If your reason for adopting a child, anywhere, is to rescue him or her, this is not a good enough reason. If you are adopting a child to save your marriage, know that it usually only compounds the marital problems. If you are interested in adopting a child that has a certain IQ or learning capacity, no adoption is not for you.

But if you have a warm and mature love for children and have the desire and flexibility to love, accept, and raise a child not born to you, international child adoption could be you. If you are interested in making a family, which would include an infant, toddler, or alder child, then international adoption is a viable option. If you are interested in giving a future to a child who otherwise might not have one, international adoption could be for you.

If you think international adoption is hard or near impossible, just think of this: close to ten thousand children born outside of the United States are adopted each year by U.S. families. The annual number has been relatively stable for years, hovering between 9,800 and 11,500 adoptions.

That number will rise and while it won't skyrocket, international adoption will continue to grow ? slowly ? and become more common. It's not as difficult to do as it used to be; more countries now have the mechanism to place abandoned children with families that want them, and our increasingly diverse society is more receptive to children who are from different countries.

Orphanages worldwide are filled with children who need parents. There are at least 700,000 in orphanages in former Communist countries that need adoptive families. These figures do not include the enormous numbers of children in Asian or Latin American orphanages.

There is a tremendous need for International adoptions and whilst it may not be the panacea for all child welfare needs it certainly does assist on a great number of instances.

Hopefully the increased and raised profile International Adoption has had recently through the current set of adoptions by the Rich and Famous will have some positive effect and keep this much needed aspect of Social Child welfare in the public eye.