A Congolese family that fled to Kenya to escape their country's war wants to adopt a baby boy that they found abandoned by the side of the road. The case is the first of its kind in Kenya, addressing whether or not refugees can legally adopt children.

"Teacher and small businessman Jean-Pierre Tombo Milenge fled the Democratic Republic of Congo... with wife... and children in 2005 when, he says, rebels sought to recruit him. In August 2007, [his wife] came a across a baby boy... sitting alone by the side of a Nairobi road, covered in filth."

The family tried to take the boy to an orphanage, but none would take him. He had been living with the family for nearly a year when authorities came and took him away. A spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Nairobi said if the couple wants to adopt, they have to go through the same legal proceedings as everyone else. Their case is set to be heard March 13, 2009 Source: Reuters

Labels: abandonment, refugees, abuse

Posted By: Aspen Education Group