US children found in Nigerian orphanage

[emad]

Associated Press in Houston
Wednesday August 18, 2004
The Guardian

Snip:
Seven Texas children discovered abandoned at a Nigerian orphanage, ravaged by disease and malnutrition, have been returned to the state.
The state's child protective services, which received emergency custody of the children on Monday, is investigating accusations that the children's adoptive mother from Houston had abandoned them in Nigeria in October, and had gone to work in Iraq as a private contractor.

The children returned to Texas on Friday. Three were admitted to hospital to be treated for malaria and were later released, according to a CPS spokeswoman, Estella Olguin. The children were thin and covered with mosquito bites, infections and scars.

The three boys and four girls, aged from eight to 16, were discovered in late July by a visiting Texas missionary who notified US lawmakers.

"It's horrible, horrible," Ms Olguin said. "I haven't seen anything like it. Seven children fending for themselves in a foreign country where they have no family members." Now they are living in two Houston foster homes.
More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1285247,00.html

[MaryH]

1. I read that this morning.

Their mother went to Iraq to work as a contractor.

Those poor kids.

[Soloflecks]

2. CPS screwed it up to start with.

CPS removed the children from the custody of their biological mother to start with. Glad to know CPS found the kids a better home. Grrrrrrr.

[THUNDER HANDS]

3. what the hell???

She's from Texas, goes off to Iraq, and in between leaves the kids in Nigeria?

wow, what a weird story

[TahitiNut]

7. "no child left behind" ... ? (sheesh)

Is there something in the Texas water?

[liberalitch]

4. Ihope she looses her job as a high paid contractor....

and is charged with child endangerment....
Texas CPS and Florida CPS..... hmmmmm what might they both have in common?
Bushes.....
What was the name of the little girl that went missing in Florida and no body even cared for over a year?

[emad]

5. More from BBC News

US children 'abandoned in Africa

AP reports that the woman took the children to an unspecified area of Nigeria in October, where a relative of her fiance lived. They were enrolled in a school, and the mother returned to Houston a month later. She reportedly went to Iraq in April to work as a private contractor.

The children were reportedly found living in a wooden shack by Nigerian social services, having been discharged by the school for the non-payment of tuition fees. They were taken to an orphanage in late July, where they were discovered by a visiting minister from a San Antonio church who overheard them speaking with American accents.

They said they liked the Houston Rockets, and sang the US national anthem to prove they were Americans, according to San Antonio pastor John Hagee. After arriving in the US, three of the children were admitted to hospital with malaria, said Texas Child Protection Services spokeswoman Estella Olguin. All were said to be thin and covered with mosquito bites.
More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3575544.stm

[Mizmoon]

6. If the mother was at a hearing last Monday

that must mean that her time in Iraq was over, she is back in the States, and she still just left the kids there (sans school tuition).

There is only one reason why you leave your kids unattended in Nigeria ... you want them to die.

[Rose Siding]

8. Maybe he didn't like kids

"The woman, whose name has not been released, took all the children in October to Nigeria, where a relative of her fiance lived."

[Mizmoon]

9. yeah, I caught that.

made me cringe.

[Moderator]

10. Duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=757142