Foster care, especially in parts of the world with lower earning thresholds, is a concept that I’ve always found appealing and vital to leading any society positively. The idea comes to mind each time I walk on the streets or go into a store and see young kids in uncomfortable situations where they’re not being taken care of properly. Essentially it means that such an environment isn’t ideal for them and they need alternative care.
However, the execution is not as easy as it seems in many poor countries, as there are a couple of factors hindering its success.
One would be the obsession with continuity of lineage through bloodline. This is more common with couples without kids, who can afford to be foster parents to at least one child out there. Unfortunately, when they consider that those kids aren’t theirs and wouldn’t want their resources accessible to someone with a whole different identity, they throw the idea out the window. Such people would rather remain childless than take in another child, and this contributes to the stigma around foster care and children, which leads to future disputes that may seem irreparable.
Another factor lies in the fact that many countries still do not have a formal system set in place to encourage foster care. Either the process is too long, or the adults involved prefer informal fostering, which doesn’t help societies that are largely abusive.
Interestingly, a lot of people, including myself, encourage informal foster care, where couples or well-to-do individuals can take in their nieces, nephews, and other relatives and care for them just like their own. But when I see the intentional lack of care and maltreatment going on in these cases, I begin to see how everything is yet again tied to an obsession with biological children and a lack of regulation in the bodies responsible for foster care processes.
I would also consider the fact that many countries are experiencing economic hardship, which leaves some other deserving individuals with zero ability to take up more responsibilities. They may love and want to care for other kids, but when they’re financially limited, it makes the wish harder to bring to reality, which in turn contributes to low foster care rates.
Genuinely, I'm not sure how we can make foster care more accessible and widely adopted, except having a mindset shift about biological children and a stable economy. But I do hope that someday, a lot more kids who need alternative care can find some in the homes of kind and capable adults who are willing to take them in and care for them as their own.
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