Pepperdine University School of Law is holding a conference February 8 - 9, 2013 entitled "Intercountry Adoption: Orphan Rescue or Child Trafficking?" One of the invited panel speakers is Mark Riley, Alternative Care Consultant and Child Advocate at The Alternative Care Initiative. Mark is an international adoptive parent who has been an outspoken critic of unethical international adoption practices. He is working with the Ugandan government to address the current issues within the Ugandan system and has been actively involved in Alternative Care for children, encouraging changes to institutional care, since he first visited Uganda in 2001. Mark is currently supporting the Ugandan Government on Alternative Care and has developed a number of toolkits to assess and monitor child care institutions.
Mark, along with his wife Keren, has provided insight, inspiration, and support to PEAR over the last two years and our board believes that Mark's contributions at this conference are much needed. The effect of the pressures of current intercountry adoption "programs" on alternative care options for children in Uganda and elsewhere is an issue that needs to be discussed. Mark's perspective as both an adoptive father and consultant in alternative care is unique and reflects PEAR's perspective on these topics.
PEAR's board has pledged $500 to Mark's expenses, but we would like to open up a brief fundraising campaign through our membership and readership to add to that amount.
If you would like to support Mark's participation in the conference, please visit our website to for information on how to make a donation either by check or via PayPal. http://pear-reform.org/donate.htm
Please send an email to our board designating that the donation is for sponsoring Mark Riley as a speaker at the Pepperdine Conference. reform@pear-reform.org, place "Conference Sponsorship" in the "to" field, and let us know whether you contributed via PayPal or will be forwarding a check to Margaret Weeks.
For information on the Conference, please visit:
http://law.pepperdine.edu/nootbaar/annual-conference/
For information on the Rileys and their work in Uganda, please visit:
http://www.alternative-care-uganda.org/
http://rileysinuganda.blogspot.com/
PEAR is a 501c3 nonprofit.
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
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