Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/24
In Pictures: Ultra-Orthodox Jews
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/23
In Pictures: Huge hurricanes
In Pictures: Oh to be young again, Mr. President!
In Pictures: Facing the devastation of the Oklahoma tornadoes
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/22
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/21
In Pictures: Sinkholes around the world
10 Kazakhstan - 295 - This is the highest number of adoptions from Kazakhstan in the past five years. In 2008, there were just 78 children adopted by Americans. An orphanage in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan is seen in this 2002 photo. Over the past five years, international adoptions by Americans have declined from a high of nearly 23,000 to less than 13,000 per year. Scandals have produced a chillier global adoption climate, with stricter government controls – and many orphans around the world. Read more about the current international adoption climate below:
9 India - 297 - This is the lowest number of children adopted from India in the past five years, according to US State Department data. But the range has been between 300-410 per year. A young member of an Indian orphanage takes part with others in a prayer at one of their homes in Port Blair, in Jan. 2005.
8 Haiti - 330 - Haiti has consistently been in the top 13 countries for adoptions by Americans. This past year was about average. Children play at the Foyer des Enfants orphanage in Port-au-Prince on April 8.
7 Vietnam - 481 - Vietnam jumped to the No. 6 spot in 2007 and 2008 for the first time – with more than 700 children adopted by Americans each year. But this year saw a substantial drop in numbers. Children are seen at Kon Tum Orphanage.
6 Ukraine - 610 - Over the past five years Ukraine has been consistently No. 5, 6, or 7. This year was about average for Ukraine. Infants sit in a play pen in the orphanage no. 3 in Odessa, Ukraine, Sept. 15, 2004.
5 Guatemala - 756 – This is the lowest number of Guatemalans adopted in any of the past five years. In most previous years, the number was between 3,000 and 4,700. Silvia Sebac (r.), an orphan, lives at the Hannah's Hope orphanage in Guatemala City.
4 South Korea - 1,080 - This is about average for the past three years, after declines between 2004-2006. In this photo, Prime Minister Han Seung-soo greets children at an orphanage in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, on May 7, 2009.
3 Russia - 1,586 – Russia has been No. 2 or No. 3 for the past five years, but the numbers have fallen substantially since 2004, when 5,800 children from Russia were adopted by Americans. In this photo, Natalia Serova, director of Orphanage Number One, in the Moscow suburb of Vikhino, poses with a group of her children in the orphanage's playroom Feb. 24.
2 Ethiopia - 2,277 - Five years ago, Ethiopia was No. 9, with just 289 children adopted. The numbers have grown significantly each year since them. In this photo, three triplets are seen in an Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, orphanage awaiting the arrival of their new adoptive American parents, Gina and Michael Stephenson of West Harrison, N.Y.
1 China - 3,001 - China has been in the No. 1 spot for four of the past five years. But the total number of children adopted by Americans in 2009 was less than half of what it was in 2004. Tendol Gyalzur (c.) poses with children in The Children's Charity Gyalzur, her second orphanage in China.
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/24
In Pictures: Ultra-Orthodox Jews
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/23
In Pictures: Huge hurricanes
In Pictures: Oh to be young again, Mr. President!
In Pictures: Facing the devastation of the Oklahoma tornadoes
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/22
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/21
In Pictures: Sinkholes around the world
She started One Simple Wish in her home to help people grant 'wishes' to kids in foster care.
When Danielle Gletow adopted her daughter Mia, she began to learn about the American foster care system – and the challenges faced by more than 100,000 children and young adults who are part of it.
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