even more liberia (i think you better get used to this topic)

here's another thing to think through before adopting internationally - would it be better for the child to send whatever money you'd be spending to lots of kids (via trusted agencies/charities) to make their lives better where they are now? so they can stay in their culture, maybe even with their birthfamilies? or is it better to transport a couple half way across the world to grow up in america? on the one hand it seems crazy to take people out of their culture etc. and if by giving the money i would have been spending anyway - it seems like a lot of peoples lives could be improved instead of one or two. on the other hand, think about just the educational opportunites that would be available for those one or two and what they could do with that. go back and change an entire village? city? the country? i wonder if it's bad/another red flag to be thinking that the kids could be returning to liberia and working for change. maybe that would be imposing expectations on them or something. hmmm.