Prague - Long-distance adoption is a new phenomenon increasingly popular among Czechs who wish to help a deprived child in a developing country.
With the help of humanist movements like Narovinu, ADRA, Czech Catholic Charity and a number of other foundations Czech parents can adopt a child or more from Ukraine, Romania, India, Guinea, Kenya and many other.
Czechs fear for their children
In Kenya over three thousand children can afford to go to school courtesy of Czechs´ tuition sponsorship.
However, the Czech "adoptive" parents now fear for their adopted children´s safety.
Over 1,000 Kenyans have been killed and 300,000 uprooted in Kenya's post-poll turmoil over a disputed election.
According to the Narovinu movement that runs a popular program of long-distance adoption, all the "adopted" children are safe.
"Several adopted children were made homeless but all are being taken care of and the latest information I have got confirmed they all are alright," said Dana Feminová of the Humanist movement Narovinu.
"We have actually good news the situation has improved in the past week, so it is possible to travel a bit now, which was a problem just not long ago," said Feminová.
"Adoptive parents" contribute to education of Kenyan children with 7,200 CZK per year.
Help to refugees
Thanks to the improved situation, the Narovinu Humanist Movement could send help to refugee camps as well.
It was mainly mattresses, blankets and other basic necessities that reached the displaced Kenyans. These were bought for money Czechs donated to a special project to help Kenya.
Humanist movement Narovinu has been founded in 1995 and has been supporting mainly children in Kenya and India.
Czech money for schools and hospitals
Long distance adoption is not the only project Czech humanitarian organizations run to help this East African country.
Another Czech foundation ADRA has been active in Kenya, presently building a dentist ambulance.
The humanist movement Narovinu has helped to build a few schools and medical care centers in Kenya, focused on HIV prevention program.
They also built an orphanage in India for children who lost their parents in the 2004 tsunami disaster.
Ethnic roots not important
"We have been in touch with our Kenyan coordinators who work together, despite being of different tribal background," says proudly Dana Feminová of Narovinu.
The initial post-poll unrest has turned into an inter-ethnic clashes, sparked by an election dispute between Mwai Kibaki, Kenya´s president, and his opposition challenger, Raila Odinga who accuses Kibaki of having rigged the election.
At present, the situation in Kenya is quite calm but the peace is rather fragile.
UN emergency relief coordinator John Holmes has recently visited the country to lend support to find political solution to the country's crisis. Last week the former UN secretary-general Kofi Anan who spearheaded the peace talks between Kibaki and Odinga prompted both contesters to resolve the crisis within 15 days.
