liberia info

i've started talking with the agency that does liberia adoptions. part of it is better than i thought - the kids aren't in orphanages at all - their in individual foster homes (only one - no moving around) and almost all of them have had a structured home life from the beginning. so the vast vast majority don't have the attachment issues that i worry about. the things that "require a very committed family" (the agency's words) are poor or no health care, malnutrition and little to no education. i don't know a lot about these things yet, and what if any of these have permanent effects. i looked into malnutrition a bit, since that seems the most serious, and it's not just a matter of getting calories back into their bodies. depending on at what point in a child's development it occurs and how severe it is, malnutrition can have permanent effects on growth, cognitive abilities and a body's ability to function. one thing i read said the effects can mirror aids. i'm not sure what no health care means - is that just we'd need to get them caught up on shots? or something more serious? there are some pediatricians that are trained in being able to recognize potential problems that aren't normal in the US population just from the kids referral photo. and the education thing isn't as huge of an issue, because most of the kids aren't old enough to have missed school yet. although the few that are, are dreadfully dreadfully behind. i asked about homeschooling to catch them up and they said generally it's not the best idea because the school can better deal with whatever issues there might be.