fac,"d ,,:it,4 an adaVtian syStem lltat /ezate.s to,> r)-van/ &ehind, the " OrVhan Doclor, Jan* 4r*nSom, has created r< sa{efy nel {">r ty'tousands o{ (ids,

acarpen- t/h"'tieen \,ter. a bartencier. \-./' u pnorograpner. and a teacher. But todav Jane Aronson is simplv known as the Orphan Doc- tor. A renowned pediatric infectious diseases and adoptionmedicine special- ist, Aronson,who has spent the past two decades trar- eling to orphanagesall over the world, made it her lifes work "to give [kids] back their inalienable right to make choices about lifel' Through Worldwide Orphans Foundation, an international non-govern- mental organization she founded 13 years ago, with headquarters in Maple- wood, New Jersey,Aronson has helped to enhancethe physical,emotional, social, and inl ellectualwell-being of thousands of orphaned children around the globe, many of whom spend their formative years in extreme PROFITE _$;rxa*lLa'*xre*ea

poverty. She is quick to point out that \MWO does not run professional peer training for pediatric HIV/AIDS treat- orphanages,nor is it an adoption agencyor fundinginstitu- ment in both Ethiopia and (WWO has joined tion. Rather, it is an ever-growing organizationwhose sole forces with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation to open a mission is to nurture and transform the lives of orphans family health care center in Ethiopia). Additionally, in outside the United States, by identitring and addressing Ethiopia, \MWO provides both orphans and children from their unique needs and strategically partnering with non- impoverished communities with academically rigorous governmental organizations and like-minded enterprises, schooling at a \MWO-sponsored academy, with over 300 like the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Crocs,Clowns With- students from the orphanage and community. It also of- out Borders, and the Hole in the Wall Camps. fers enrichment in the arts, music, and humanities, and Aronson was inspired to establish \AI\MOafter realizing organizes summer camps and sports and recreational ac- that only a small number of children living in orphan- tivities for orphaned children. ageswould have permanent homes, while a vast majority "In our schools, each child gets a uniform, shoes, two of them faced uncertain futures. Her vision crystallized good meals a day, and.a well-developed curriculum that following many years of practicing adoption medicine meets government requirements. And our camps teach stateside, where she witnessed the deep developmental, independent living and leadership skillsi'Aronson says language, and emotional delays often stemming from or- proudly. "We're also heavily invested in community devel- phanagelife. opment and collaborate with other organizations to pro- 'As an adoption doctor, I started seeing children from vide psycho-social support for familiesl' ,, Vietnam, Cambodia, andlthiopia, and they Backed by Aronson's compassion and determination, all had a similar set of problemsi'Aronson says."They suf- \Ar\MOhas served more than 10,000orphaned and vulnera- fered from anemia, skin infections, parasites, and exlro- ble children worldwide. It presentlypartners with orphan- sure to diseasessuch as syphilis, tuberculosis, and hepa- agesin Haiti, , Ethiopia, ,andVietnam, and titis. They also often experienced attachment issues and has opened chapters in Canada and Australia. development delays. It was a powerfrrl reflection of what On a sunnysummer morning,A,ronson arrives atWWOs was going on in the orphanages in many countries and, airy headquarters comfortably clad in jeans, a hoodie, and once I saw all of that up front, the handwriting for me was sneakers. Blue-rimmed glasses front her face, which is clearly on the wall. I decided that this was a huge problem framed by a mane of silver-gray hair. She is a bit harried, and that I could do a good job of helping." having struggled like most moms to get her kids offto day So, on September11, 1997,she founded \41MOand, in camp, but when she settles in to talk about orphaned chil- 1998,sent her first batch of volunteers-now called Or- dren, shebecomes deeply focused. Her passionis evident, phan Rangers,in homage to her childhood hero, the Lone so much so that she barely takes a breath. Ranger-to live in orphanages in Russia and document "There are two parts to this issuel' she begins. "First their living environment and contributions. \Mhile the first there's the orphan crisis, which is often a topic of con- Orphan Rangers were college students, the program has troversy and a unique problem in that people cant seem since welcomed physicians, social workers, psychologists, to take in the gargantuan tragedy surrounding orphans dentists, nurses, medical sfudents, residents, and fellows, around the world. My work at the foundation right now is and other individuals like athletes, artists, dancers, and to provide and grow services and go to other countries to actors with special skill sets."Early on I needed answers to develop the models we find successfirl. questions, so the Rangers had projects revolving around "The other part is about policy and advancing the un- studying the growth and development of orphansl' notes derstanding of the plight of orphans"-UNICEF estimates Aronson. "But even to this day, everyone keeps ajournal there are 163 million children orphaned by one or both and does a researchprojecti' parents-"and any think tank I go to becomes an argq- Beyond these programs, IVWO offers an extensive slate ment over what defines an orphan. For me, what's really ofhealth and academic services.To start, it provides pri- important is that we know that in every community in de- mary medical care and was one of the first organizations veloping nations, there are huge amounts of children liv- to dispenseAIDS drugs to HlV-positive orphaned children ing without parental care and not getting the servicesthey in Ethiopia and Vietnam. The organization also conducts need, like health care, nourishment, schoolinq, and, if they

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have HIV/AID S,treatment. "I told him that I get aggravated,sad, and blue, and I "Many orphanageshave become isolated and disonryred beat myself up trying to meet people's expectations and by their communities. They're frequently hard to find and thinking I'm not doing enough. I'm my own worst critic, have no address,no sign. Every trip I ve gone on, it's taken and in my eagernessto do mywork, I often feel as if the is- me hours to locate them, and often theyve movedl' suesoforphans around the world are not recognized,and When asked how she is able to compartmentalize the that somethinkmyworkwith\,\ryVO is not crediblej' emotional aspect of her worh she instantly chokes up, Born in and raised in Jamaica, Queens and sharing a moment she had earlier that morning with her , Aronson admits her or,r.nchildhood was dif- older son,Des, 12, who was adoptedfrom Ethiopia.She re- ficult, challenging, and less than nurturing. She knewven lates that she had applied for a fellowship more than a year early on, however, that she wanted to pursue medicine ago and found out that day that nothing had yet been done and becomea pediatrician.Her great-uncleJoe, a tubercu- with her application. Seeingshe was upset, Des asked her losis specialist and researcherwho workedwith the Native why she was sad. After grasping the issue, he asked, "So American population, greatlyinfluenced her. "He gavevac- the goodworkyou do isnt enough,Momma?" cines andwouldwalkthrough drifts of snowin subfreezing temperatures to bring an X-ray machine to a reservationi she remembers."He traveled all over the world doing international development and medical advocacy.I reallywanted to be like himl' After stints as a bartender and a teach- er in 's inner-city schools, with no financial support, she attended Hunter College part time over a period of seven years, and then went on to earn her medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Today, in addition to leading \A{IVO, she is a clinical assistant professor of pediat- rics at Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University as well as the director of International Pediatric Health Services. the adoption medicine practice she opened in Manhattan in 2000. At IPH, she provides families with primer sessionson internation- al adoption, pre-adoption medical reviews, assistancewith travel and vaccines, and med- ical and developmental assessmentson chil- dren adopted overseas.(Aronson and her life partner, Diana Leo, adopted Des and Ben, 10, who was born in Vietnam.) The tie-in between WWO and IPH is "a liabili- ty in many ways and a plus in othersl' saysAron- son. "You have built-in stakeholders through clients who are very happy to help with the foun- dation by being board members or donors, and that's been a great marriage. On the other hand, manypeople think\AIVVOis about adoption. Our PROFITE $mee.&rr*:as*ce

mission is about caring for orphaned children left behind. affirms Aronson, who just returned from a faci-finding Over time, our mission will be understoodl' trip to earthquake-ravagedHaiti, where \&\iVOwill imple- To reinforce the mission, \A/WO conducts community ment programs serving Haiti's orphans and vulnerable development assessmentsin the countries it servesto as- children. certain needs and more clear$ define the local communi- "There are great challenges in Haitii' says Aronson. "It ties. It is also developing a standardized system to evalu- has taken us almost a year to assessthe impact of the post- ate the impact of its programs. What remains the same is disaster situation on orphaned and vulnerable children having'all the hope in the world to do better for orphansl' and develop thoughtful development programs that apply our best models in Haitil' The \AIMO in Haiti offers an early intervention program that trains and employs youth and older adult care- takers,or jeune grandmi,res, to work in orphanages to enhance the growth and development of orphans, in addition to innovative global arts, sports, and rec- reational programs. Her life mission is to en- sure that orphaned chil- dren worldwide reach their fi.rllest potential and become healthy and pro- ductive members of their respective communities. "I want them to have the same opportunities as any child adopted in the U.S.i' saysAronson. Sheproudly recounts the successstory of orphaned children from Serbia. "In Serbia, we actually have four kids who are now in collegej' she says. "To me, they're the poster children for the wars in Serbia, but they were able to reclaim their identities. They're leaders and they'll go on to have jobs and families and attest that they were or- phans and went on to have good livesi' LM

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