Ntsebeng Motsoeli
MASERU — Social Development Minister, ‘Matebatso Doti, will visit Basotho children adopted in Canada and the United States. Doti will be accompanied by Social Development Ministry principal secretary Limako Chisepo.
She said that the follow-up visits on adopted children are supposed to be made every two years.
“We have memorandums of understanding with countries that adopt our children that after every two years we visit for an update about the living conditions at their homes, at school and in their spare time. This happens until a child is 18-years old,” Doti said.
Last year officials from the Lesotho government visited children in the Netherlands. She added that there has never been a case where a child has had to be recalled from adoptive parents because unsatisfactory living conditions.
Instead, Doti said, most of the adopted children are living good lives.
“Children are well looked after by their adoptive parents I sometimes wish the ones in children’s homes could also finding loving adoptive families. In fact the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act provides for children to be adopted into families not to stay in orphanages for the rest of their childhood,” she said.
She said they will leave the country on August 16. A press release from the ministry said the visit will cover Vancouver in Canada and Tennessee in the US. Lesotho has signed memorandums of understanding with Adoption Service Provider Netherlands, Sweden, Canada and the US.
According to the memorandum of understanding each of these countries has to facilitate for authorities from Lesotho to make bi-annual visits and observe the welfare of adopted children. About 125 children were adopted in the four countries with 23 in the US, 45 in the Netherlands, 34 in Canada while Sweden has 23.
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