbo⁴ as the war with Russia grinds on with no end in sight.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We have a story this morning of international adoptions. Americans, as you may know, adopt children from numerous countries, and one is Ukraine, which in normal times releases hundreds of children to U.S. parents. Russia's invasion halted that, leaving some families stuck in the middle of the process. Here's NPR's Ashley Westerman.

ASHLEY WESTERMAN, BYLINE⁵: In a facility for Ukrainian orphans⁶ in Poland, children crowd into a makeshift classroom to learn their colors in English.

UNIDENTIFIED TEACHER: Yellow.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: Yellow.

UNIDENTIFIED TEACHER: Blue.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: Blue.

WESTERMAN: Among them is Maxym, a 14-year-old from southern Ukraine. This video was shot by Jennifer Kelly-Rogers, the American woman working to become Maxym's mom.

JENNIFER KELLY-ROGERS: He's a great kid. He's very, very smart. When he came to our family, we weren't really sure what to expect. We didn't have plans for adoption¹.

WESTERMAN: Kelly-Rogers' family first hosted Maxym at their home in upstate New York last summer through Host Orphans Worldwide, one of the many nonprofits that places Ukrainian children with American families for temporary visits.

KELLY-ROGERS: We fell in love with him right away. He fit into our family really, really well, and we just knew that we wanted to adopt him.

WESTERMAN: And by the beginning of this year, the family had already finalized⁷ its paperwork required by the U.S. government. And just as it was ready to submit all of the necessary documents to the Ukrainian government to be officially matched with Maxym, Russia invaded.

KELLY-ROGERS: We were, you know, devastated⁸. We stayed up all night pretty much every night after that to message him because he was very scared. And we were scared every night. We were just praying and hoping that somehow they get out.

WESTERMAN: Maxym and the other children in his orphanage⁹ did get out and were evacuated¹⁰ to Poland in early March. But the Ukrainian government has suspended all adoptions to other countries because of the war. So he's been stuck there ever since. Kelly-Rogers has come to visit Maxym three times since he was evacuated. She volunteers as a teacher. She says it's a lot like summer camp. The kids do some lessons and activities like crafts, games and dancing.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHILDREN CHATTERING)

WESTERMAN: But it's only a temporary solution, she says.

KELLY-ROGERS: They just can't get the schooling¹¹ that they need. Most of the kids there are crying 'cause they want their families. So on top of all the trauma¹² from the war and everything, now they're scared, and they want their families.

WESTERMAN: Kelly-Rogers is just one of dozens of parents who have had their adoption of Ukrainian children put on hold because of the conflict. Daniel Stevens, the executive director of the adoption agency Family Connections, works with Kelly-Rogers and 28 other families, all at various stages of the adoption process with Ukraine. He says they've asked for something called respite¹³ release - basically releasing the children to their American soon-to-be parents.

DANIEL STEVENS: These families are willing to pay for the costs of travel, providing for these kids. And when it is deemed safe for these children to return to Ukraine, these families would return these kids and then finish their adoption process.

WESTERMAN: Stevens says they've asked members of Congress for help, but the State Department says now is not the time. Michelle Bernier-Toth is the special adviser¹⁴ for children's issues at the State Department, which handles intercountry adoptions.

MICHELLE BERNIER-TOTH: When there is a crisis, be it a war or an invasion or a natural disaster, that is not a time to initiate¹⁵ intercountry adoptions or even domestic adoptions because you don't know whether the children who have been separated from family members - do they have parents? Do they have families who are looking for them?

WESTERMAN: She does note, however, that they have been working with their Ukrainian counterparts to complete the adoptions that had already been approved by both countries before the war began. Daria Herasymchuk is an adviser for the president of Ukraine on children and child rehabilitation¹⁶.

DARIA HERASYMCHUK: (Through interpreter) We cannot transfer a child from one dangerous situation to another. We must comply with the entire procedure and do it with caution.

WESTERMAN: She says they cannot allow Ukrainian children to go with these families until they've been vetted¹⁷ by the Ukrainian government. Herasymchuk says intercountry adoptions will resume when the war ends. So for now, all parents can do is wait. Parents like Katie Jo Page, who has also been spending thousands of dollars on three trips to Poland to see Mykta, the 11-year-old boy she's trying to adopt.

KATIE JO PAGE: Poland's been very accommodating, but it's not their home.

WESTERMAN: The trips are long and expensive, Page says. But...

PAGE: I can't imagine not going when I have the opportunity because I don't want Mykta to lose hope and know how loved he is and that we won't give up on him.

WESTERMAN: Ashley Westerman, NPR News, Kyiv.

1 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

2 adoptions   

n.采用，收养( adoption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Adoption agencies are always so open to alternative family adoptions. 领养中介机构永远都对领养家庭敞开。 来自电影对白
• The number of adoptions has grown in the past year. 去年，收养子女的数字增加了。 来自互联网

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

7 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

9 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

10 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

11 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

12 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

13 respite   

n.休息，中止，暂缓

参考例句：

• She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。
• Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。

14 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

15 initiate   

vt.开始，创始，发动；启蒙，使入门；引入

参考例句：

• A language teacher should initiate pupils into the elements of grammar.语言老师应该把基本语法教给学生。
• They wanted to initiate a discussion on economics.他们想启动一次经济学讨论。

16 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

17 vetted   

v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的过去式和过去分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• The recruits were thoroughly vetted before they were allowed into the secret service. 情报机关招募的新成员要经过严格的审查。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All staff are vetted for links with extremist groups before being employed. 所有职员录用前均须审查是否与极端分子团体有关。 来自辞典例句